MMSA Executive Council 2023-24

Senior Stick

Cate Giffin (She/Her)


Hi Everyone! My name is Cate, and I am an incoming Med 4 in the class of 2024. I am so excited to be leading the Manitoba Medical Students' Association as this year's Senior Stick. My main goals for the year are to improve accessibility and knowledge of the MMSA, promote student interests (and voice concerns) to the people in power, and support all of you in your many exciting endeavours as medical students at the U of M. I am always available to respond to questions or concerns through email or slack, and please feel free to say hi if you see me on campus! Looking forward to an awesome year!
Honorary Senior Stick

Dr. Mahwash Saeed
Vice Stick Internal

Emmit Hameed (He/Him)


Hey everyone! My name is Emmit (he/him) and I am the MMSA Vice Stick Internal for the 2023-24 academic year. My role includes representing the student body on various UGME committees, representing the U of M at the CFMS academic round table, and coordinating the interest group and educational exposure programs. If throughout the year, you come up with an idea that can make our curriculum stronger, reach out to me and I can connect you with a faculty member to help implement your idea! Outside of school you can usually find me playing music or sports. If throughout the year you have any concerns regarding academic matters, please reach out to me and I will do my very best to support you. Also, if you want to know more about how to get involved with the MMSA, feel free to shoot me a message!
Vice Stick External

Taylor Nimchonok (She/Her)


My name is Taylor and I’m the Vice-Stick External Sr. 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 Doctors Manitoba 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.
Vice Stick External Jr.

Tristan Rohatynsky (She/Her)


Hi everyone, my name is Tristan Rohatynsky (she/her) and I will be serving as your Vice-Stick External Junior on the MMSA this year! Taylor (VSE Senior) and I are responsible for liaising with external organizations such as Doctors Manitoba, the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS), and other organizations. As your VSE Jr., I will be your main contact for any CFMS-related matters. I will ensure that all ideas or issues are effectively communicated to our partner associations. My responsibilities also include representing and advocating on behalf of the MMSA at the CFMS Representative Roundtables. These Roundtables allow us to create strong links with medical students from across Canada and learn about different opportunities that are available to us. Please feel free to reach out if you ever have any questions or concerns, I’m always here to listen!
Vice Stick Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity

Mirha Zohair (She/Her) (VS EDI Sr.)


Tooba Razi (She/Her) (VS EDI Jr.)


Hi everyone! We are Mirha Zohair (she/her) and Tooba Razi (she/her), and we serve as your Vice-Stick EDI Sr. and Jr., respectively. We are extremely passionate about EDI and 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 we strive to do this year with the help of other students and admin. Our role involves overseeing the working groups who collaborate on revising the curriculum, serving as student representatives and voting members on the Admissions Committee, serving on the EDI Committee for the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, and being members of the Doctors Manitoba Speaker Series Planning Committee. We also represent the MMSA at the national level through EDI roundtables with the Canadian Federation of Medical Students, where we are able to collaborate with students all over Canada on EDI projects. We also work with the Global Health Liaisons to plan the annual EDI conference, where we provide medical students and healthcare professionals the opportunity to partake in discussions that affect the day to day lives of minority healthcare providers and patients. Student feedback and concerns are very important to us. 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!
Treasurers

Micah Grubert Van Iderstine (Sr. Treasurer)


Vaishali Shenoy (Jr. Treasurer)


Hello. Our names are Micah and Vaishali and we will be serving as your MMSA treasurers for the 2023-24 academic year. We are responsible for overseeing the financial affairs of the MMSA. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us.
Communications Reps

Ninglu Weng (She/Her) (Communications Rep Sr.)


Charanpreet (Charan) Kaur (She/Her) (Communications Rep Jr.)


Hi, welcome to the MMSA website! We’re the Communications Representatives for the 2023-24 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!
Ninglu is in her third year of Medicine.
Charan is in her second year of Medicine.
Event Programmers

Sem Perez


Carly Zulich


Hi everyone! Our names are Sem Perez and Carly Zulich, and we are your MMSA event programmers. We are very excited to plan the classic events, including MedLaw, November Coffeehouse, Winter Formal, and Beer and Skits! Throughout our first year, we recognized how important it was to have strong social supports, and these events was a great way to foster that sense of community while getting a break from the demands of med school! If you ever have any questions or suggestions, reach out to us at mmsaprogrammers@gmail.com (mailto:mmsaprogrammers@gmail.com). We look forward to seeing you at the MMSA events and getting to know all of you!
UMSU Representative

Max Fidel


Hi! My name is Max and I am a second year medical student who will be serving in the role of the UMSU Representative on behalf of the MMSA. In this position I hope to increase the representation of Medical students on the level of UMSU to make sure that our voices and concerns are being heard by our larger student body! In this role I hope to increase the communication that occurs between UMSU and the MMSA, as well as to advocate for increased services on the Bannatyne campus for our medical students and Bannatyne students at large. If you have any concerns or would like to see something from UMSU at our campus, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me on Slack or at one of our MMSA meetings. Cheers!
Senator

Michael Moore (He/Him)


Hi everyone! My name is Michael Moore and I am excited to represent MMSA within the Senate for the 2023-2024 school year. As the university’s senior academic governing body, the Senate determines matters related to teaching, examination, matriculation, and awards. As MMSA’s senator, I promise to advocate for you through voting on proposed motions aimed to benefit current and future medical school classmates. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding academic matters please feel free to reach out!
Global Health Liaisons

Jun Kim (GHL Sr.)


