Benjamin Varughese
Benjamin’s love for regenerative medicine began on YouTube. While scrolling through a list of TED Talks, a video explaining the science of tissue engineering sparked his interest and he was inspired by the work of Dr. Shaf Keshavjee and how he was helping to personalize healthcare. Benjamin soon discovered the science behind the magic: regenerative medicine. Realizing the hidden yet powerful implications of stem cell research motivated Benjamin to dedicate much of his efforts to fostering scientific innovation and spreading awareness about regenerative medicine. In his spare time, Benjamin allows his teamwork and leadership skills to flourish through recreational tennis and basketball. Benjamin has a degree in Psychology from York University and is currently enrolled in a Kinesiology program at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in order to further his understanding of the human body. He aspires to one day become a physician who incorporates regenerative medicine in his treatments for patients suffering from debilitating diseases.
Abel Ignatius
Abel’s interests in medical technology and innovation, as well as providing care for the underserved manifests itself through his career goals as he strives to become a competent and caring physician. As a recent graduate at Wayne State University School of Medicine and current Internal Medicine resident at Henry Ford Hospital, he hopes to further explore regenerative medicine and its therapeutic applications specifically in the area of ischemic heart disease. Abel was primed from an early age to appreciate the beauty and complexity inherent in cardiovascular medicine, and his life-long penchant for cardiology continues to grow in tandem with his vision of restoring contractile function through stem cell technology. Though it is still in its early stages of research, he hopes to eventually implement human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes in practice as a means of regenerating cardiac tissue in patients with heart disease.
Vatsal Trivedi
The philosophy of leadership and community service has been a core value for Vatsal for as long as he can remember. Coupled with an inquisitive mind, he continually strives to search for creative solutions for common problems. It was this quality which led to his involvement with Regenerative Medicine, a field which embodies creativity in science. Vatsal stands at the intersection of a deep desire to understand the complexity and intricacies of human physiology, and the internal drive to innovate solutions for the associated pathophysiological states. He is currently attending the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University and looks forward to delving deeper into the science of regenerative medicine, while providing service to the community.
Stephen Lau
nspired by a breakthrough research in 2010 conducted at a Canadian university, Stephen has since been motivated to dedicate himself to initiatives in regenerative medicine. It was the research conducted by Dr. Mick Bhatia and his team, a novel method of converting human skin cells to human blood cells, which sparked his interest. As a graduate of Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and a current Anesthesiology resident at Beaumont Royal Oak hospital, he hopes to see personalized regenerative medicine therapies applied to critically-ill patients in the future. His passion for personalized medical therapies has therefore driven Stephen to focus his efforts in furthering research and public interest in regenerative medicine.
Nik Tasevski
Nik’s experiences in various healthcare settings have helped him realize the importance of future medical innovations in providing optimum care for patients. This realization has led him to develop a lifelong passion for research and has been involved in many projects at the Lawson Health research institute and the University of Toronto. Nik intends to integrate his research experience into clinical practice during his tenure as a student at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry. With a multitude of scientific articles on the potential of cell replacement therapy, Nik hopes to see the implantation of regenerative medicine as a regular component in the field of dentistry.
Prtha Kudesia
Prtha became heavily intrigued by the applications and potential of regenerative medicine after noticing the minimal curriculum in regenerative medicine covered by senior high school and introductory university science courses. She began her journey with CARRM during her first year at Queen’s University as founder and president of the CARRM at Queen’s chapter. CARRM became a fundamental part of Prtha’s university career as it allowed her to broaden her horizons in stem cell research and therapy while helping others understand its growing potential. Prtha has recently completed her Master of Public Health degree at Western University, and currently serves on the CARRM Board of Directors.
Trent Gordon
Trent Gordon is one of 2 district managers at CARRM, where he is responsible for managing the northwestern chapters and acting as a correspondence both with the CARRM board of directors and the chapter heads. Prior to her involvement as a board member, Trent has worked at Abbott Point of Care in Ottawa as a research development engineering where he worked on developing a point of care device to measure levels of cardiac troponin I within the blood. Trent completed his undergrad in Biochemical Engineering at Western University and is now pursuing a masters in Biomedical Engineering at Western where he is working on a 3D printable scaffold for tissue engineering applications.
Beatrice Hur
Beatrice is a recent graduate from a Bachelor of Life Science program specializing in Neuroscience at Queen’s University with Agnes Benedickson Tricolour Award. Beatrice started her career in science when her grandmother got diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Throughout her research and personal endeavours in better understanding Parkinson’s disease, she came across few papers suggesting an efficient novel treatment for Parkinson’s disease using stem cells transplant and she has since been a huge advocate for research in regenerative medicine. Currently located in New York, Beatrice is continuing her research in search of new therapeutics for Parkinson’s disease at Columbia University. Outside the lab, she has passion for human rights activism and serving her community, and loves to read, write and play music. As a PR officer at CARRM, she aims to address the myths and fears around stem cell treatment and shed a light on the unlimited potentials of regenerative medicine.