VP Global Health - Candidates​

Amy Wang

BIO
 
Hi! My name is Amy-- I grew up partially in Canada and partially in the USA, but I've lived in 15 different cities total across North America, Asia, and Europe. Before starting Mac Med, I studied engineering/computer science at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York and worked for five years as a software engineer in the USA & abroad. Since leaving my previous career, I've felt that there is a dearth of meetings on my calendar and would like to rectify that by running for student council :)
 
PLATFORM
Growing up in Canada, I was taught a very optimistic and limited view of our universal healthcare system in comparison to others around the world. While I am proud of our steadfast support for healthcare as a fundamental right, having lived abroad, I now realize there is much merit in understanding the healthcare services of other countries. Through it, we can simultaneously gain a greater appreciation for our own system and amalgamate the successes of both Canadian healthcare and foreign healthcare into creating better outcomes for all. As VP of Global Health, I'd like to support education about global health initiatives and provide opportunities to learn about diversity and disparity in medicine at home and abroad. Finally, I will advocate for students who are interested in foreign medical careers.

Nerija Gray ​

BIO
​Hi everyone! I’m Nerija (she/her) and I’m running to be your VP Global Health! I was born and raised in Toronto, and I’m excited to be in Hamilton for the next three years. During my time at the University of Toronto, I was heavily involved in student government and regularly advocated for student interests. I have a strong global health background, having completed a long-term research project and finished my degree in Global Health. Outside of school, I’m also involved in the Lithuanian community. You’ll find me folk dancing every Sunday, or maybe hear me bringing up facts about Lithuania at seemingly random times. I also like baking (always looking for new recipes!) and reading trashy romance novels in my free time. If you ever have questions or want to learn some Lithuania facts (they’re cool facts I promise), feel free to say hi if you see me around!

PLATFORM
​​As VP Global Health, I plan on using the skills I gained from my previous experiences to advocate for what you want implemented in global health programming within MMSC, with other campus groups, and in meetings with national organizations. At IFMSA and CMFS meetings, for example, I would love to raise global health issues that students find important, such as women’s health and the impacts of global warming on health. Before attending such meetings, I would aim to gather opinions and insights from the class - ensuring that I am including diverse perspectives is important to me, especially marginalized voices. I’ll seek out your input from to ensure that your interests and values are represented. I’ll also coordinate with other portfolios on council to incorporate global health into our programming and ensure we are considering a broader, holistic view of medicine. I look forward to representing you on MMSA!

Ashwin Sritharan

BIO
 
My name is Ashwin Sritharan, a first year medical student here at the DeGroote School of Medicine. I enjoy reading, playing video games, spending time with friends, as well as playing with my two dogs Nemo and Dora (@nemo_theshihtzu_dora_themalshi)! I’ve always been interested in Global Health, as the amount of easily preventable deaths happening in less developed countries has disturbed me for a long time. It is this passion that led me to applying for the MMSC positions of VP Global Health, and I hope that you will consider me as a promising candidate. During my time at medical school, I hope to leave it even better than when I came in, making an impact in a way that best suits me. Within this position, I hope to fulfill this goal and make the next years better for those both within and outside McMaster’s medical program. 
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PLATFORM
 For this position, I would use my previous experiences in global health. Partners in Health at Western allowed me to research topical global health issues, organize case competitions, and host advocacy education events to empower others to speak out about health equity issues. Through volunteering with Results Canada, I acted to meet with MPs directly to discuss important health issues. Finally, volunteering with FIMRC, I organized local events using patient data to tackle pertinent and local issues by working with a local health worker in Restauración, a city in the Dominican Republic. I bring up these experiences so voters know that I come to this election with both experience and passion, to pursue a career in which I can combat health inequities on the front lines as a practicing physician. This experience would be an incredible opportunity to improve myself as a person, and global health activist.