To Be Elected (GHL Jr.)

Hello everyone! My name is Jun and I am excited to be your Global Health Liason Sr. for the 2023-2024 academic year. In my role I coordinate with the rest of the Global Health team made up of local officers representing indigenous health, environmental sustainability, global health education, and more. We try to increase visibility of global health issues in our curriculum as well as hosting panel style discussion events, running our Global Health Concentration Program, and hosting events throughout the year. We also coordinate larger initiatives with the CFMS at global health roundtables to share ideas and information with other schools across Canada. I find that there is still much that can be done to speak about global health as a part of medicine and if you feel the same there are many ways to get involved. I am always happy to hear ideas and expand our team so that we can expand our global health portfolio so please reach out if you have anything you’d like to ask or talk about!
Local Officers of Indigenous Health

Connor Roque (He/Him) (LIOH Sr.)


Hello! My name is Connor, I am Ojibwe from Wiikwemkoong First Nation. I am a second year medical student and the Local Officer of Indigenous Health Senior for the 2023-2024 academic year. As the LOIH, I represent Indigenous students, Indigenous health populations, and the Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing, Ongomiizwin – Education. At the national level, I represent the province of Manitoba with the Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CMFS).
The University of Manitoba is located on the original lands of the 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. Our aim is to create awareness and promote Indigenous Health and Healing in our community. I'm eager to connect and collaborate on initiatives that support Indigenous health. Feel free to reach out if you'd like to chat!

To Be Elected (LIOH Jr.)
CFMS Wellness Representative

Jessica McBride


Hello! My name is Jessica, part of the Class of 2026, and I will be the MMSA Wellness Rep for the 2023-2024 year. This year I will work closely with Student Affairs and Wellness Reps on class councils to plan activities and events for all medical students at UofM. I also have a seat on the Physician Health and Wellness Committee at Doctors Manitoba, giving a student perspective to our colleagues advocating for provincial change. I will be assisting our Treasurers disseminate funding for events focused on wellness, as well as hosting events myself. Lastly, I aim to advocate to UGME for policy changes I hope will add to the wellbeing of students, like improving food options in Brodie and implementing personal days during clerkship. Please send me any feedback or suggestions at mcbridej@myumanitoba.ca or come chat if you see me around!
Research Program Representative

Allison 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!

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

Braedon Griggs
Academic Reps

Carrie Gu


Matthew Urichuk
Hello! We’re Braedon, Carrie, and Matt — the President and Academic Representatives for the class of 2025.

We represent our class at various academic committees in efforts of enhancing the UGME curriculum for future years. Together, we work with administration to advocate for the class if any issues arise. Our goal is to create an enjoyable and meaningful medical school experience for our class.

Class of 2026 Executive

President

Nolan De Leon


Hello! My name is Nolan De Leon (He/Him) and I am the Class of 2026 President. I am currently in the MD/PhD program. I organize and share responsibilities with all members of the class council, including but not limited to providing a voice to our students on academic matters, implementing better EDI practices, organizing social events and fundraisers, and advocating for student wellness. I believe that in order to move forward and create positive changes, we need to be open and accepting of each other. So, if you have any questions, feedback, or just want to have a chat, feel free to reach out.
Academic Reps

Chelsea Day


Marvin Routley


As academic representatives we have many responsibilities such as managing the Google drive, sharing academic resources and participating in pre-clerkship, clerkship and curriculum meetings. In these meetings we represent our class on academic matters such as changes to curriculum, bring suggestions to the committees on what changes may improve the curriculum and student experience and voice any concerns students have about academic matters. We gather class opinions via surveys and discuss how to best present them to UGME. We have also been creating practice quizzes for each module so that students have practice questions before exams, and sit on both class council and MMSA.

Class of 2027 Executive

President

Dustin Erickson
Academic Reps

Leah Schwartz


Madeleine Hamilton


Hello! We’re Dustin, Madeleine and Leah - the President and Academic Representatives for the class of 2027.
Our goal is to support our class in having a great first year in Medicine! To this end, we represent our class in multiple curriculum-related committees, act as liaisons between Faculty, administrative staff and students, and work to resolve any academic or otherwise school-related issues which may arise. As President, Dustin also oversees all the events and initiatives of our class’ student council, to ensure our year runs smoothly. It is an honour for us to represent the biggest Medicine class yet!
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