Contributors: Summer 2026

Meet the IMS Magazine Summer 2026 Team

Graphic design by Jinny Moon

JOURNALISTS

Eryn Lonnee is a first-year MSc student at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health under the supervision of Dr. Vanessa Gonçalves. Her research aims to understand the effects of co-occurring major depressive disorder and cannabis use disorder on mitochondrial health. Outside of school, Eryn enjoys spending time with friends, playing guitar, and going to the theatre.

Instagram: @erynpl

Melina Alborzi is a first-year MSc student at Toronto General Research Institute, supervised by Dr. Dmitry Rozenberg and Dr. Kirsten Wentlandt. Her research uses a qualitative approach to examine caregiver wellbeing in cardiopulmonary disease. Outside of research, Melina volunteers with a community hospice program, enjoys running and painting, and trying new recipes.

Instagram: @melina.alborzi

Aria Afsharian is a second-year MSc student at St. Michael’s Hospital under Dr. Andras Kapus. His project focuses on antiviral signalling regulation within. Having been with IMS Magazine for nearly 2 years now, he is thrilled to continue his passion of spreading accessible science to a wider audience. Other than the lab, Aria enjoys working out and reading.

Sabeeka Malik is a second-year MSc student at the SickKids Research Institute, working under the supervision of Drs. Jacob Vorstman and 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 working under Dr. David Lim. Her research focuses on studying disparities in breast cancer presentation, 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 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.

Annanya Walia is a first-year MSc student at the Princess Margaret Hospital, working under the collaborative supervision of Dr. Armand Keating, Dr. Rob Laister, and Dr. John Kuruvilla. Her research focuses on the characterization of computationally designed cyclic peptides for the development of novel bispecific therapies for lymphoma. Outside of research, she enjoys baking, basketball, and discovering hidden food spots around the city.

Eesha Rehman is a first year MSc student at Centre of Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) working under the supervision of Dr. Erin Dickie. Her research examines functional connectivity patterns in a clinical youth population with psychosis spectrum symptoms (PSS). Outside of research, she loves solving puzzles, collecting stickers, and journaling.

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.

Instagram: @aliciaxtran

Kareena Thakur is a first year MSc student conducting research under the supervision of Dr. David Cescon at the Princess Margaret Hospital. Her research explores the use of liquid biopsies to detect circulating tumour DNA in the blood of patients with metastatic breast cancer as a tool for early detection of treatment response and progression. Outside of research, she enjoys swimming, travelling, and taking super long walks with her dog.

Instagram: @kareenaathakur

Gisany Ravichandran is a first-year MSc student at Sunnybrook Research Institute working under the supervision of Dr. Andrew Lim. Her research aims to identify sleep physiological features associated with cognitive resilience in older adults with and without dementia. Outside of research, she enjoys exploring different coffee shops, playing board games, and travelling with her friends.

Instagram: @gisanyravi

Rivka van Klei is a first-year Master’s student at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, where she studies the biopsychosocial factors that contribute to increased dementia risk in individuals with a history of depression. Outside the lab, Rivka loves spending time outdoors—biking, hiking, and enjoying nature. During the winter months, you’ll more likely find her indoors, gathered with friends for cozy karaoke and board-game nights.

Instagram: @rivka_zeng_vanklei

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, in Canada. Outside of her work Rebecca enjoys reading, travelling, and spending time with loved ones.

Instagram: @beckyysmythe

Stephanie Rizza is a first-year MSc student working under the supervision of Dr. Yaping Jin. Her research focuses on estimating and validating the prevalence of glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration in Canada, with the goal of informing public-health planning and resource allocation to improve outcomes for individuals with vision-threatening diseases. Beyond research, she enjoys hiking, skiing, spending time outdoors and planning her next travel adventure

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, running, and travelling the world with her husband.

Instagram: @tiffanycblum

Avni Bhargava is a recent graduate of the Department of Human Biology at the University of Toronto. She is currently studying for the MCAT and intends to apply to medical school in 2027. Alongside her Bachelor of Science degree, Avni has earned a Certification of Recognition in American Sign Language and works as a part time tutor-mentor supporting Deaf and hard of hearing students. Passionate about accessibility in healthcare and education, she hopes to combine these interests throughout her future in medicine.

Instagram: @avnii.i

Nicole Chu is a second year medical student at the University of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine. She is the Co-Executive Producer for Raw Talk Podcast, and loves storytelling and simplifying research so that people from all backgrounds can understand. In her free time, she does Chinese dance with Yun Dance Crew!

Ezgi Coskun is a second-year MSc student investigating the therapeutic benefits of kynurenine 3-monooxygenase inhibition on traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic epilepsy-related symptoms under the supervision of Dr. Aylin Y. Reid at the Krembil Research Institute. Outside the lab, Ezgi likes reading fiction and discovering new coffee shops.

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.

PHOTOGRAPHY TEAM

Jino Lim is a first-year MSc student under Dr. Katharine Dunlop’s supervision at St. Michael’s Hospital. His research focuses on multivariate analysis on structural magnetic resonance imaging data for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). In his free time, you can find Jino fish keeping or reading literature!

Instagram: @jin0lim

Eliza McCann is a first-year MSc student working under Dr. Clement Hamani at the Sunnybrook Research Institute. Her research focuses on Deep Brain Stimulation as a treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. In her spare time, she likes to read, spend time with her friends, and cook.

EXECUTIVE EDITORS

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.

Lizabeth Teshler 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, she loves biking, spending time outdoors, and exploring new cities.

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.

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.

Carmen K. Chan is a PhD student exploring the molecular mechanisms of obesity and type 2 diabetes, focusing on immuno-metabolism. She is co-supervised by Dr. Cynthia Luk (St. Michael’s Hospital) and Dr. Daniel Winer (Toronto General Hospital Research Institute). Outside of the lab, Carmen can be found playing the piano, tending to her (many) houseplants, or taking a long walk by the waterfront.

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.

Mya Chronopolous 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.

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.

COPY EDITORS