Our Team

We are a team of clinicians, researchers, data scientists and technical staff working to improve healthcare with hospital data.

GEMINI Executive Team

Co-Lead

Co-Lead

Director, Operations & Strategic Partnerships

Director, Data Science & Innovation

Team Members

Research Data Scientist

Senior Data Scientist

Data Quality Analyst

Research Data Scientist

Research Data Scientist

Research Coordinator

Senior Data Scientist

Research Data Scientist

Research Data Scientist

Senior Data Scientist

Research Data Scientist

Manager, Research Data Operations

Scientific Lead & Manager

Research Coordinator

Data Quality Analyst

Research Data Scientist

Senior Data Scientist

Data Quality Analyst

Amol Verma

Co-Lead

My role with the GEMINI team:

I am an internal medicine physician and scientist at Unity Health Toronto and the Temerty Professor of AI Research and Education in Medicine at the University of Toronto.

My educational background:

I completed a BSc in Microbiology and Immunology at Dalhousie, medical school and residency at the University of Toronto, a Masters in Economic and Social History at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, a 1-year interdisciplinary fellowship with the Canadian Frailty Network a 2-year research fellowship studying big data and advanced analytics in the Clinician Investigator Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and a 1-year fellowship in Artificial Intelligence and Compassion with AMS Healthcare.​

My past experience and accomplishments:

I serve as a Provincial Clinical Lead for Quality Improvement in General Internal Medicine with Ontario Health, the Vice-Chair of the Researcher Council of the Digital Research Alliance of Canada, and was a member of the Council of Canadian Academies Expert Panel on Health Data Sharing. I received the 2023 Canadian Society of Internal Medicine New Investigator Award, the 2022 Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Early Career Leadership Award and the 2022 Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s early career Trailblazer Award in Population and Public Health Research. 

I feel most inspired when:

I am near the ocean.​

Fahad Razak

Co-Lead

My role with the GEMINI team:

I am a hospital-based general internist at St Michaels Hospital and Scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute. I am co-lead of the GEMINI program. I am also the Provincial Co-Lead, Quality Improvement in General Internal Medicine at Ontario Health, and I find this a great fit for my clinical work and research focus. ​

At the University of Toronto, I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation.  I am a member of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table.

My educational background:

My training includes a degree in Engineering Science (Biomedical Engineering), Medical Doctorate, Residency and Fellowship in General Internal Medicine at the University of Toronto. I was the first physician appointed as a David E. Bell Fellow at Harvard University and my post-doctoral training focused on social determinants of health and population health through use of large datasets.

My past experience and accomplishments:

Notable research recognitions at the University of Toronto include the Dean’s Emerging Leader Award, the President’s Impact Award, and being named a Senior Fellow at Massey College. I received the Canadian Society of Internal Medicine’s New Investigator Award and the Graham Farquharson Knowledge Translation Fellowship from the PSI Foundation.  I have received >$65 million in grant funding as Principal Investigator from sources such as CIHR, NSERC, and the Canadian Cancer Society. I have published >100 peer-reviewed publications (h-index 35, >50 as first/senior author), including in high impact journals such as JAMA, the BMJ, PLOS Medicine and PNAS as first/senior author. 

I am  a Canada Research Chair in Data-Informed Health Care Improvement and Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. I serve as a Provincial Clinical Lead for Quality Improvement in General Internal Medicine with Ontario Health, and am Vice-President Research at the Canadian Society of Internal Medicine. I am on the advisory board of the BMJ.

I was the Scientific Director of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table and co-authored >50 science and policy briefs that shaped the policy, public health and clinical response to the COVID-19 crisis. I am a member of the Federal Expert Panel on Science Advisory and Research convened by the Minister of Health.

I feel most inspired when:

I can see something grow that I have nurtured and cared for. For GEMINI, I feel inspired as I see our team grow stronger and more skilled in striving to achieve the complex and broad goals we have set for ourselves.

Vlad Kushnir

Director, Operations & Strategic Partnerships

Educational background

PhD in Pharmaceutical Science, University of Toronto

MSc in Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto

BSc (Hons) in Biology and Psychology, York University

My past accomplishments

Prior to joining GEMINI, I managed a research program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, aimed at developing and evaluating the effectiveness of brief interventions for addictive disorders and co-morbid mental health issues. In my role, I guided the execution of randomized controlled trials and prospective studies, developed protocols and grants proposals, and managed all data collection and analysis efforts. Some of my key accomplishments include successfully leading a national trial on the real-world effectiveness of nicotine patches which involved over 2,000 participants, acquiring grant funding for problem gambling and tobacco dependence research from national and provincial agencies, and authoring dozens of publications in top-tier scientific journals.​

When I feel most inspired

I have the freedom to explore different ideas and make something my own.

