McGill Dentistry Graduate Student Society (MDGSS)

McGill Dentistry Graduate Student Society Committee, 2022-2023

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President, Dana Jafarpour

Hi everyone,

My name is Dana Jafarpour. I am a third-year PhD candidate in Oral Health Sciences under the supervision of Dr. Raphael de Souza. I previously obtained my Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree from Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in 2018. My research interest mainly focuses on the oral rehabilitation of the edentulous senior population using 3D printed dental prosthesis. On the non-academic side, I enjoy spending time with friends, playing piano, and going to the gym. I also love learning new skills, travelling places, and exploring new adventures.

I find the aims of the McGill Dentistry Graduate Students’ Society (MDGSS) admirable with regards to engaging and facilitating collaboration among graduate students in our faculty. I believe effective teamwork encourages students to accomplish tasks more efficiently, and develop superior results. As a PGSS representative for MDGSS over the course of last year, I became well familiar with the regulations and organization of the graduate student body. I have always looked for opportunities to display the qualities of a leader in the realm of health sciences. That’s why my passion to promote collaboration among our students has led me to take on the role of presidency at MDGSS. Through this opportunity, I aim to steer the growth of our student body by providing them with an enriching experience at McGill.

I am extremely pleased to be elected as the MDGSS president for the year 2021-22. As your president, I will remain committed to all my responsibilities, including but not limited to hearing and reflecting the needs of our graduate students, and facilitating collaboration among our student members. Your constructive feedback is always welcome. So, please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding a specific issue at the faculty: dana.jafarpour [at] mail.mcgill.ca

VP Academics, Janaki Iyer

Bonjour/ Hello/ Namaste!

This is Janaki! Born and raised in Mumbai, India, with a passion for continuing in academia, I flew overseas to pursue my PhD at the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, under the supervision of Dr. Simon Tran. I work at the McGill Laboratory of Craniofacial Stem cells and Tissue Engineering at Strathcona Anatomy and Dentistry building. I have completed my Bachelor in Dentistry and Master in Dentistry (in the discipline of Oral Pathology and Microbiology) from Mumbai, India.

Having served as the previous VP-Academics, I had the benefit of meeting people of different nationalities and communities and learnt immensely through their perspectives on life. These interactions inspired me to actively contribute further towards student clubs; I hold a post of an executive member (Finance Officer) with the Graduate Students’ Forum, a well-known interactive platform to exchange research ideas and network with peer and faculty alike. I also serve as a Student Ambassador with our Buddy Program, that aids prospective graduate students with the various challenges accompanied by moving base to Montreal!

My past experiences have instilled in me, a perspective to gauge a given situation from across both sides of the table. I understand academia is strenuous, overwhelming, and highly competitive. As your VP-Academics, I am confident that we can foster a climate that encourages faculty and students to pursue innovative activities! Our team is dedicated towards ‘listening’ and ‘assisting’ Please feel free to find me at janaki.iyer [at] mail.mcgill.ca, with questions, feedback or better still just meet on campus to chat!

VP Social, Aia Naksho

Hello everyone! My name is Aia Naksho and I'm currently a 1st year master's thesis student under the supervision of the great Dr. Firoozeh Samim! I am originally Syrian and have been living in Saudi Arabia then Cyprus and finally in Montréal for the last 3 years.

I love the Canadian fall, baking, walking in nature, and visiting new places! I love travelling as well and throughout my many travels I discovered that even paradise without people to share it with, is not as enjoyable ! In my opinion Everyday should include a new experience so it can be remembered, that's why I Love making even my studying days fun and enjoyable to achieve the social-work life balance!

With that being said, I am excited to start this journey with you guys as Vice President Social of MGDSS. I am a hardworking person and organising events that are EXTREMELY fun and suits everyone from different cultures and religions will be my priority.

