Boateng Anokye, an undergraduate student and active volunteer with our program, is always a friendly face for youth. He has volunteered his time to share insights with high school students, partnered with peers to lead on-site workshops and visited local elementary schools to facilitate fun classroom visits. His passion for STEM has always been evident – he first started as an active youth participant in STEM Pathways himself before going on to pursue a post-secondary education in Life Sciences. Boateng has continued his journey with UHN Research through his post-secondary studies and continues to channel his passion for science to make it approachable and inclusive for everyone. We are grateful for his long-time support of youth outreach.

Selina Nerjaku, an undergraduate student in the MacParland Lab, is a passionate member of the UHN STEM Pathways volunteer team. Selina first started as a youth participant herself, later joining our volunteer efforts while pursuing research as a trainee at UHN. Selina uses what she has learned to facilitate elementary and high school workshops both on-site at UHN and in the classroom. She has even created her own workshop for high school students (aptly called 'Love is Bind') to teach high school students about T Cells and T Cell receptors in a fun and engaging way. We are grateful for her dedication to youth outreach.

Lauren Hong, a graduate student at the KITE Research Institute, uses simulation labs to explore the intersection of aging and safe mobility with multisensory components and she does an excellent job explaining this in simple terms to visiting youth. She regularly helps with youth tours of these spaces, showing students around KITE’s expansive Challenging Environment Assessment Laboratory. In addition, Lauren is an active classroom volunteer who goes out into the community to teach students about various topics in STEM. We are grateful for her dedication to youth outreach.

Skerdi Progri, a Research Technician at the Krembil Research Institute, is a regular friendly face for students engaging in our programming. Skerdi routinely facilitates workshops for students, both on-site at UHN and in local classrooms. Skerdi has also used their knowledge of neuroscience to create their own workshop, teaching students about neuroscience and brain imaging. We are grateful for his dedication to youth outreach.

Taylor Ireland, a UHN Research graduate student, has been an enthusiastic addition to our outreach team since they started in their lab at UHN. Taylor immediately chose to get involved in youth outreach programming and since then, has facilitated multiple lab tours and career talks, communicating her science in plain language and sharing her passion with youth. Taylor does a wonderful job educating and inspiring students and we are grateful for her dedication to youth outreach.

Jenny Min, a UHN Research graduate student, has been a committed and enthusiastic outreach volunteer from the start. Jenny joined our team early in the Fall and immediately dove into supporting various outreach events. She has done a fantastic job speaking with youth through career panels and workshop sessions, often communicating post-secondary science topics in simple terms for high school students. We are grateful for all her hard work with outreach!

Ramsha Mahmoud, a Research Clerk at KITE, has been instrumental to our school field trip offerings. Ramsha has facilitated numerous tours of KITE’s simulation labs for youth, showcasing their cutting-edge research labs. She does a great job communicating her own work at KITE and providing helpful guidance to youth. We are thankful for all her outreach efforts!

Ash Hagerman, a graduate student at TGHRI, has been a key member of our volunteer team since 2022. Ash has engaged students through classroom visits, lab tours and even developed an interactive workshop on the immune system to communicate their work in this field. We are grateful for their long-time involvement and support of outreach!

Haiyang Huang, a graduate student at the McEwen Stem Cell Institute, is a fantastic science communicator. Haiyang is always approachable and does a great job teaching students about stem cells and ongoing research at the Nostro Lab. We are grateful for his outreach efforts!

Ravetta Ravichandran, a research student at KITE, has done an amazing job facilitating various outreach initiatives for our team. Ravetta has supported many classroom visits as well as youth visits to UHN, participating in over 8 events during the academic year. We are very grateful for all her outreach efforts!

Lauryn Gittens, a research clerk at the KITE Research Institute, has done a fantastic job communicating ongoing research with youth. She has facilitated numerous tours of KITE’s simulation labs, hosted an on-site workshop, and helped welcome 200+ visitors to the KITE booth at our Science Rendezvous event. She does a fantastic job communicating science and research with youth of all ages and we are grateful for her outreach efforts!

Hikaru Kurosawa, an undergraduate research student at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, has done a fantastic job sharing his Engineering expertise and knowledge of Artificial Intelligence (AI). He has been an integral part of the Guided Therapeutics (GTx) team's lab demos for students. He has also created a short video and classroom workshop to teach students about AI and how it works. We are grateful for his dedication to outreach!

