Contributors: Winter 2026

Meet the IMS Magazine Winter 2026 Team

Graphic design by Jinny Moon

Beatrice Acheson is a second-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

Jasmine Amini is a second-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

Regina Annirood is a PhD student working under the supervision of Dr. Robert Chen at Toronto Western Hospital. Her research focuses on how transcranial ultrasound stimulation can modulate brain circuits to improve symptoms in people with Parkinson’s disease, contributing to advances in the understanding and treatment of movement disorders. Outside the lab, she enjoys travelling, pilates, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

Michellie Choi is a first-year MSc student working under the supervision of Dr. Kazuhiro Yasufuku at the Latner Thoracic Research Laboratories and Toronto General Hospital (UHN). Her research focuses on AI applications for minimally invasive thoracic surgery and surgical guidance.

Mya Chronopoulos is a first-year MSc student supervised by Dr. Caleb Browne at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health where she is exploring how serotonin and dopamine coordinate in the mesolimbic dopamine system to shape motivation/reward-seeking behaviour. Outside of the lab, she enjoys early morning pilates classes, spending time with family, and traveling.

Instagram: @myachronopoulos

Sara Corvinelli is a PhD student supervised by Dr. Jacques Lee at the Schwartz/Reisman Emergency Medicine Institute. Her thesis is exploring innovative ways to improve delirium recognition for older people who seek emergency care. When she’s not researching, Sara enjoys ballet, nature walks, and spending time with loved ones.

Grace Gibson is a second-year MSc student in the Biomedical Communications program studying to become a medical illustrator. She aims to work in patient-facing media and outreach focused on the LGBTQ community. In her free time, Grace enjoys reading books and painting.

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 Director of Panoramics – A Vision Inc. She enjoys traveling, cooking, and reading.

Instagram: @_alyonaivanova_

Rachel Lebovic is a second-year PhD student at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre under the supervision of Dr. Mark Sinyor. She is studying suicide prevention through popular media as a tool to teach mental health literacy to youth. Outside of research, Rachel enjoys cooking, going for walks, and building Lego.

Instagram: @rachel.lebovic

Josephine Machado is a second-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 second-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.

Areej Mir is a first-year MSc student at Women’s College Hospital. Her research focuses on studying disparities in breast cancer treatment and care among immigrants in Ontario. She has a strong passion for health-equity focused research. She is thrilled to be a part of the IMS Magazine, helping to share stories that make health research more accessible and engaging for all audiences. Outside of academics, she enjoys volunteering in her community, exploring Toronto’s food scene, and curating creative content online.

Anna Mouzenian is a second-year MSc student working under the supervision of Dr. Victor Tang and Dr. Daniel Felsky at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Anna is investigating the use of wearable devices to predict outcomes for substance use disorders. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, hiking and pilates.

Gharaza Nasir is a second-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

Kinjal Parekh is a first-year MSc student at St. Michael’s Hospital, working under the supervision of Dr. Andras Kapus. Her research is focused on uncovering the mechanism of a novel inhibitor targeting the YAP/TAZ transcription factors, central regulators whose overactivation driv cancer and fibrosis. Outside of research, she enjoys cooking, playing badminton, and nature walks.

Instagram: @kinjalparekh09

Ana Piric is a second-year MSc student at the Princess Margaret Cancer Research Tower working under the supervision of Dr. Aaron Schimmer. Her research is focused on the molecular targeting of the mitochondrial protease LONP1 in cellular and mouse models of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In her free time Ana enjoys yoga, reading, and exploring the food scene in Toronto!

Instagram: @anapiric18

Anita Rajkumar is a second-year MSc student at Women’s College Hospital, working under the supervision of Dr. Joanne Kotsopoulos. Her research aims to understand hormonal contraceptive use and breast cancer risk among BRCA carriers. In her free time, Anita enjoys reading, running, and trying new restaurants.

Instagram: @anita.raj_

Rebecca Smythe is a first-year MSc student at Women’s College Hospital working under the supervision of Dr. David Lim. Her research aims to better understand the lived experiences of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals navigating breast cancer care, across the entire care continuum from screening to survivorship. Outside of her work Rebecca enjoys reading, travelling, and spending time with loved ones.

Instagram: @beckyysmythe

Alicia Tran is a first-year MSc student working under the supervision of Dr. Lihi Eder at Women’s College Hospital. Her research explores sex differences in response to advanced therapies in patients with psoriatic arthritis. Outside of the lab, she enjoys exploring Toronto with her sister, vintage shopping, and baking new recipes for the holiday season.

Instagram: @aliciaxtran

Shreya Vasudeva is a first-year MSc student at the Poul Hansen Family Centre for Depression under the supervision of Dr. Joshua Rosenblat. Her research focuses on investigating the abuse liability of ketamine when prescribed for treatment-resistant mood disorders. Outside of research, Shreya loves movies, spending time with family and friends, trying new cafes around the city!

Saleena Zedan is a second-year MSc student at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, being supervised by Dr. George Foussias. Her research is focused on investigating the role of gender-identity and socio-environmental variables in predicting recovery outcomes for individuals with psychosis. Saleena enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and dog outside of her work.

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.

Abigail Wolfensohn is a second-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

Lielle Ronen is a second-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.