Presidential Candidates
| Karan Patel and Yalda Champiri | Jessica Hur and Emily Melo |
Vice President of Operations Candidates
| TBD |
Vice President of External Affairs Candidates
| TBD |
Director of Internal Communications Candidate
| Nafia Mirza |
Director of External Communications Candidate
| Kareena Thakur | Ezgi Coskun |
Treasurer Candidate
| William Wang |
Secretary Candidate
| Karen Fang |
Presidential Candidates and Platforms
| Karan Patel | Yalda Champiri |
| Hi, I’m Karan Patel, and I’m excited to be re-running for IMSSA Co-President this year! I’ll be entering my fourth year this September, and I’ve been involved in IMSSA since my first year—starting as a Site Director and a member of the Academic Affairs Subcommittee. Last year, as Co-President alongside Nafia, we not only hosted an extravagant Halloween and Holiday party, but also forged new collaborations and brought several new events to life. I was instrumental in planning many key events and, most importantly, re-balancing the budget to find those extra dollars that made the IMSSA Site Cup and the Snow Valley ski trip possible. Beyond the budget, I successfully liaised with undergraduate course unions, professors, UTGSU representatives, and TWIST to expand the scope of IMSSA’s reach, and I continued as a key volunteer with Pueblo Science, helping to provide IMS students with engagement opportunities in science outreach. Through it all, I’ve built a solid network within the IMS community and, simply put, I showed up and got things done. This year, with your vote, I’m looking to return as Co-President to keep growing our collaborations, add more initiatives, build a more inclusive environment, and help every student achieve highly. | Hi everyone! I’m Yalda Champiri, a second-year master’s student transferring to the PhD stream this fall, and I’m running for Co-President of IMSSA alongside my colleague Karan. Over the past two years, I have been deeply involved in IMSSA. In my first year, I was a Site Director at TWH, where I organized events like a hot cocoa gathering that brought together 20+ students. Last year I served as IMSSA Secretary, managing meeting records and helping run key events like the winter Holiday party. Outside of IMSSA, I’ve volunteered with Pueblo Science making science fun and accessible for kids. This year, I plan to launch an International Collaborations Seminar on pursuing foreign research visits and collaborations, and a panel on how students can secure TA positions. Having served on the executive team, I’ve seen firsthand the dedication these roles demand, and I’m ready to bring that same energy. In addition, helping out with events has shown me firsthand how IMSSA initiates community building and creates friendships that last throughout graduate school. If chosen, I will bring enthusiasm to the team to ensure meaningful gatherings, foster collaborations, and create a community that helps every student transition with ease. If chosen, I’ll work to create meaningful gatherings, foster collaborations, and build a community that helps every student thrive throughout grad school. |
Platform:
View Karan and Yalda’s platform and strategic strategy
| Jessica Hur | Emily Melo |
| My name is Jessica Hur, and I am an IMS MSc student supervised by Dr. Benoit Mulsant, researching major depressive disorder, antidepressants, and clinical trial design. My relationship with IMS goes way back to my third year of undergrad, when I completed my first IMS SURP term at CAMH with Dr. Mulsant, which resulted in a first-author paper now published, and set me on my current path as a graduate student at CAMH under his supervision. I returned for a second IMS SURP term, this time at Baycrest, which also resulted in a first-author paper currently under minor revisions. This year, I am volunteering at SURP orientation out of genuine gratitude for what this program gave me, and to welcome incoming students the way I once was. I am currently the IMSSA CAMH Site Director and member of UofT Talks, previously Co-President of the McMaster PNB Mental Health Society, and recently won both first place and audience choice at the IMSSA Three Minute Thesis competition. I am planning to transfer into the PhD program at IMS, which means I will be here for years to come and want to build something that lasts. IMS has given me so much, and now I want to make sure it does the same for you all. | My name is Emily Melo, and I am currently completing my MSc in IMS under the co-supervision of Dr. Claude Alain and Dr. Andrew Dimitrijevic. My research focuses on attention and working memory in individuals with cochlear implants, with the goal of better understanding the challenges users face in noisy environments. I first discovered IMS at a grad school booth during my fourth year at McMaster University, and I remember being really excited about how you can focus on your niche interests. I made my choice in that moment, and I’m so glad this is the path I chose. Since starting my master’s, I have strived to involve myself in the IMS community through attending events, volunteering at initiatives such as Warm Hands for Cold Streets, and helping plan UofT Talks (everyone should attend, by the way). As the IMSSA Baycrest/TWH Site Director, I am especially passionate about fostering a sense of belonging among students across ALL sites (even geographically isolated ones like my home base, Baycrest). Although IMS students pursue highly diverse research paths, I think what makes the program so special is the strong sense of connection and support that brings the community together. I have felt indescribably welcomed since that booth, and I want to make sure everyone feels the same warmth! |