A few of my favourite things

Backcountry canoe camping with my friends and kids

Building something with my kids (i.e. mini catapult, fuel-powered rocket, etc.), essentially anything that has the potential to be launched or explode

Backyard BBQ with friends and family on a sunny summer afternoon

Denise Mak

Director, Data Science & Innovation

Educational background

I have a Computer Science undergraduate degree from the University of Waterloo, as well as a Masters and PhD in Bioinformatics from Boston University.

My past accomplishments

I have been fortunate to have been involved with several major data projects that include managing a national longitudinal database of clinical patient data for a rare disease to studying mental illness using anonymized genetic data.

When I feel most inspired

I know I can’t save lives directly but try to contribute in other ways to make a meaningful impact.

A few of my favourite things

Relaxing with a cup of coffee or glass of wine (depending on the time of day)

Rewatching my favourite shows

Sitting by a fire doing any of the above!

​

Shirley You

Research Data Scientist

Educational background

I completed a bachelors degree in Mathematics in China, followed by a masters degree in Mathematics, focusing on Statistics from the University of Ottawa.

My past accomplishments

Prior to GEMINI, I worked at IMBA Medical as a Data Analyst to support the COVID-19 health screening system. Some of my duties included extracting and maintaining datasets integrity on cloud-based software, performing data analysis, statistical modelling, machine learning algorithms and data visualizations. I helped my company achieve an 80% increase in data automation efficiency and 15% revenue growth.

During my masters, I collaborated with researchers from various disciplines and worked on an Epidemiologist research project. This project focused on creating an algorithm for simulating data, which was used for the investigation of Maternal-Gene-Environments and Pathway Effects. These effects were then evaluated based on their potential impact on birth defects. As far as we know, we were the first team to make a ground-breaking discovery on a worldwide genome level.

When I feel most inspired

When I know what I am doing is helping people and potentially helping the world.

A few of my favourite things

Painting

Travel

Working out

Spending time with family and pets

Bijun Wen

Senior Data Scientist

Educational background

I completed my HBSc and MSc in Health & Diseases and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto. I obtained my PhD at the University of Toronto and the Hospital for Sick Children in Translational Medicine.

My past accomplishments

I joined GEMINI after completing my graduate training, where I conducted data-heavy research studies involving a wide range of analytical approaches. During my PhD, I led a Global Health research project on inpatient mortality of malnourished children. I applied statistical modeling to hospital health records and identified clinical predictors for mortality to support risk stratification. Using machine learning approaches, I integrated clinical data with high-dimensional lab data (metabolome, proteome, biomarkers) to understand roles of systemic inflammation and metabolism in mortality for intervention development. For my Masters, I used bioinformatics to study host-microbial interactions in an animal model of infectious colitis.

When I feel most inspired

I work with motivated and friendly individuals

I know that my work can make a positive impact in people’s lives

A few of my favourite things

Playing with my dogs

Exploring new food and restaurants

Puzzle solving activities: board games, escape room, video games etc.

Matthew Wankiewicz

Data Quality Analyst

Educational background

I completed my Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto, majoring in Statistics and minoring in Mathematics.

My past accomplishments

During my undergrad, I was part of a team who created an interactive R package for learning the essentials of RStudio and GitHub.

When I feel most inspired

I am working with great people and have the chance to learn from others.

A few of my favourite things

Playing and watching sports (mainly baseball and golf), watching sitcoms, playing with my dog

Yishan Guo

Research Data Scientist

Educational background

I have a Bachelors degree in marine biology and yes I know a bit about planktons, fishes, and whales. I completed my Masters degree in Biostatistics at the University of Toronto.

My past accomplishments

I was the first Data Analyst at GEMINI for two years. Before I join GEMINI again, I spent 4 years in China with my family and I worked in project management and business operation in the manufacturing business.

When I feel most inspired

When I learn something I don’t know

A few of my favourite things

Travelling
Playing sports (basketball, bouldering, snowboarding and more)
Playing with my dog

Shruthi Vaidyanathan

Research Data Scientist

Educational background

I received my Bachelors of Science double majoring in Mathematics and Statistical Sciences at the University of Toronto’s St. George campus. I am in the process of completing a part-time Masters in Biostatistics at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.

