Professional Bio
My name's Nima, I think that the following sentences best sum up my professional bio:
I'm a medical student at the University of Saskatchewan's College of Medicine
I'm naturally drawn to systems & organizations involving complex, rapidly changing parts. This abstract passion has manifested itself as interest in wide variety of topics, including human geography, social development, behavioral science, and healthcare.
My professional interests include mentorship, applying research-based findings to change perceptions and policy, and non-scientific health-policy writing
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Education
University of Saskatchewan - College of Medicine, MD
August 2022 - May 2026
2nd Year student at the University of Saskatchewan's Doctor of Medicine Program - Saskatoon Campus
University of British Columbia, Bachelor of Science
September 2018 - May 2022
GPA: 88% | 3.86
Dean's Honor List: 2018 - 2022, Science Scholar Designation: 2021, Dean of Science Scholarship: 2021.
Graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Sciences, with concentrations in Microbiology and Neuroscience.
Professional Resume
A summary of my professional experiences
Medical Student Research Assistant
March 2023Â - Ongoing
Working on chart reviews, population-based statistical analyses and case reviews with the dual goals of broadening my understanding of cancer pathophysiology/management and uncovering disparities in health outcomes amongst those affect by cancer.
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Received funding for project Do Rural Patients with Gallbladder Cancer have a Delay in Diagnosis and Inferior Survival? A Canadian Province Experience
Behavioral Insights Intern
Feb 2022 - June 2022
The Decision Lab is a socially-conscious applied research firm which provides consulting services to some of the largest organizations in the world, carries out research in priority areas, and runs one of the largest publications in applied behavioral science.Â
As a BII, I was responsible for locating, synthesizing, and writing about new cutting edge research in behavioral science, behavioral economics, and psychology. Pieces were used to establish a new content medium at The Decision Lab - Insights - which communicate the applicability of behavioral science to real-world business challenges.
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PEM Research Assistant
May 2021Â - July 2022
As a member of the START program, I screened and enrolled patient participants in clinical studies in the Pediatric Emergency Department of BC Children's Hospital. I've recruited over 45 patients in clinical studies. Responsibilities include:
Incorporating digital tools, such as EMRs and REDCap, in the patient consent and recruitment process
Liaising with Physicians, Nurses and external research centers regarding patient eligibility, medical sample collection and study procedures
'Cold-approaching' families and patients which are eligible for clinical studies, informing them of the purpose and benefits of research
Summer Research Student
May 2021 - August 2021
Completed a fully-funded summer studentship in Dr. Todd Woodward's research group at BC Children's Hospital Research Institute. Summer Studentship was funded by an NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA). Responsibilities and accomplishments included:
Utilizing SPSS, R and MATLAB to perform statistical analyses on fMRI data
Interpreting results from 50+ brain network analyses, using academic background, desk research, and statistical insights to contextualize results in cognitive neuroscience research
Presented research findings at regional conferences to both scientific and lay audiences, winning ‘Best Presentation Award’ at BCCHR Research Day
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Undergraduate Research Assistant
September 2019 - April 2021
Acted as an undergraduate research assistant in the BRANE Lab in the UBC Faculty of Medicine, under the supervision of Dr. Anthony Herdman. Contributed to the development of 4 scientific manuscripts and acquired hands-on experience with neuroimaging methodologies. Responsibilities included:
Reviewed and wrote internal and external communications, including grant/project applications and research rounds’ presentations
Facilitated EEG recording sessions for partnering research groups
Acted as 'jack-of-all-trades' contributor in the lab, supporting copy-editing, experimental ideation and data collection.
Summer Research Student
June 2018 - August 2018
Received a fully-funded studentship at the Center for Heart Lung Innovation at St. Paul's Hospital through the Peter D. Pare Science Scholarship. Worked under the supervision of Dr. Chun Seow and Dr. Lu Wang. Responsibilities included:
Learning and executing 'wet-lab' techniques, such as ELISA and Western-Blots, to facilitate lab research
Creating and presenting summer project 'A conceptual model for the smooth muscle contractile unit' at research rounds and presentations
Community Experiences
A summary of my experiences in academic societies, volunteer-based organizations and other initiatives
Vice President - Internal
September 2022 - May 2024
Served as Vice President - Internal of the Student Medical Society of Saskatchewan.Â
Responsibilities include managing internal elections, reviewing budgeting and initiative funding decisions, and facilitating the activities of student groups and social representatives
Clinical Volunteer
May 2023 - Ongoing
Served as a Clinical Volunteer (Category C) at the Student Wellness Initiative Toward Community Health (SWTICH) Clinic.
