Meet our 2021-22 Team!

This academic year marks MDA's 3rd year! The team looks forward to tackling misconceptions about diabetes and raising awareness across the McMaster community. Learn more about our executive members below!

Aastha Relan

Co-President

Program: Health Sciences III
Fun Fact: Aastha was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in '06!
Favourite course: HTHSCI 3MU3 (Music, Health & Community)

Yashar Lariei

Co-President

Program: Honours Life Sciences IV

Fun Fact: Yashar mostly enjoys being outdoors and hiking, camping at Algonquin, skiing in the winter, and loves to travel! Since we can't travel as much now, he's been trying to learn how to play acoustic guitar and the French language during the pandemic.
Favourite course: HTHSCI 4DM3 (Demystifying Medicine)

Elmira Noohpisheh

VP Events

Program: Life Sciences III
Fun Fact: Elmira has a pet hedgehog named Koori. She also loves playing Water polo and have been playing competitively since I was 10.
Favourite course: PSYCH 3SE3 (Comparative Social Evolution)

Alan Minkovich

VP Social

Program: Honours Biochemistry Co-op IV
Fun Fact: Alan has been playing the saxophone since he was 10 years old and loves to play in his free time.
Favourite course: BIOCHEM 3MI3 (Microbial Interactions)

Muhammad Ans

VP Research

Program: Life Sciences II
Fun Fact: Muhammad wants to become a doctor!
Favourite course: BIO 1A03 (Cellular and Molecular Biology) 

Susanna Fang

VP Research

Program: Biochemistry Co-op IV
Fun Fact: Suzanna recently started to read again (please recommend any mystery/suspense/adventure books!)
Favourite course: BIOCHEM 2L06 (Inquiry in Biochemical Techniques), STATS 2B03 (Statistical Methods for Science), and HTHSCI 3I03 (Introductory Immunology)

Melanie Warnakula

VP External

Program: Honours Life Sciences III
Fun Fact: Melanie just started to learn sign language over quarantine!
Favourite course: PSYCH 1X03 (Introduction to Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour)

Krisshny Varathan

VP External

Program: Life Sciences II
Fun Fact: Krisshny loves bubble tea and watching basketball!
Favourite course: KINESIOL 2Y03 (Human Anatomy and Physiology I)

Maral Aminaei

VP Finance

Position: VP Finance
Program: Life Sciences IV
Fun Fact: Maral has a black belt in Karate.
Favourite course: Kinesiology

Jasjeet Chhoker

 VP Promotions

Program: Biology-Phyiology III
Fun Fact: Jasjeet loves painting and anatomy colouring books are one of her favourite destressers :)
Favourite course: PHILOS 2D03 (Bioethics)

Drishti Pandya

VP Academics

Program: Kinesiology IV
Fun Fact: Drishti lived in Swaziland for three years!
Favourite course: CLASSICS 2MT3 (Ancient Roots of Medical Terminology)

Denise Catacutan

VP Academics

Program: Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization IV
Fun Fact: Denise loves to eat ginger, by its self.
Favourite course: BIOMEDDC 3A03 (Road to Biomedical Discovery) 

Parsa Razeghi

Junior Executive

Program: Health Sciences I
Fun Fact: Parsa started playing classical guitar this summer! His fingers are constantly in pain but it’s definitely worth it.
Favourite course: HTHSCI 1I06 (Cellular and Molecular Biology) 

Zenab Gill

Junior Executive

Program: Health Sciences I
Fun Fact: Zenab was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of three!
Favourite course: HTHSCI 1G02 (Interdisciplinary Problem Solving in Health)

Alumni

MDA was founded in 2019 and since then, many students have contributed in various capacities. We wish all of our McMaster graduates well in their future endeavours and thank them for their contributions.