My past accomplishments

My previous experience includes my Professional Experience Year (PEY) Co-op term at the Applied Health Research Centre (AHRC) at St. Michael’s Hospital. My duties at AHRC consisted of cleaning clinical trial data in preparation for analysis, learning about digital signal processing algorithms and applying them in R, and using the R Shiny package to build a web application to calculate sample sizes for various study designs.

When I feel most inspired

When I get to learn new skills! I love diving deep into a task that involves me learning something new! I’m always looking into learning new R packages.

A few of my favourite things

Finding different genres of music

Biking

Watching period dramas!

Jessica Tate

Research Coordinator

St. Michael's Hospital

Educational background

I received my Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Health Sciences and minoring in Kinesiology, in 2020. I received my Master of Arts in Health Geography at Simon Fraser University in 2022.

My past accomplishments

My past experiences include my masters thesis project, which explored how older adults who migrate abroad experienced the pandemic in regard to their health amongst other factors. Additionally, I have experience working at Fraser Health with the Long Term Care research team as a Research Assistant, looking at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Long Term Care. At Fraser Health I performed various roles data cleansing, analyzing, and synthesizing, along with qualitative research methodologies including semi-structured interviews, writing publications, and collaborating with medical staff.

When I feel most inspired

I’m in a positive environment with people who are like-minded and determined to work hard, achieve excellence, and have fun while doing it!

A few of my favourite things

Lifting weights

Hiking near the waterfront

Adventuring/Travelling the world

​

Vaakesan Sundrelingam

Senior Data Scientist

Educational background

I did an undergrad in mathematics and statistics and a masters in statistics with a specialization in data science.

My past accomplishments

Before joining GEMINI, I was a data engineer in the insurance industry, software developer at a pharmaceutical company, and ML engineer at a health tech startup.

When I feel most inspired

Working out while listening to OSTs.

A few of my favourite things

Building things, learning things, ping pong, basketball, and consuming media in different languages.

Jessica Shi

Research Data Scientist

Educational background

I have an Honours Bachelor of Science (Nutritional Science and Psychology) and Master of Public Health (Epidemiology) from the University of Toronto.

My past accomplishments

During my undergraduate studies, I did wet lab research to investigate nanoparticle-based drug delivery and effects of probiotics on bone growth. During my masters studies, I performed an interrupted time-series analysis using CIHI data in SAS, and documented R codes for a proposed machine learning methodology which would be applicable for future real-world survey datasets.

When I feel most inspired

I listen to people’s stories and walk in nature.

A few of my favourite things

Drawing

Watching documentaries, films, anime

Hiking

Saeha Shin

Research Data Scientist

Educational background

I completed my Master of Public Health in Epidemiology at the University of Toronto.

A few of my favourite things

Ballet and yoga

Travelling

Pompi tiramisu

Trong Shen

Senior Data Scientist

Educational background

Nanotechnology Engineering for my Bachelors and Biomedical Engineering for my Masters. Simply put, I learned lots about materials science, fabrication, and bioengineering.

My past accomplishments

Used to work at a bank; know a thing or two about banking, finance, and investment

Used to do wet lab during my masters, research topic involves image analysis, cardiomyocytes, and drug testing

Has some experience in semiconductors and hybrid car design

When I feel most inspired

I work with great people

I feel like I am contributing to the greater good of an organization

A few of my favourite things

Singing (I did lots of a cappella singing in university)

Playing basketball

Delicious pastries (texture is very important, it needs to have a lot of layers)

Sudipta Saha

Research Data Scientist

Educational background

I completed my BSc from University of Toronto, specializing in Microbiology. I completed my Master of Science (SM) in Global Health and Population from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

My past accomplishments

My past experience has been a mix of microbiology, social epidemiology and urban policy work. Broadly, my interests have been in understanding how health disparities are shaped by broader economic and social structures. For my Master’s thesis I worked with the municipal health secretariat in Fortaleza Brazil, to investigate the spatio-temporal dynamics and socio-economic correlates of homicide risk across neighborhoods. Prior to joining GEMINI, I was an Urban Fellow at the City of Toronto, where I worked first on climate resilience, and then in emergency planning when the pandemic hit.

A few of my favourite things

Cooking! I like to plan elaborate meals and cook with friends for dinner parties. When there is no pandemic.