The SWITCH clinic augments the training of future professionals while improving the health, education, and skills of people from Saskatoon’s core, underserved communities. Clinical Volunteers work alongside NP/Physician supervisors, carrying out clinical exams and developing treatment plans
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Youth Mentor
December 2022 - Ongoing
Served as a Youth Mentor for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Saskatoon in a inner city school. Mentors help Mentees gain confidence in their ability to achieve, avoid risky behaviors, and provide connections to broader experiences, opportunities and networks.
Student Group President
September 2022 - Ongoing
Served as President of the Cancer Medical Education for Medical Students and Trainees (CanMETS) student group from June 2023 - May 2024. Served as Treasurer from September 2022 - May 2023.Â
As President, responsible for organizing events with the goal of promoting interest in cancer research, recognition and treatment as well as Oncology as a career
Policy Advocate
September 2022 - Ongoing
As a member of the Governmental Advocacy and Action Committee (GAAC) of the Student Medical Society of Saskatchewan, I worked with community stakeholders and medical student peers to advocate for policy changes at the provincial level
Youth Mentor
May 2021 - May 2022
As a youth mentor for the Urban Native Youth Association I meet with an Indigenous youth 2x per month with the goal of providing a consistent, positive relationship. Engaged in fun, purposeful activities designed to build trust and encourage thoughtful decision-making. Attained an understanding of the challenges that urban Indigenous youth face through interactions with the youth and training seminars.
Society Volunteer and Advocate
September 2020 - February 2022
As a volunteer with the Neil Squire Society, I support cognitively and physically-impaired individuals develop confidence when working with technology. This entails guiding individuals with assistive computer applications and helping them apply this knowledge to develop resumes, apply for, and attain employment.
Careers and Professional Development Chair
August 2020 - May 2021
I chaired the Careers and Professional Development Committee in UBC's Science Undergraduate Society. Responsibilities as chair of the working group included: Assigning tasks to a team of six coordinators, creating meeting agendas, organizing event schedules, devising event marketing plans and liaising with presenters/firms. Organized five career-centric events, which were cumulatively attended by over 300 students and several leading companies.
Research & Advocacy Volunteer
June 2020 - March 2021
As a Research and Advocacy Volunteer with the Costal Research Education Advocacy and Research Network, I developed literature reviews and reports designed to support CREAN's community advocacy activities, designed and facilitated interviews with community members to provide a real-world background to developed literature reviews. Topics discussed include discrimination against indigenous peoples in healthcare and marijuana legislation.
Research & Outreach Team Lead
August 2019 - November 2020
As Research & Outreach Team Lead with AMS Peer Support IÂ coordinated and executed marketing campaigns designed to inform the student body about the Peer Support service and generate greater awareness regarding mental health as a whole, with a focus on underserved groups. Initiatives drew 500+ interactions from the student body.
Projects
Map The System
Map the System is a global competition that asks students and educators to think differently about social and environmental change. The competition challenges participants to use a systems lens to research a specific social or environmental issue. Participants are then expected to compellingly articulate their findings in a way that engages audiences and promotes understanding.
Our team's project - Pediatric Vaccine Hesitancy in BC - was selected at the national level (out of 90 teams) to participate in the Global Final, hosted at the University of Oxford. At the final, our team had the chance to meet change-makers from 45 Universities across 21 countries. We were awarded a Highly Commended Project award as one of the top 10 submissions from around the world, out of over 950 global submissions
Goals
If I was reading someone's professional profile, I'd be interested in knowing what that person is working towards. To that end, this addendum to my professional profile lists out my medium/long term goals (last updated June 2022):
Find a Professional Niche: Having been admitted to Medical School, one of my jobs over the next four years is to decide what area of medicine I'd like to specialize in. Over the next year, I hope to establish a better direction for myself in this regard.
Develop a meaningful, profitable side-endeavor: Toussi Educational Consulting is meant to represent this goal.
Find my place in Saskatoon: I'll be relocating for the first time, and while I'll have plenty of opportunities to visit Vancouver and grow my connections here, I am looking forward to establishing new connections in Saskatoon. Beyond some rec leagues and a new café, I'm hoping to be involved with organizations whose interests are aligned with mine.
Hike Panorama Ridge + Black Tusk: One of Vancouver's more difficult and most beautiful hikes. I'm bitter my planned trip in the summer got put off due to wildfire smoke, so I'm doubly looking forward to completing it next summer
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You can see my blog post on my updates from my June 2022 goals here