Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6526390148
Meeting ID: 652 639 0148
​
One tap mobile
+13052241968,,6526390148# US
+13092053325,,6526390148# US
Meet The Team
IMAGINE consists of a team of students from several health faculties and programs (medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, social work, speech-language pathology, and health administration) as well as preceptors that span all ranks within the university's health science faculties.
​
IMAGINE has secured the support of Deans as well as multiple faculty-specific advisors. St. Christopher House: The Meeting Place and the Central Toronto Community Health Centre-Queen West Site have also been immensely supportive of the IMAGINE initiative.
Executive Co-Director
Matthew Hacker Teper
Medicine Y3
I am responsible for overseeing clinic operations and function. I joined IMAGINE to help vulnerable residents of Toronto be safer and healthier! I previously worked on the quality improvement committee – interested in healthcare administration and quality improvement. Fun fact, I enjoy cooking and triathlons!
Executive Co-Director
Kelsey Yang
Medicine Y2
I’m interested in health equity, quality improvement, and medical education, so being part of IMAGINE is truly the sweet spot for me! It’s an exciting and humbling challenge to revamp IMAGINE’s services in response to the pandemic and changing community needs. It’s a privilege to be working with all these dedicated individuals on this page, and I’m always amazed by how quickly their ideas become initiatives across the different committees!
Fun fact, Matt and I are both cycling enthusiasts, and we opted to have one of our co-director meetings on a bike ride instead of on Zoom! That was our first time ever meeting in person having also worked together on the PQI team last year.
Clinic Flow Manager
Toba Balogu
Medicine Y2
As a clinic flow manager, I am usually the first person patients will interact with upon entering the clinic. I get a brief story of why they are here and how we can help. Then I lead collaborative and interactive discussions between our team of interdisciplinary student volunteers and preceptors to determine the best ways to care for the patient. Being that Imagine serves mostly underprivileged individuals, it is a wonderful responsibility to be able to go the extra mile in providing quality, holistic care to those who truly need it. Being immersed in community and seeking opportunities to learn from people I meet (i.e., patients, other students, preceptors, etc.), makes me a better advocate and grounds me in my journey through medicine.
Clinic Flow Co-Director
Marta Karpinski
Medicine Y2
Working on the Clinic Flow team means that I help manage an interprofessional team of healthcare students and providers in providing care for the patients of the IMAGINE clinic. As the Co-Director of the Clinic Flow team, I also help me team coordinate the administrative, logistical, and staffing requirements necessary to keep the IMAGINE clinic running smoothly. Prior to joining the IMAGINE Clinic, I volunteered in marginalized communities in Hamilton, where I worked on a number of community engagement and educational projects to promote health. I developed a passion for working with diverse groups of individuals, and joined the IMAGINE team to continue this type of work in Toronto, and contribute to bridging the inequalities in health that persist in our city. In my spare time, I enjoy drawing and cooking.
Clinic Flow Manager
Daniel Shane
Medicine Y2
I joined IMAGINE as a CFM because I was looking for a way to get involved in the behind-the-scenes administration of a clinic while also getting the chance to collaborate with students from other disciplines. I currently hold a Masters in Global Health with a focus on addiction, and have spent a year working with a low barriers modular housing program in Vancouver, BC for individuals who are marginalized and hard to house. I am passionate about health equity and my role as a CFM allows me to continue to aid my community in breaking down systemic barriers that restrict access to timely, high quality health care.
Clinic Flow Manager
Akachukwu Nwakoby
Medicine Y3
As a Clinical Flow Manager my responsibilities entail opening clinic, making sure it runs smoothly and closing clinic. I joined Imagine Clinic because I see it as a great opportunity to learn about inter-professional health care and help those most vulnerable in our community. My hobbies include playing volleyball and watching anime.
Clinic Flow Co-Director
Shannon James
Nursing Y2
As part of IMAGINE, I am looking forward to being directly involved in providing low-barrier healthcare services, as well as learning from the incredible interprofessional team of student volunteers and preceptors. I was motivated to join IMAGINE because of my interest in health equity, intersectionality, and community health. In my free time, I enjoy backcountry camping, trying new recipes, and hanging out with my dog.
Clinic Flow Manager
Jonathan Ng
Social Work Y2
I joined IMAGINE because I am look forward to advancing patient care through interprofessional collaboration, and to provide care to a wide variety of patients of various status and other social determinants of health.
Clinic Operations
Brenna Kelly
Social Work Y1
Health Promotions
Sandra Lee
Medicine Y2
Hello! I am super excited to serve as this year's Co-Chair for the Health Promotions Committee! I was a volunteer for this committee last year, where I had the chance to use my passion for teaching to help create workshops on wound management and frostbite for local community organizations. This year, I am looking forward to seeing what our team comes up with that so we can continue delivering useful and reliable health-related workshops!
Health Promotions
Anthony (Tony) Nguyen
Medicine Y2
Health promotion and education is one of my largest passions. I really enjoy getting the chance to speak with others about their health and come up with practical strategies to empower them in reaching their personal goals. Some of the exciting things our team has created in the past year include online and in-person workshops for wound care, oral hygiene and mindfulness. Aside from IMAGINE, I love staying active where I frequently rock climb, practice hot yoga and box!