Kristele Pan

BIO
​Kristele is a people person at heart. Her ability to bring people together, listen to other perspectives, and mobilise the people around her have allowed her to be an effective leader who enjoys building a team where all members thrive. Kristele’s collaborative leadership style has contributed to her success in organising events and projects, while fostering strong connections with her peers, experts, and community partners. She has led three volunteer trips to Latin America, orchestrated large-scale events such as fundraising concerts and speaker series, and developed global health initiatives in Uganda and Latin America. Kristele’s strong communication skills have also allowed her to effectively advocate for the communities she serves, such as liaising with international health organisations that her teams worked with. Kristele hopes to contribute her passion and extensive experience to the MMSC, to continue amplifying her communities’ voices, and to work together towards a common goal

PLATFORM
​​The three key priorities of my platform are sustainability, accessibility, and collaboration. In my Master’s in Global Health, and through my experience developing public health initiatives alongside international organisations and global health experts, I learnt that every successful and impactful initiative must encompass these three values. As VP Global Health, whether I am representing McMaster UGME at external meetings or when working within MMSC and the Global Health Committee, I will encourage discussions and initiatives be designed and worked through a sustainability, accessibility, and collaborative lens. For example, I will facilitate the implementation of projects that focus on long-lasting impact, respect varied contexts, and are co-designed with experts and communities. I strongly believe that by leading with these three priorities, I can push McMaster UGME to become an even stronger leader in the global health community and spearhead initiatives that make real impact on the local level, around the world..

Rabia Tahir

BIO
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My name is Rabia and I am a first year medical student at the Michael DeGroote School of Medicine. I have been at McMaster for my entire University experience, so it really has become my home away from home. I love doing group study sessions in the reading room at the Health Sciences Library, drinking coffee at William’s Café, and taking photos by the Arch. In my spare time, I like to read, sing, and play guitar. I have always been passionate about advocacy – I was part of several initiatives at McMaster during my undergrad – and I want to be able to continue that through medical school. Hopefully, as an MMSC representative, I will be able to explore those avenues, and create opportunities for others to get involved as well.
 
PLATFORM
 As future doctors, we will be practicing on a diverse group of patients that come from differing socioeconomic statuses, ethnicities, and educational backgrounds. The way in which we treat individual patients will need to reflect these idiosyncrasies – this is where the Global Health curriculum (and my role, if elected as the Global Health VP) becomes important. As VP Global Health, I plan to coordinate with curriculum leaders to emphasize treatment of diverse populations – for example, when exploring skin conditions during an ALS, ensuring there are a wide variety of ethnicities included. I also hope to include more tidbits on how racial bias occurs in clinical testing, such as in pulse oximetry, or how we can adjust for demographic factors when conducting these exams. This information will be useful for students down the road, particularly when working with minority communities.

Sarun Balaranjan

BIO
Hey, I'm Sarun Balaranjan. I told myself that the student council portion of my life had passed, but this position felt too well-aligned with a lot of my personal goals in medicine. I've worked with the local non-profit Sustainable Hamilton-Burlington, ran OPIRG McMaster (another community non-profit), TA'd some sustainability courses at Mac, etc... I'd love to keep being involved in spaces at the intersection of climate mitigation and health, and this position would allow me to do so!


PLATFORM
​My platform will be centred on increasing student access and visibility with respect to the intersection of climate change and global health. In particular, I'd like to see increased representation in our curriculum on the topics of climate refugee health, international food and water shortages, and strategies to address health system shocks. In addition, I think it'd be beneficial to build additional pathways/connections to international health organizations on MedPortal so that students can begin to build networks toward global health careers.

Saachi Bami

BIO
Hi everyone, my name’s Saachi Bami (she/her) and I’m so excited to be running for VP Global Health! I graduated undergrad at McMaster and have held roles in various student-led initiatives. My favourite experience so far was one that combined health-related outreach and music. For three years, I led a group of students in interviewing senior partners with dementia and writing songs based on their lives. I’ve also worked in areas that emphasize student health, such as COPE, a student-led mental health initiative. We planned informative events and initiatives to encourage accessibility of resources such as free therapy. I’ve seen firsthand the impact of outreach, connecting with those in the community, and working with like-minded individuals. Beyond school and outreach, I spend my time reading, cooking, and touring Hamilton’s many coffee shops. I’m looking forward to sharing more about myself and what I can bring to the council!

PLATFORM
​Being medical students, our roles in society are heavily impacted by the health of our community. In the role of VP Global Health, the first thing I want to ensure is that our curriculum is relevant to the issues affecting our community. This could include working with VP Academic to incorporate more discussion of global health issues in Professional Competencies, or learning how to broach difficult conversations, such as vaccine hesitancy. Second, the VP Global Health is responsible for representing Mac and providing our unique view at CFMS. Something I’m personally very passionate about is reproductive rights, a pertinent issue that I would bring to the table if representing McMaster. Third, I want to ensure that ideas from all Mac Med students are being represented. As VP, I would implement an anonymized system to allow for clear communication between the student body and myself for inclusion of all perspectives.