Long bike rides surrounded by ~ nature ~

Kieran Shah

Manager, Research Data Operations

Educational background

I completed a Master’s of Public Health at Boston University in Biostatistics. For my thesis, I was able to work with the National Emergency Data Set and used both supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques to better understand factors that affect emergency department length of stays.

My past accomplishments

Prior to joining GEMINI, I worked as a Statistician at the University of Guelph. I helped develop a forecast model to help future budgeting and enrolment planning at the University. I also worked with student services to develop models to help better understand student success.

Before I worked at the University of Guelph, I worked with Abt Associated in Boston. There, I helped construct research-ready datasets for the Department of Justice, and conducted analysis on Medicaid data to better understand access to mental health services.

When I feel most inspired

I’m working with great and friendly colleagues.

A few of my favourite things

Playing soccer (before the pandemic)

Running after my kids

Surain Roberts

Scientific Lead & Manager

Educational background

I completed my PhD at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto, and my bachelors in Biological Sciences at The University of Chicago.

My past accomplishments

I am an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. Prior to joining GEMINI, I co-led the creation of the Canadian Network for Autoimmune Liver disease (CaNAL). CaNAL is a pan-Canadian registry collecting both retrospective and prospective long-term follow-up of individual patient data. I also serve as a freelance consultant providing analytical and data science services. After my bachelors, I spent a year teaching, mentoring, and evaluating twelve students in a for-credit 9th grade algebra class in south Chicago.

When I feel most inspired

When I’m surrounded by people who are passionate about what they do.

A few of my favourite things

Playing 30-second online bullet chess (I can click faster than I can think)

Discovering new and interesting hot sauces

Afsaneh Raissi

Research Coordinator

Educational background

I have a BSc in Electrical Engineering and a BSc in Psychology.

My past accomplishments

Prior to joining the GEMINI in January 2020, I worked as a Research Assistant in the department of Psychiatry at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre for two years, where I managed the day-to-day operations of a mood-tracking application.

Phyllis Lam

Data Quality Analyst

Educational background

I received my bachelor of science from the University of Waterloo majoring in biotechnology and economics and my masters of bioinformatics from the University of Guelph.

My past accomplishments

During my masters, I had the opportunity to do research at a Toronto-based drug discovery company called Cyclica Inc. where I built a pipeline to detect and calculate statistical pathway enrichment based on proteome screening results. Prior to joining GEMINI, I worked at BMO Capital Markets as a technology analyst where I was a lead analyst on several projects like automating reconciliation between trading systems and regulatory reporting.

When I feel most inspired

I get to collaborate with people who are equally passionate about their work!

A few of my favourite things

Shopping at farmer’s markets and used bookstores

Playing board games with friends

Experimenting in the kitchen with a new recipe or trying a new restaurant

Kayley Marchena

Research Data Scientist

Educational background

I have a Bachelors in Physics from Queens University of Charlotte and Masters in Medical Biophysics from the University of Toronto.

My past accomplishments

My past research focused on applying novel neuroimaging techniques on a range of clinical and research cohorts to better understand cerebrovascular function. Essentially, getting people to breath in CO2 to tell us something about their brain’s “plumbing” system.

When I feel most inspired

I’m volunteering! I love spreading joy by helping others. ​

A few of my favourite things

Running with the Midnight Runners

Watching dry British comedies

Visiting Costa Rica

Anne Löffler

Senior Data Scientist

Educational background

PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience (University College London)

MSc in Neuroscience (McGill University)

BSc in Psychology (Humboldt University in Berlin)

My past accomplishments

Before joining GEMINI, I was a postdoctoral researcher in Cognitive Neuroscience at Columbia University. In my research, I investigated the dynamic brain mechanisms underlying decision-making in healthy and clinical populations, using a wide range of experimental and statistical approaches.

When I feel most inspired

I get to work with a great team of people, and together, try to tackle complex ‘real-world’ problems.

A few of my favourite things

Rock climbing

Camping/hiking

Board games

Bill Liu

Data Quality Analyst

Educational background

I completed my 2nd MSc majoring in Biostatistics at the University of Toronto in 2022.

I completed my 1st MSc majoring in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto in 2020.

I completed my HBSc double majoring in Biology and Philosophy at the University of Toronto in 2018.

My past accomplishments

I have had experience different fields such as philosophy, ecology, statistics, and public health

When I feel most inspired

I feel most inspired when I work with motivated individuals; there are so many things that I can learn from them.​

A few of my favourite things

Playing and listening to music

Lifting weights

Cooking and eating food