Advocacy and Education
Ching-Lung Huang
Medicine Y2
As one of the Co-Chairs for the Advocacy and Education team this year, I will be raising awareness about important issues around IMAGINE’s patient populations through workshops and our social media accounts. I volunteered with IMAGINE last year as part of the Process and Quality Improvement team, I loved the interprofessional collaboration to continue bettering our healthcare system for our community. In my spare time, I enjoy hiking, watching movies, and painting with acrylics!
Advocacy and Education
Ali Butt
Medicine Y2
As the Advocacy and Education Co-Chair for the IMAGINE Clinic, I educate physicians, healthcare students, and community members about the challenges faced by marginalized patients. I advocate for structural changes within the healthcare system and hope, in the future, to function in a healthcare system that does not discriminate against those it serves. Outside of medicine, you can find me at the gym, walking outdoors, or teaching local at-risk youth.
Communications and Public Relations
Cassandra Elias
Pharmacy Y2
I joined IMAGINE because I love that there is an emphasis on providing healthcare to everyone regardless of their circumstances. In my first year of Pharmacy school I was part of the Process and Quality Improvement Committee. This year I decided to join the Communications team where I will be working with Kelly to enhance the IMAGINE website and help out the other teams with various tasks, such as event promotion. Outside of school and IMAGINE, I enjoy practicing cosmetology to express my creative side.
Communications and Public Relations
Kelly Ge
Masters of Public Health Y2
As one of the Communicatons and Public Relations co-chairs, I work with Cassandra to keep IMAGINE's website and social channels up to date. I joined IMAGINE Clinic because I am passionate about health equity, health communications, and reducing barriers to accessing timely healthcare. I also strongly value interprofessional learning and love that the clinic brings together students from across disciplines. In my free time, I enjoy reading, painting, and creative writing.
Community Partnerships
Nicole Wallace
Pharmacy Y3
CPnare the promotion team for the clinic to partners in the community like shelters and food banks. We foster relationships with these partners by working with them to meet their needs for example helping with a vaccine campaign for the Toronto Shelter Network. I believe that healthcare is a universal right for everyone and I joined IMAGINE to service the people who need us the most. I love that with IMAGINE I am able to enact real change in people lives. I have been apart of IMAGINE for almost 3 years, one year as a committee member for Community Partnerships and two as the Co-Chair of the committee. I am an avid sports fan and am always listening to music.
Community Partnerships
Katie Saunders
Pharmacy Y3
My role in the Community Partnerships Committee is to form relationships with external organizations to better serve vulnerable populations in the Toronto area. I enjoy IMAGINE"s approach to patient care through interprofessional collaboration and working alongside like-minded individuals!
Process and Quality Improvement
Candice Lin
Pharmacy Y4
The role of PQI Co-Chair is to optimize and/or standardize internal processes of IMAGINE. I joined IMAGINE because I am passionate about improving patient care through interprofessional collaboration with a focus on healthcare equity. I was also on the Clinic Flow team last year!
Process and Quality Improvement
Joshua Herman
Medicine Y3
I am responsible for working with other teams to improve efficiency and quality of care. I joined IMAGINE to be part of a talented and fun multidisciplinary team, providing an important service for our community. As an MD/MBA student at UofT, I am interested in the intersection of technology and health systems to improve access to high quality care. Outside of work, I love basketball, golf and skiing.
Volunteer Recruitment
Shantel Aboagye-Mensah
Social Work, MSW Y2
Shantel is in her 2nd year of the Masters of Social Work Program at Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, specializing in Mental Health and Health. She completed her undergraduate degree in Mental Health Studies (Co-operative) Specialist at the University of Toronto Scarborough. Throughout her studies, Shantel has been involved in various leadership positions addressing mental health advocacy, culturally adapting practice and student empowerment.
I joined the IMAGINE team as I am very passionate about social determinants of health and using trauma informed and strength based approaches to working with clients from marginalized communities. My responsibility is to ensure that volunteers are equipped with adequate training to best serve our community population.
In her free time, Shantel loves watching reality television, engaging in mindfulness walks, and listening to 90s RnB music.
Volunteer Recruitment
Negin Sadeghlo
Pharmacy Y3
Volunteer Recruitment
Kimya Shahi
Social Work Y2
Social Work Public Relations Liaison
Ivana DiCosola
Social Work Y2
Finance
Joe Mader
Pharmacy Y3
My interests include playing basketball, listening to music, staying active and travelling. I joined IMAGINE to collaborate interprofessionally with fellow students to improve our community’s access to health services.
Finance
Edgar Akuffo-Addo
Medicine Y2
Edgar enjoys cycling and exploring new neighborhoods within the city. He is passionate about improving healthcare delivery and access to care in vulnerable communities.
Preceptor Recruitment
Teresa Zhu
Medicine Y3
As one of IMAGINE's preceptor recruitment co-chairs, I help schedule and recruit new preceptors to our clinic. I took on this role after starting as a clinic volunteer and wanting to get more involved with IMAGINE and its goal of providing quality interdisciplinary health care to marginalized populations. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, board games, and exploring the city.
Preceptor Recruitment
Aya Akrawi
Pharmacy Y3
Internal Coordinator
Amy Tian
Pharmacy
Pharmacy PR Liaison
Minahil Rafiq
Pharmacy Y3
​Community Partnerships
Katie Saunders
Pharmacy Y3
My role in the Community Partnerships Committee is to form relationships with external organizations to better serve vulnerable populations in the Toronto area. I enjoy IMAGINE"s approach to patient care through interprofessional collaboration and working alongside like-minded individuals!