WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE MEDCONNECT CONFERENCE 2022 ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH!

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 19th, 2022.

Yasmin Harden- Executive Director

Yasmin is a fourth year Biomedical Physiology Major at SFU who hopes to practice medicine and pursue a career in Public Health. For the past year, she has been working a law enforcement position in Public Health Agency of Canada as a Screening Officer. She is also part of the SFU Blood, Organ and Stem Cell Club which is aimed to raise awareness and incite participation in blood, organ, and stem cell donation. Yasmin has also volunteered in Fraser Health at Eagle Ridge as a hospital volunteer and a volunteer leader. Outside school and work Yasmin has been building a portfolio of her art using mediums such as charcoal, acrylics, ink and water colours. By directing this years MedConnect, Yasmin hopes to apply her skills in leadership and her passions in healthcare to produce an event that will inspire the next generation of students in medicine.

Judy Tao- Programming Director

Jody is a third 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.

Ashwini Kashyap

Ashwini is a second year student at SFU, majoring in Biomedical Physiology. Having joined PhiDE in her first year, she has been involved with the organization in many ways such as helping organize and host fundraisers for BC children’s hospital. Volunteer work is her passion and she has contributed numerous hours to her local hospital, as well as enjoyed volunteering with her high school and now university as well. Ashwini has a great affection for helping and connecting with others, and hopes to carry the same enthusiasm in her work as a volunteer into her future dream career, a healthcare professional.

Emma Uphill- Communications and Plenary Director

Emma has been an active member of Phi Delta Epsilon since 2018. She believes in the importance of teaching, sharing and networking about medicine. She is very excited to be a part of this year’s MedConnect team where she hopes to further share her passion for medicine and health with other like-minded individuals!

Selena Karmali- Marketing Director

Selena is a fifth-year student majoring Biology with a concentration in cells, molecules and physiology. Aside from school, Selena works at a medical equipment supplier that provides home healthcare medical equipment and spends time with family, friends and her puppy Benji. Selena has been apart of Phi Delta Epsilon since 2020, and has served as the Marketing Chair for the past two years creating graphics that combine her passion for medicine and a new found love for graphic arts. This year, Selena hopes to engage people from all different backgrounds that are passionate about helping others and learning more about healthcare.

Ranjot Bhandal- Senior Advisor

Ranjot is a fourth-year student majoring in Biomedical Physiology at Simon Fraser University. Outside of classes, Ranjot engages in research, audio production, and photography. Driven by a passion to inform and inspire, Ranjot serves as the President of the Phi Delta Epsilon Canada Beta chapter, and his previous roles include Professional Development Chair and Academic Coordinator. Ranjot also served as the Logistics Director for MedConnect 2020 and the Executive Director of the MedEc 2021 webinar series. This year, Ranjot brings his skills and experience to the MedConnect team to produce an informative and enjoyable conference.

Gurpreet Moroak- Internal Director

Gurpreet is working on a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. As PhiDE’s current vice president of finance, He has been in charge of overseeing the Philanthropy team and the organization’s bank accounts. He claims that the amazing people he gets to work with at Phide are his favourite part of being there. He hopes that MedConnect will be a worthwhile experience for all attendees as he serves as the internal director this year. Additionally, he enjoys watching Netflix, cooking, and lifting weights in his free timeRanjot is a fourth-year student majoring in Biomedical Physiology at Simon Fraser University. Outside of classes, Ranjot engages in research, audio production, and photography. Driven by a passion to inform and inspire, Ranjot serves as the President of the Phi Delta Epsilon Canada Beta chapter, and his previous roles include Professional Development Chair and Academic Coordinator. Ranjot also served as the Logistics Director for MedConnect 2020 and the Executive Director of the MedEc 2021 webinar series. This year, Ranjot brings his skills and experience to the MedConnect team to produce an informative and enjoyable conference.

Jocelyn Visser- Health and Safety Director, & Marketing

Jocelyn is a second-year kinesiology student and joined the Med Connect Team this year because she had a great experience attending a previous years event during her first year of university. In her spare time, Jocelyn enjoys hiking and spending time outdoors in the sunshine with friends and family. This year, Jocelyn is excited to be the Health and Safety Director and will be ensuring that attendees have a safe and comfortable experience by making sure we continue to follow public health orders and safe capacity suggestions. Additionally, Jocelyn will be helping with marketing and social media to spread the word about this awesome event!

MedConnect’s Past Event Directors

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.

Screen Shot 2019-08-25 at 7.17.59 PM — [Top Left to Bottom Right] Stephanie Dong (Programming Director), Daria Elrick (Plenary and Branding Director), Tiffany Barszczewski (Recruitment and Experience Director), Donyanaz Divsalar (Senior Advisor), Jessica Seemann (Logistics Director), Zara Jeffrey (Executive Director)

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.

[Top Left to Bottom Right] Nathan Chatron (Experience Director), Stephanie Dong (Logistics Director), Laura Dawson (Communications Director), Natasha Smith (Recruitment Director), Breanna Lansdell (Plenary Director), Abhishek Lakhra (Sponsorship Director), Lisa Haroldson (Finance Director), Tia Young (Branding Director), Henry Tran (Internal Director) Donyanaz Divsalar (Executive Director), David Luu (Programming Director), Ryan Calasin (External Director)