Platform:
View Jessica and Emily’s platform and strategic strategy
Director of Internal Communications Candidate and Platform
| Nafia Mirza |
| My involvement with IMSSA has spanned several roles, beginning as a General Member, then serving as Director of Academic Affairs, and most recently as President. Through these experiences, I have developed a strong understanding of our student community and the important role communication plays in fostering engagement, connection, and support across IMS. Although I am stepping down from the presidency, I remain passionate about contributing to IMSSA and supporting our students. As Director of Internal Communications, I hope to continue building an engaged and informed community by highlighting student experiences, promoting opportunities, and ensuring students have access to the information and resources they need throughout their graduate journey. In addition to my work with IMSSA, I currently serve on the UTGSU Board of Directors, which has provided me with valuable experience in student advocacy, outreach, and communication. I am excited about the opportunity to continue serving the IMS community in this new capacity. |
Platform:
View Nafia’s platform and strategic strategy
Director of External Communications Candidate and Platform
| Kareena Thakur |
| Hi, my name is Kareena Thakur, I’m a first-year MSc student at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre conducting research in Breast Medical Oncology. One of the things I value most about IMS is the number of opportunities to build community across students who are working in very different spaces. This is what led me to get involved with IMSSA as a Site Director, where I’ve deeply enjoyed helping students feel more connected to events, opportunities, and each other. Through this role, I’ve had the chance to meet many IMSSA and non-IMSSA members, and help students be more involved by informing them on what’s happening across IMS. I’ve also had the pleasure of helping out with the Wellness and Community & Outreach committees which have been incredible experiences in showcasing the IMS to other departments and to our community here in Toronto. Apart from my involvement, I genuinely love the creative side of communication, including writing, visual design, and taking pictures that reflect student life. I’m very excited about contributing to and supporting all the initiatives that IMSSA members plan throughout the year, and capturing those moments to bring people together. |
Platform:
View Kareena’s platform and strategic strategy
| Ezgi Coskun |
| Hi everyone! My name is Ezgi, and I am a second-year MSc student in the Institute of Medical Science working in epilepsy and traumatic brain injury research. I am excited to be running for External Communications because I enjoy creating clear, engaging, and visually appealing content that helps bring people together. Throughout my academic journey, I have been involved in research, mentorship, student initiatives, and science communication, which have helped me develop strong written communication and organizational skills. Outside of academics, I also really enjoy photography, and I often bring my camera with me to every event because I love capturing moments where people pause, smile, and engage with what is happening around them. I think photos can help preserve the energy of an event and make people feel more connected to their community. I would love to bring that same care and enthusiasm to documenting IMSSA events and making them feel more seen and welcoming. I would bring reliability, creativity, and attention to detail to maintaining the IMSSA website, supporting outreach and the IMS community. I would be very grateful for the opportunity to contribute to IMSSA as External Communications. |
Platform:
View Ezgi’s platform and strategic strategy
Treasurer Candidate and Platform
| William Wang |
| Hi everyone! My name is Will, and I am a first year master’s student and the current co-site director for St. Michael’s Hospital! I tell myself that, in a life without research, I would’ve strived to become a pop-star, because singing is my favourite way to destress from grad school. I have previous experience managing a ledger and bank account for various student organizations. I was previously the VP of Finance at my undergraduate student council, where I managed a bank account and ledger to track a cashflow of around $3000. Additionally, I’m familiar with applying to grant funding from various organizations, yielding the aforementioned student organization over $1300 dollars. I have the soft skills necessary to succeed in a treasurer role, and I am capable of learning the proper management skills to be the best IMSSA treasurer I can. |
Platform:
View William’s platform and strategic strategy
Secretary Candidate and Platform
| Karen Fang |
| I am a second-year PhD candidate in Dr. Schimmer’s lab at the Princess Margaret Cancer Research Tower. I have previously completed both my BSc and MSc in the Department of LMP at UofT. Currently, my research focuses on systems biology in cancer. Beyond the lab, I have been actively involved in the graduate student community. During the first year of my PhD, I served as the Communications Director for GradMinds, an Associate for both LSCDS and MedDash, and a Site Director for IMSSA. Leveraging my organizational skills and attention to detail, I hope to get involved in the role of Secretary for IMSSA this upcoming year, where I can continue to enrich the student community in IMS! |