MMSA Executive Council 2022-23

Senior Stick

Anthony Wightman
Honorary Senior Stick

Dr. Anthony Battad (He/him)



Hi there! My name is Dr. Anthony (Tony) Battad and I’m so honoured to be this year’s Honorary Senior Stick. I will do everything I can to help students during the academic year and beyond. I will advocate for medical students’ interests and goals. I’m an Internist based at St. Boniface Hospital, where I attend on the Clinical Teaching Units. I am also the current Course Leader for Clinical Skills, and have served as Program Director for the General Internal Medicine Residency Program. I graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1999. I was in the military until retirement in 2012 at which time I joined the Internal Medicine Faculty at the University of Manitoba. My career has taken me from Rwanda, Eritrea, Somalia, Croatia, Kuwait and Peru! My research interest is in Health Systems, having completed my Masters of Public Health from the University of Liverpool. In my limited spare time, I play hockey, golf, and tennis. I am also an avid cyclist. My door is always open to students and please feel free to contact me at any time.
Vice Stick Internal

Cate Giffin (She/Her)



Hey everyone. My name is Cate, and I am looking forward to serving as your Vice Stick Internal/Academic for the 2022-2023 school year! My main responsibilities will be to represent student academic interests to UGME, liaise with other representatives at the CFMS Academic Round Table, and coordinate the interest group program and other student initiatives for the year. Beyond this, I hope to be there to support all of you by hearing your concerns, answering questions, and working to make your medical school experience as fulfilling and seamless as possible! I look forward to collaborating with students and other MMSA reps this year to continue to improve inclusivity in the classroom and beyond, and I welcome any feedback or suggestions throughout the year. My inbox is always open!
Vice Stick External

Rachel Wang (She/Her)
Vice Stick External Jr.

Taylor Nimchonok (She/Her)



My name is Taylor and I’m the Vice-Stick External Jr. for the MMSA. I’ve always been passionate about ensuring things are fair and equitable and I’m privileged to be in a position where I can advocate for the best interests of Manitoba medical students to outside organizations like the Canadian Federation of Medical Students while I’m a part of this team. Before medicine I worked as a hospital communications and patient registration clerk which has provided amazing opportunities to see the benefit of collaboration and the value of good communication in a healthcare team setting. In addition to representing Manitoba medical students with the MMSA, I am also passionate about bioethics and the University of Manitoba student representative for the Canadian Bioethics Society. In my spare time I love travelling, playing volleyball, going out to eat with friends and taking care of my dog Piccadilly.
Treasurers

Kevin Stein (Sr. Treasurer)



Micah Grubert Van Iderstine (Jr. Treasurer)

Communications Reps

Victoria Rust(She/Her) (Communications Rep Sr.)
Ninglu Weng (She/Her)(Communications Rep Jr.)



Hi, welcome to the MMSA website! We’re the Communications Representatives for the 2021-2022 council. Our jobs range from running the MMSA website and social media, to taking meeting minutes and communicating with the student body at large. Contact us if you have any questions, and if we can’t help, we’ll point you to someone who can!
Victoria is in her third year of Medicine.
Ninglu is in her second year of Medicine.
Corporate Relations Rep

Christine Kennedy (She/Her)



Hello! My name is Christine Kennedy and I’m in the class of 2023. Before medicine, I was an emergency nurse and experienced firsthand how impactful social events are in strengthening teams and how heartwarming small tokens of gratitude can be. For this reason, my goal as your Corporate Relations Rep is to arrange sponsorships and lunch and learns to support our grad and all of MMSA’s events throughout the year. If your event needs some financial support, please send me an email! If you’re a company hoping to support our activities, you can reach me at corporaterelations.mmsa@gmail.com.
Event Programmers