Isabel Lim, a PhD Candidate at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, has done an excellent job facilitating workshops in local schools and supporting on-site visits at UHN. She is fantastic at communicating STEM subjects and her research with students and we are very grateful for all her contributions to outreach!

Emily Tsao, a PhD Candidate at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, has facilitated numerous outreach opportunities for youth. This includes everything from mentorship, hands-on workshops, career panels and even regular classroom visits within the local community. We are grateful for her dedication to outreach!

Andrew Effat, a PhD Candidate at the Toronto General Hospital Research Insitute, has been a longtime member of our volunteer team. Andrew often facilitates Dr. Lothar Lilge's Laser Workshop, in addition to participating in other youth events and speaker sessions. He has discussed his work in the Biomedical Engineering field with countless students, sharing his knowledge in Physics and Engineering. We are grateful for his dedication to outreach!

Patcharaporn (Nok) Srisaikaew, a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Krembil Research Institute, has been a fantastic member of our volunteer team. Inspired by her own work in neuroanatomy, Nok has created an introductory anatomy lesson for students, facilitating engaging in-person sessions to share this passion with youth. We are grateful for her dedication to outreach! 

Kamalben Prajapati, a Masters Student at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, has done a fantastic job leading in-person and virtual workshops. Kamal has spoken with students from across the GTA about her work in the field of vascular biology. We are extremely grateful for her contributions to outreach!

Cristiana O’Brien, a research trainee at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, has been an invaluable member of our team. Cristiana has done a fantastic job sharing her work in the field of cancer research, facilitating countless workshops and receiving overwhelmingly positive student feedback. We are extremely grateful for her contributions to outreach!

Ian Fernandes, a scientific associate at the McEwen Stem Cell Institute, has been a long-time volunteer with our team. Ian has facilitated numerous events during his time as an Outreach Ambassador, teaching countless students about stem cells and the field of regenerative medicine. We are grateful to have him on the team!

Crizza Ching, a research trainee at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, has been a long-time volunteer with our team. Crizza has facilitated numerous events, taking on leadership roles and even recently speaking to the public about her research at a local literacy event. We are grateful to have her on the team!

Emily Poulton, a research trainee from the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, has been a huge help to our team. She has facilitated many initiatives for youth, including mentoring students and facilitating both in-person and virtual workshops. Emily will also be taking on the 2024-2025 PM Outreach Ambassador role - we are grateful to have her on the team!

Calaina Brooke, a research trainee from the KITE Institute, has made significant contributions. She has long been involved in youth outreach at UHN, including volunteering for the KITE Young Innovators program before the creation of STEM Pathways. She has planned and led many initiatives – we are grateful for her time on the team!

Matthew Chang, a research trainee at the McEwen Stem Cell Institute, has made significant contributions to our programming. He has planned workshops and supported students in various capacities, including hosting a bilingual workshop. Matthew has done an excellent job communicating his work to students and we are grateful to have him on the team!

Echo Jing, a research trainee at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, has helped with a wide array of outreach initiatives. She has also helped facilitate research workshops, including planning and executing an in-person class visit. We are grateful to have her on the team!

Lianna Montanari, a research trainee at KITE, has played a vital role in our programming. She has been instrumental to facilitating lab tours for students of all ages and has done an excellent job communicating her research work. We are grateful to have her on the team!

Foram Vyas, a research trainee at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, has played a vital role in our programming. She has helped facilitate numerous events and has done an excellent job communicating her work in the field of pancreatic cancer. We are grateful to have her on the team!

Carla Kulcsar, a research trainee at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, has been instrumental in facilitating Dr. Lilge’s laser workshop. Carla helps lead this exciting physics activity for students visiting UHN and has done an excellent job communicating how high school physics relates to real-world applications. We are grateful to have her on the team!

Majed Abdul-Samad, a research trainee at TGHRI, has been crucial to our outreach team. He has helped with numerous youth events, most recently, taking the lead on organizing an on-site workshop. This involved recruiting volunteers from his lab and planning an interactive atherosclerosis workshop for students. We are grateful to have him on the team!

