CONTRIBUTORS
Contributors
Winter 2022
S. Hussain Ather is a first year PhD student working under John Griffiths at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). He uses and develops computational modeling techniques to investigate the brain connectivity structures underlying neuropsychiatric disorders. He also likes cosplaying.
Dorsa Derakhshan is a MSc student at IMS investigating the cognitive effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in treatment resistant depression under the supervision of Dr. Peter Giacobbe. She enjoys photography, painting, and working on creative projects in her leisure time.
Stacey J Butler is a third year PhD student at IMS, specializing in respiratory medicine and epidemiology, under the supervision of Dr. Andrea Gershon. Outside of academia, Stacey enjoys creative activities, board games and cooking hearty vegetarian meals.
Shu’ayb Simmons (they/them) is a first year MSc candidate working with Dr. Tripathy at the CAMH Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics. Their research pertains to the biological crux of disparity, aiming to elucidate the molecular underpinnings of racial disparity in neuropsychiatric illnesses - using bulk RNAseq data. Shu‘ayb enjoys social activism, lyricism, and fashion in their free time.
Junayd Hussain is a first year MSc candidate at University of Ottawa’s School of Epidemiology and Public Health. His research interests lie in clinical epidemiology and health services research, specifically looking at new ways to employ large administrative databases and patient-reported outcomes to improve clinical management of chronic kidney disease. When not aggressively coding and cleaning datasets, Junayd is an avid runner, reader, and smartphone photographer.
Vritika Batura is a third year PhD student with Dr. Aleixo Muise at Sickkids Hospital. She is investigating the role of genetic aetiologies and targeting the associated signaling pathways in the pathogenesis of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). She is using patient samples, including patient derived organoids, to understand the mechanism involved in the onset of patient IBD. Apart from research, she loves traveling with the incentive to explore new places, culture and food!
Iciar Iturmendi Sabater is a first year PhD student working with Dr. Meng-Chuan Lai at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health. Her research focuses on understanding how people with autism spectrum disorder cover-up or mask their social and communication differences, a process known as ‘camouflaging’. Iciar enjoys traveling, meeting new people, and spending time with family and friends.
Vaidhehi (Veena) Sanmugananthan is a second year MSc student under the supervision of Dr. Karen Davis at the Krembil Brain Institute, Toronto Western Hospital. Her research focuses on examining pain and attention interactions in people that suffer chronic pain. Outside of the lab, Veena loves to run, play squash, sketch, and challenge herself to learn new art mediums!
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Nayaab Punjani is a second year MSc student at IMS working with Dr. Michael G. Fehlings. Her research is examining a preclinical drug treatment that aims to provide a multifaceted approach targeting neural regeneration and inflammation following cervical spinal cord injury. She enjoys watching action and mystery genre movies and TV shows, and loves sketching in her free time.
6 | IMS MAGAZINE WINTER 2022 MEN’S HEALTH
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Graphic design by Amy Assabgui