Sydney McLaughlin
Mackenzie Cullen



Hey!
We are the MMSA programmers & we are super excited to planning everybody’s favourite med events, including MedLaw, Movember Coffeehouse, Winter Formal, and Beer & Skits. We were able to experience a majority of these events in person this year & we both had so much fun at all of them. We have our fingers crossed that everything continues to stay in person this year and that we can make things just as fun as last year! If there is anything you need from us or even if you just want to say hi, you can reach us via email at mmsaprogrammers@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you at the MMSA events and getting to know all of you!
UMSU Representative

Emmit Hameed (He/Him)



Hey everyone, my name is Emmit (he/him) and I am your USMU Representative for the 2022-2023 academic year. My role consists of representing the MMSA on the UMSU Board of Directors by attending meetings, voting on proposed motions, and relaying information between the two councils. My goal for this year is to increase awareness of UMSU resources available to students, such as health & dental coverage, financial assistance programs, and wellness programs. Outside of school you can catch me playing music or sports. If you ever have any questions about UMSU and/or the MMSA, feel free to message me!
Senator

Nick de Hoop (He/Him)



Hey! I’m super excited to be representing our faculty on the University Senate for the 2022-2023 school year. I’m in my third year of studies and have had the pleasure of being involved with both class council and MMSA in my first two years. The University of Manitoba Senate is the senior academic governing body for our university, and it is where a variety of topics are discussed including teaching, examinations, degrees, and awards. Please feel free to reach out if at any point you have questions or concerns regarding academic matters. Thank you and I hope you all have a great year!
Global Health Liaisons

Jacie Liu (GHL Sr.)



Hi everyone! My name is Jacie and I will be your Global Health Liaison Sr. for the 2022-2023 school year. I work with the rest of the GH team to enhance student engagement with topics related to Global Health that are pertinent to our medical education. We do so in a number of ways, such as running a Global Health Concentration Program, hosting panel style discussions with speakers who have experience in relevant topics in Global Health, and acting as Liaisons to connect you to faculty members in the field. I also coordinate relations at the national level with CFMS, where I attend GH Round Tables and discuss GH projects with other Medical Schools across Canada. GH is a versatile field, encompassing topics imperative to medicine and it is only increasing in its importance in providing optimal care to our patients. As such, I am happy to provide any support if you have any questions or interests in Global Health! Please feel free to reach out.

Jun Kim (GHL Jr.)
Local Officers of Indigenous Health

Mackenzie Hoy (LIOH Sr.)



Hello everyone, my name is Mackenzie Hoy and I am a second year medical student. I am the Local Officer of Indigenous Health Senior (LOIH Sr.) for the 2022-2023 academic year. The LOIH Sr. along with the LOIH Jr. represent Indigenous students, Indigenous health populations and the Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing, Ongomiizwin – Education. I also represent the province of Manitoba at the national level with the Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CMFS). This year I will be working with the LOIH Jr., the Indigenous Health Promotion Group (IHPG) and the Indigenous EDI working group. Our aim is to create awareness and promote Indigenous Health and Healing in our community while encouraging others to join us in the necessary opportunity to learn. 

The University of Manitoba is located on the original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene peoples, and the homeland of the Métis Nation. In the spirit of reconciliation and collaboration, it is our responsibility as medical students to learn about Indigenous health and culturally safe care. If you would like to get involved, have questions or suggestions please feel free to reach out to me at anytime.

LIOH Jr. To Be Elected
GAAC Representative

Jeremiah Yarmie (Any Pronouns)



Hello! My name is Jeremiah, and I am excited to lead the Government Affairs and Advocacy Committee for the 2022-2023 school year. Natalie Wright (CFMS Global Health Advocate Sr.) and I co-chair the Student Advocacy Committee. Each year we organize a Provincial Day of Action where medical students (that means you!) lobby Manitoban MLAs to implement health policies and changes. We also work with the CFMS to lobby federal politicians through a National Day of Action in Ottawa. This year is exciting as the CFMS is doubling its advocacy capacity with two campaigns: one targeted to federal politicians to decriminalize opioids and the other to medical organizations to increase the number of residency spots available for CaRMS match. If you like advocacy and haven’t been to Ottawa before, reach out!
CFMS Wellness Representative

