Contributors: Summer 2025

Meet the IMS Magazine Summer 2025 Team

Graphic design by Nichole Zhou

Beatrice Acheson is a first-year MSc student working under the supervision of Dr. Peter St George-Hyslop at the Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease (CRND), where she investigates the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying microglial dysfunction in Alzheimer’s Disease. When she is not in the lab, Beatrice is likely reading a book, attending a yoga class, or playing beach volleyball.

Instagram: @bea.acheson

Aria Afsharian is a first-year MSc student at St. Michael’s Hospital under Dr. Andras Kapus. His research focuses on cell biology, specifically the role of signalling proteins in the antiviral immune response. Apart from the lab, Aria enjoys drawing, reading and working out.

Tesam Ahmed is a first-year MSc student working under the supervision of Dr. Daniel Felsky at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Her research investigates the interaction between structural and functional brain changes and genetic factors to influence trajectories of psychosis in youth. Outside of the lab, Tesam loves to read, enjoy nature, and spend time with friends.

Jasmine Amini is a first-year MSc student working under the supervision of Drs. Daphne Korczak and Samantha Anthony at the Hospital for Sick Children. Her research interests lie in social media use and family functioning among youth with an acute self-harm or suicide-related concern. Outside of academia, Jasmine enjoys reading, volunteering, and exploring Toronto.

Twitter: Jasmine_amini9

Gabriela Blaszczyk is a first year PhD student, working under the supervision of Dr. Raphael Schneider and Dr. Jiwon Oh at St. Michael’s Hospital. She is investigating pre-symptomatic Multiple Sclerosis, with the end goal of understanding early disease and the development of a prognostic test to be used in the clinical setting. In her spare time, Gabriela volunteers as a ski patroller and loves to try new foods around the city.

Instagram: @gabi.blaszczyk

Ilakkiah Chandran is a 3rd year PhD Candidate at IMS, supervised by Dr. Danielle Andrade at the Adult Genetic Epilepsy Program. Her research explores the genotype and phenotype of rare genetic epilepsies in adults, focusing on how their features evolve with age. In her free time, she enjoys reading, going on impromptu adventures and tuning into some true crime!

Tiffany Chien is a PhD student in the Department of Medical Biophysics working at the Mouse Imaging Centre. Under the supervision of Dr. John Sled & Dr. Jason Lerch, her research aims to investigate how maternal autoantibodies affect offspring brain and behavior development. She is also a science writer for RawTalk Podcast. In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking, solving puzzles & board games, and being outdoors with her husband and golden retriever.

Instagram: @tiffanycblum

Kevan Clifford is a PhD student in the IMS program, working under the supervision of Dr. Yuliya Nikolova at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. His research combines bioinformatics and neuroimaging approaches to characterize shared risk pathways between brain aging and psychiatric illnesses. Outside of the lab, Kevan enjoys trail running, photography, and a good book (preferably while curled up with his cat, Rauru).

Omar I. Hassan Is a MSc student transferring to PhD in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Fehlings. He studies neuromodulatory and regenerative strategies in spinal cord injury and has a particular focus on translation from laboratory to clinic. Currently his work is focused on restoring chloride homeostasis through repurposed pharmacological agents. Outside of the lab, he enjoys horology, falconry and yapping over election politics.

Instagram: @omar_hassan1535

Kiko Huang is a second-year MSc student, currently studying glaucoma through an epidemiological lens under the supervision of Dr. Yaping Jin. Her work aims to investigate various trends in ophthalmology and vision care to gain a better understanding of the health landscape and guide policy. During her free time, she’s likely out exploring all the food that the city has to offer (recommendations appreciated)!

Instagram @kikohuangs

Alyona Ivanova is a PhD student investigating the molecular signature of glioblastoma using spatial -omics technologies at the Hospital for Sick Children under the supervision of Dr. Sunit Das. Alyona is a professional figure skater and a model. Alyona is a creative content manager of Panoramics – A Vision. She enjoys traveling, cooking, and reading.

Instagram: @_alyonaivanova_

Josephine Machado is a first-year MSc student working under the supervision of Dr. Andrea Knight at The Hospital for Sick Children. Her research is focused on examining the neuropsychiatric impacts of childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) through the study of brain-aging in children with the condition. Outside of research, Josephine enjoys reading, playing the piano, nature walks, and volunteering.

Sabeeka Malik is a first-year MSc student at the SickKids Research Institute, working under the supervision of Dr. Andreas Schulze. Her research aims to determine effective substrate reduction therapy drug candidates for Mucopolysaccharidosis III (Sanfilippo Syndrome), a lysosomal storage disease. Outside of the lab, Sabeeka enjoys reading and playing card games with her friends.

Gharaza Nasir is a first-year MSc student at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, working under the supervision of Dr. Arndt Vogel. Her research utilizes patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models to investigate tumour dynamics and evaluate potential therapeutic strategies for Cholangiocarcinoma. In her free time, Gharaza enjoys working out, playing video games, and spending time with friends and family.

Instagram: @g.harazanasir

Kowsar Teymouri is a third-year PhD student working under the supervision of Dr. James Kennedy at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Kowsar is investigating the role of the immune system genes in schizophrenia and how they are associated with different subgroups of schizophrenia. If not at CAMH, you can find Kowsar running along the lakeshore, creating content for her travel blog, hiking in new trails or painting.

Twitter: @kowsar_teymouri

Priya van Oosterhout is a first-year MSc student working under the supervision of Dr. Yuliya Nikolova at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Priya is investigating how substance use disorders affect the way in which the brain ages, as measured by MRI data. In her free time, she enjoys trying new food, watching movies, or going on hikes.

Instagram: @priya.vo

SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM

Lizabeth Teshler (Lead) is a PhD student supervised by Dr. Brian Feldman at The Hospital for Sick Children. Her research investigates how to improve the clinical examination of musculoskeletal health for people with Hemophilia. Outside of research, Lizabeth loves biking, spending time outdoors, and exploring new cities.

Lielle Ronen is a first-year MSc student in Dr. Andrew Sage’s Lab at the Latner Thoracic Surgery Research Labs in PMCRT. Her research investigates smoking damage in donor lungs to improve post-transplant outcomes using Ex-Vivo Lung Perfusion (EVLP). Aside from research, she loves painting, baking, running and trying local restaurants in Toronto.

Abigail Wolfensohn is a first-year MSc student in Dr. Mojgan Hodaie’s lab at Toronto Western Hospital. She is researching how the brain’s waste-clearance system functions in people with trigeminal neuralgia, a chronic facial pain condition. In her free time, she enjoys outdoor activities, puzzles, trying new restaurants, and playing the piano.

Instagram: @abbywolfen

PHOTOGRAPHY TEAM

Katherine Guo is a first-year MSc student working under the supervision of Dr. Shannon Lange at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Her work focuses on patterns of alcohol consumption and its related harms, aiming to better-understand the association between alcohol consumption and suicide mortality. Outside of her academics, Katherine spends her time working on various graphic design projects, taking photos, and exploring the wildlife in and outside of the city.

Nancy Kim is a first-year MSc student under the supervision of Dr. Amanda Boyle at the Center of Addiction and Mental Health. Her research focuses on neuroinflammation in different brain tumours originating from glial cells. She uses PET neuroimaging and histology studies to quantify neuroinflammation for early diagnosis and staging of these tumours. Outside of her research, she enjoys playing volleyball, exploring restaurants (mostly ramen places) and cafes (especially for matcha) near campus.