My goal is to create memories that will last a lifetime for all of us, so expect to see me in faculty asking you about suggestions on what are the places and things you would like to experience throughout this year. I think these years of our studies should be the best years of our lives with so much fun memories to remember, so please help me in making them unforgettable! I'm always happy to help at anything so please feel free to find me at Aia.naksho [at] mail.mcgill.ca if you even need a suggestion for a new place to visit or just have a cozy cup of coffee and simply chat

VP Finance, Bahar Amir Hosseini

Hello everyone

My name is Bahareh Amirhosseini, but everyone calls me Bahar. I am a dentist from Iran. I graduated in 2020 from Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in Iran. Now I am a first-year master's student under the supervision of Dr. Svetlana Tikhonova.

My passion for dentistry started when I was 9 years old, and my dentist was my role model while growing up. I wanted to extend this passion to the research field as well, so I chose dental science at McGill to have a new adventure in the dental world.

Aside from my academic life, I love cooking and baking! I can spend days reading recipes and watching cake designs. Also, I enjoy spending time with my friends or watching TV series. There was a great chance for me to become a surgeon if I hadn’t stopped watching Grey’s Anatomy for the 10th time!

I am so excited to be a part of MDGSS, especially in my first year. I hope to do a lot of fun activities and events with you guys.

VP Communications, Clay Smith

Bonjour and welcome!

My name is Clay Smith, and I am a second-year MSc student in the Dental Sciences program. I am a passionate graduate student from Fredericton, New Brunswick, who is really enjoying the big city... and still brushing up on my French. 🦷🪥

As I complete my MSc, I am dedicated to being more involved in the McGill Dentistry community. That said, I also want to be more connected with all of you. I have learned just as much from my fellow peers at McGill as I have in my classes. Whether you’re an incoming student, a fellow graduate student, or simply interested in McGill’s program, please feel free to reach out to me as I am happy to connect with you and share my experiences.

The McGill Dentistry Graduate Student Society aims to enhance your experience in the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences. Additionally, we want to be a resourceful network and help bridge the gap to your goals as a student and individual. We are always happy to hear from you and open to suggestions, so feel free to share your idea(s) for a social, interactive, or informative event!

I am grateful for the opportunity to have a positive impact with the MDGSS team, and I hope to see you soon! If you ever want to chat, do not hesitate to reach out: Clay.Smith [at] mail.mcgill.ca

PGSS Representative, Praveen Bhoopathi Haricharan

Warm greetings to all my dear colleagues. Please let me introduce myself, I am Praveen, a second-year doctoral student within the population oral health cluster, and predominantly based at Strathcona Anatomy & Dentistry block. I am an elected PGSS councillor, representing the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences.

I am a dentist by profession, with a specialist training in the field of dental public health. Subsequently, I was fortunate to be associated as a faculty member at dental schools in Malaysia and India. This experience of mine was indeed enriching and has transformed me into a confident administrator.

I will be more than happy to represent our faculty at the PGSS and shall play a pivotal role in communicating your concerns and issues to the PGSS. Please feel free to contact me if you have any queries.

Best regards

PGSS Representative, Swetha Balasubramani

Hello!

I'm Swetha Balasubramani, a second-year Master's student in the non-thesis-based program of dental medicine and oral health research. A passionate dentist from India, constructing my clinician-scientist career in northern America.

First and foremost, I love to meet, greet, connect and socialize with people around me. After 1 year of staying in McGill and actively participating in the events conducted by MDGSS, I am much more eager to be a part of the team.

In addition to academics, since high school, I have loved organizing events, leading them, and providing the utmost resources and entertainment for the community and my fellow mates, who consider me a responsible, fun-loving, positive, cheerful leader. But, I would describe myself as a charismatic social person who loves to explore new places and communicate with diverse audiences about their food and culture!!

As your PGSS representative, I will be committed to all my responsibilities and represent our McGill graduate dental students society at the university level and voice our concerns, ideas, and needs!

Feel free to reach out to me at swetha.balasubramani [at] mail.mcgill.ca for any queries.