Gabriel Kingma



Howdy folks! My name is Gabriel Kingma (Class of 2024), and I am honoured to be your MMSA Wellness Representative for the upcoming year. I am very excited to work as a part of the team to help promote student well-being thorough various avenues such as educational activities, advocacy, and readily accessible wellness resources. I am quite zealous when it comes to finding and keeping balance in life and I am excited to help other medical students do so as well. I think it is extremely important that we learn to take care of ourselves as physicians so that we can provide the best possible care to those we serve. If you have any questions or thoughts about anything wellness-related feel free to drop me a line, send me an email, or shoot me a message!
Research Program Representative

Alli Balasko (She/Her)



Hi everyone! My name is Alli and I am an MD/PhD candidate in the Advanced Degrees in Medicine Program. I started medicine with the Class of 2023 and am currently on a research leave to finish my PhD in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. As Research Program Representative, I promise to advocate for students in the MD/PhD, MD/MSc and MD/BSc Med programs at three levels: the MMSA, the Max Rady College of Medicine, and the Clinician Investigator Trainee Association of Canada (CITAC). There are many demands on our MD/PhD, MD/MSc and MD/BSc students. My goal is to strengthen supports so you feel supported through your research journey!
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity Representative

Mirha Zohair (She/Her)



Hi everyone! My name is Mirha Zohair (she/her), I’m in the class of 2025, and I am currently serving as the MMSA EDI representative. I’m extremely passionate about EDI and I hope to approach it on a systemic level. Addressing the inequities and barriers that exist in medicine from admissions to curriculum to our everyday lives and interactions as medical students are things I strive to do this year with the help of other students and admin. My role involves overseeing the working groups who collaborate on revising the curriculum, serving as a student representative and voting member on the Admissions Committee, serving on the EDI Committee for the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, and being a member of the Doctors Manitoba Speaker Series Planning Committee. I also represent the MMSA at the national level through EDI roundtables with the Canadian Federation of Medical Students where I’m able to collaborate with students all over Canada on EDI projects. Student feedback and concerns are very important to me. If you have any questions about current work being done or any EDI projects that you wish to start, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Class of 2023 Executive

President

Jayelle Friesen-Enns (She/They)

Academic Reps

Mehrin Ahmed (She/Her)
Connor Ford


(Connor)
Hello there! We are Jayelle, Connor and Mehrin. Jayelle is the Class President, and is completing her Masters in Medical Microbiology. She coordinates class activities and works with various councils. Connor and Mehrin, the Academic Representatives, work with Jayelle to support and advocate for the Class of 2023. Connor used to teach science.

Class of 2024 Executive

President

Suman Memon

Academic Reps

Arjun Raghavan



Giorgio Karam

Hey there! We’re Suman, Arjun, and Giorgio — the President and Academic Representatives for the class of 2024.

We sit in on several academic meetings to enhance UGME education for future years. Suman is responsible for coordinating events within our class council for our class, organizing fundraisers with the treasurers for our class, and collaborating with the student leaders in all years to organize some school wide changes. Together we liaise with UGME administration for class/student needs and advocate for the class when issues arise. Our responsibility is to try to give our class the best medical school experience.

Class of 2025 Executive

President

Kirsten Fleury

Academic Reps

Jocelyn Peronto



Carrie Gu

Hello! We’re Kirsten, Jocelyn and Carrie—the President and Academic Representatives for the class of 2025. We represent and advocate for our class to the MMSA and UGME faculty and sit on various academic committees including our med 2025 class council. Our goal is to ensure an inclusive, enjoyable and meaningful academic experience for the members of our class and we look forward to working with the MMSA this year!

Class of 2026 Executive

President

Nolan De Leon
Academic Reps

Chelsea Day



Marvin Routley

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