Iryna Savinova 

Medical Science Communicator

Iryna is a medical student at McMaster University. She completed her Master of Science in the department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Guelph after completing her Bachelor of Science in Bio-Medical Science.  Iryna works with IMPART as the medical science communicator and co-piloted IMPART’s Research Reels initiative to improve interdisciplinary collaboration and science knowledge translation.

Iryna’s main research focuses have been on cardio-respiratory pathophysiology, and she is passionate about bridging the sex and gender gap in research. Her current project focuses on investigating the non-traditional roles of the protein erythropoietin and its involvement in disease.

Outside of school Iryna loves experimenting with new art mediums, creating graphical illustrations and spending time with her dog.

Iryna’s illustrations

Maggie Pickard

Media Content Creator

Maggie is a second year master’s student in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the DMNB campus. Maggie works under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Pulinilkunnil and her research focuses on studying nutrient sensing, cell signaling and amino acid metabolism in the heart and skeletal muscle. As a member of IMPART’s Scientific Communications Working Group, Maggie helps with the planning and execution of IMPART’s team events and communication content, specifically with our social media accounts like twitter and more recently, TikTok.

Matthew Clinton

Medical Science Communicator

Matthew is currently employed in the private medical sector, assisting with independent occupational medicine evaluations as well as the administration of rTMS therapy. He completed his Bachelor of Science at the University of New Brunswick, with focus on genetics and inorganic materials. He now joins IMPART as a volunteer science communicator, assisting with science knowledge translation.

Matthew’s past research involved the isolation and exploration of novel chemistry and bioactivity from Canadian medicinal plants and endophytic fungi. His focus centered on chemotaxonomy: using unsupervised learning algorithm cluster analysis of NMR and bioactivity data, to explore secondary plant metabolites and their variability across taxonomic classifications.

Outside of work Matthew enjoys cycling, hiking, documentary films, and gardening.

Tori Nelson

Communications Volunteer

Tori is a Masters Student in Department of Pharmacology at the Dalhousie New Brunswick under the supervision of Dr. Keith Brunt.

Her work currently focuses on cardiac regeneration post cardiac injury in hopes of improving outcomes for patients. As a member of IMPART’s Scientific Communications Working Group, Tori is responsible for hosting research reels, in addition to helping plan events and scientific content on Instagram and TikTok.

Theresa Vo

Communications Volunteer

Theresa Vo is a second-year PhD student in Community Health and Epidemiology at Dalhousie University. She is working under the supervision of Dr. Wiesława Dominika Wranik and Dr. Robin Urquhart. She is broadly interested in applied health research, implementation science, telehealth, and cancer research. As a volunteer of IMPART, Theresa is assisting with science knowledge translation.

Theresa has a Bachelor of Pharmacy in Viet Nam, a MSc (with distinction) from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Her past research focused on evaluating the role of the single-entry model in improving access to care for hip and knee replacement surgery in Newfoundland.

Theresa favorite pastimes are drawing, photography, blogging, and hiking.

Shana Saravanan

Communications Volunteer

Darshana is a third-year BSc Neuroscience student at Dalhousie University. She is also completing a certificate in neurotechnology and innovation and a certificate in science communications.

At IMPART, Darshana is a Media Engagement volunteer responsible for posting science facts on IMPART’s social media platforms.

Darshana is passionate about public health and mental health and volunteers at organizations such as the Red Cross, Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Center, Low Entropy Foundation etc. Darshana also works in school administration.

Vanessa Chedrawy

Communications Volunteer