WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE MEDCONNECT CONFERENCE 2023 ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18TH!
MedConnect’s Board of Directors
The MedConnect Conference is being organized by a team of undergraduate students from Phi Delta Epsilon International Medical Fraternity, Canada Beta Chapter at Simon Fraser University, in collaboration with medical students from the University of British Columbia. Below, you can learn more about our diverse and experienced event team working hard to create another successful MedConnect on November 18th, 2023.
Augusto Pinto – Executive Director, Programming Director
Augusto is a second-year Biological Sciences student at SFU. He joined PhiDE in the Fall of 2023 and assumed the role of chair of professional development. Recently, he got elected to be PhiDE president for the next year. Augusto is also active in the ALAS club (Association of Latin American Students), in which he enjoys connecting with people who speak Spanish like him. He is also very active playing as a field hockey goalkeeper in the 1st division of Metro Vancouver. Also, he has experience as a national goalkeeper of field hockey for Peru. He has played in several international tournaments representing Peru and aims to play in the Olympics someday. One of their passions is obviously field hockey. Still, outside his extracurricular activities, he likes spending quality time with his friends at the SFU residence and hanging out with them, as well as playing video games with his friends back home as a way to keep communication with them. He expects to have a positive impact on the MedConnect team and gain experience in organizing this type of event.
Ash Ryu – Communications and Plenary Director
Ash is a second year undergraduate student at SFU majoring in chemistry. She has a goal to be involved in a field of medicine as an anesthesiologist. During her first year of the university, she volunteered as a research assistant at UBC faculty of medicine. She also has been emergency department and intensive care unit volunteer at Royal Columbian Hospital. Furthermore, Ash is a certified medical first responder; she responses to medical emergencies during various events where a large crowd gathers at the same time, such as hockey games and concerts. By taking account into planning this year’s MedConnect event, Ash is looking forward to provide a quality experience to the students who are interested in medicine as her.
Chanelle Wong – Marketing Director
Chanelle is a second year Behavioural Neuroscience major. She joined Phi Delta Epsilon Canada Beta Chapter in Fall 2022. She recently took on the position of VP of Finance for the 2023-2024 term. During her time at SFU, she has been active in the Science Undergraduate Society (SUS) as a first year representative and is currently the VP Communications and Marketing as well as a fundraising chair at the SFU Canadian Cancer Society. Her time at SUS has allowed her to engage and advocate for the science community at SFU. She has taken part in organizing FROSH – the first year welcome event for science students -, winter formal, SUS town hall, and multiple games nights. Chanelle’s passions include community outreach, mental health, and advocacy. She hopes to be able to use these in her volunteer work and daily life. Aside from academics, in Chanelle’s free time, she enjoys paddle boarding in the Summer, playing with her dog, and working with kids. By becoming Marketing Director for this year’s MedConnect, she hopes to expand her social media and graphic design skills, and is excited to be a part of such an amazing health-care related project alongside her fellow directors.
Mariana Garcia – Logistics Director
Mariana is a second-year Behavioural Neuroscience Major at SFU. She first joined Phi Delta Epsilon Canada Beta Chapter in the spring of 2022 and is currently assuming the VP of Programming position. She is also a Junior Director of the blood committee of SFU’s Blood, Organ, and Stem Cell Club, where she connects with doctors and the Canadian Blood Services (CBS) to organize blood drives and raise awareness of the dire need for blood donors. Mariana also volunteers for the Canadian Liver Foundation and this year she participated in the Liver Beware – FibroScan Screening Project enabling affordable testing for fatty liver diseases, liver scarring, and cirrhosis. Outside school, she is passionate about photography and outdoor activities. By collaborating in this year’s MedConnect as the logistics director, Mariana looks forward to enhancing her communication and leadership skills while keeping a medical focus at the core!
Sherilyn Chung – Internal Director
Sherilyn is a fourth year Biomedical Physiology major at SFU and the 2023 President of Phi Delta Epsilon Canada Beta Chapter. Sherilyn’s interest in science and healthcare led her to work as a clinical research assistant in respiratory diseases at St. Paul’s Hospital, and she currently works as a USRA student in the Sensorimotor Neuroscience lab. She is also the undergraduate representative of the BPK Student Association, where she collaborates with students and staff in order to improve undergraduate experiences. Outside of school, Sherilyn also works as a tutor in math and science, volunteers her time to coach speed skating, and is often rock climbing or hiking. As Sherilyn joins the MedConnect team this year as the internal director, she strives to ensure that the event runs smoothly and the experience is educational for all.
Jody Tao- Senior Advisor
Jody is a fourth year Health Sciences student at SFU and the VP of Programming of Phi Delta Epsilon Canada Beta Chapter. Due to her wide array of academic interests, she is also researching collagen in a biophysics lab. Outside of classes, she works as a piano educator teaching students of all ages, embarking students on their journey towards becoming life-long musicians. Jody is passionate about teaching, volunteering as a peer tutor for physics and genetics. In her free time, she plays netball, having played on the provincial and Canadian youth teams. As Jody joins MedConnect this year, she shares her pedagogical experience to produce an engaging and enjoyable conference.
MedConnect’s Past Event Directors
Our Board of Directors for the MedConnect Conference 2022 are listed below:
Executive Director: Yasmin Harden
Jody Tao: Programming Director
Emma Uphill: Communications and Plenary Director
Selena Karmali: Marketing Director
Ashwini Kashyap: Marketing Director
Gurpreet Moroak: Internal Director
Jocelyn Visser: Health and Safety Director, Marketing
Our Board of Directors for the MedConnect Conference 2019 are captured below.
[Top Left to Bottom Right] Taranjot Kaur (Logistics Director), Jessica Seemann (Executive Director), Maya Naidu (Communications and Plenary Director), Elyssa Bingham (Marketing Director), Daria Elrick (Senior Advisor), and Vanessa Kelly (Programming Director)
Our Event Directors for the MedConnect Conference 2018 are captured below.
Our Official Event Directors for the MedConnect Conference 2016 can be seen below. Special thanks to the Interactive Challenge Coordinators, Alli Jussila and Valeriya Zaborska, and the Alpha-Epsilon Class of Phi Delta Epsilon SFU.
medconnectconference.com 