Shaghayegh Chavoshian, a research trainee at KITE, has been an essential member of our outreach team. She has helped with virtual and in-person programming, teaching youth about cardio-respiratory disease and engineering. She has also assisted with lab tours, showing youth ongoing research at KITE. We are grateful to have her on the team!

Elizabeth Chee-Hing, a research trainee at KITE, has been an invaluable member of our team. She has helped facilitate many visits to UHN, hosting workshops related to her Institute’s ongoing research and giving tours of their lab spaces. She has also gone out into the community to offer fun workshops to youth – we are grateful for her many contributions.

Natalie Won, a biomedical engineer at the Guided Therapeutics Lab (GTx) of the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, has been an integral member of our team. She has facilitated numerous in-person workshops at GTx and hosted a career talk on engineering for a community group. We are grateful to have her on the team.

Aarushi Gupta, an undergraduate student doing research at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, has been an integral member of our team. She has participated in many outreach events, even creating and facilitating her own interactive workshops. She was also a key member of our 2022 outreach ambassador team. We are grateful for her many contributions.

Michael Daly, a research scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, has been an essential member of our team. He has participated in many career sessions for youth and has hosted numerous workshops at the Guided Therapeutics (GTx) Facility. We are grateful to have him on the team.

Lovisa Cheung, a licensed physiotherapist and research trainee at KITE, has been an integral member of our team this year. She has participated in many career sessions for youth and even developed her own in-person physiotherapy-focused workshop - grateful to have her on the team!

Ash Hagerman, a PhD candidate doing research at TGHRI, has been a fantastic member of our team this year! Ash has helped out with many different youth events – from in-person visits to our monthly virtual career panel. Ash has done an excellent job of communicating their research with youth and sharing their passions for STEM - grateful to have them on the team!

Melanie Powis, a research director and scientific associate at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, has been an invaluable member of our team this year! Melanie has given talks to high school students, participated in an after school visit and helped represent PM at Science Rendezvous! We're grateful for Melanie's dedication to youth outreach.

Tony Geng Li, an undergraduate student doing research at Krembil, has been a fantastic member of our team this year! In addition to helping out at multiple in-person events, he has also done a virtual class visit for a local high school. Tony always shows up with enthusiasm for workshops and is a great help to us during our events. Grateful to have him on the team. 

Kaylie Lau, a research trainee at KITE, has been involved with youth outreach at UHN for many years. In addition to creating activities for our repository, she has participated in many youth outreach events. She has facilitated tours, classroom visits and more! Grateful to have her on the team.

Chi Yhun Lo, a research associate, has participated in multiple youth outreach sessions for us, both in-person and virtually. He has spoken to many different students about his experiences in research and how music and science can intersect. We are grateful for Chi’s commitment to outreach and support of our program.

Babitha Thampinathan, a research sonographer at UHN, was integral to our PA Day at UHN series, organizing a fascinating cardiology workshop for high school students at TGH. She put together a session on cardiac sonography and youth got to hear all about the field from members of her team. Students left excellent feedback and we’re grateful for her support of youth outreach at UHN.

Michelle Hernandez, a TGHRI trainee, has been an important part of our outreach initiatives in the local community, visiting a local high school twice to facilitate fun STEM sessions. She also designed a fun hands-on activity to teach youth about lungs and respiratory diseases. Students loved hearing from Michelle and we are grateful for her dedication to STEM!

Mack Hancock, a Krembil trainee, was recently a panelist for our Sports and Rehab STEM Talk. He's also created a fantastic educational video on concussion awareness. Guijin Li, a KITE trainee, has been involved in outreach at KITE for years. She recently acted as a tour guide for both CAGIS Toronto and CAGIS Oakville visits. She is also currently planning in-person classroom workshops.

Adriano Nella and Rachel Cohen are both KITE trainees. They have each developed an amazing hands-on activity for youth to understand the work being done at KITE's Winter Lab. They've facilitated these activities together for visiting classes at UHN. They've each also hosted virtual interactive activities (Build Your Own AI System, ART of Graphing) to help youth explore STEM from home.

Matheus Saraiva de Morais, a TGHRI trainee, is our first Volunteer of the Month! Matheus was a part of an exciting panel held in honour of World Heart Day. He facilitated an activity where youth learned how to tie a surgical knot from their homes. This activity has since been viewed on Youtube by over 400 people!