Sonika Kumari (she/her)
President
Sonika is in her final year of specialized honours psychology program. She has been volunteering with Brainwaves Association since 2018 and enjoys spreading awareness and educating children. Sonika is passionate about increasing mental health awareness within a pediatric population. She also currently works at SickKids Hospital in the Neuroscience research department. Sonika hopes to create awareness about the Brainwaves Association at York as she believes it is a truly important cause that needs more attention.
Ashish Srikanth (he/him)
Vice President
Ashish is in his final year of the specialized honours cognitive science program. Discovering the Brain Waves Association back in 2017, Ashish was immediately on board with the organization’s mission to spread knowledge about neuroscience and brain injury prevention to students across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). As the Vice President for the 2021-2022 year, with academic interests relating to the study of sensory systems, Ashish looks forward to continuing to push forward the group’s cause to translate scientific concepts and safety precautions for young audiences while sharing his appreciation for all that our brains can do.
Angela Angelucci (she/her)
Secretary
Angela is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science and wishes to enter veterinary medicine and obtain a degree in fish medicine. After losing her grandmother to Alzheimer’s disease a year ago, she’s been interested in learning about the pathology of various neurological disorders and brain diseases, especially those of Alzheimer’s and dementia.
As a person who always believed that bonds and interactions between animals and humans mutually benefit and heal each other, her interest lies in Animal Assisted Therapy, a method of therapeutic intervention involving service animals to achieve various health benefits. Extensive research suggests that Animal Assisted Therapy provides calming effects and assists in pain management for terminally ill patients. Some studies even show that such interaction with animals slows down the progression of dementia, as patients recall their memories of owning pets or similar interactions with animals they had in the past. As well as patients, many animals benefit from AAT as they would find a permanent home where they have access to clean water, food, healthcare, and lots of pets and cuddles!
This is her first year with the Brainwaves Association and she is very much looking forward to learning about and educating peers and children about neuroscience. Also, feel free to ask her about her fishes! At any given moment, she’s ready to go on an endless TedTalk about just how lovely and amazing they are.
Anna Waisman (she/her)
Founder & Advisor
Anna is currently a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology program at York University, specializing in Neuropsychology and conducting research on autobiographical memory processes in chronic pain and patients undergoing major surgery. Anna first got involved with Brain Waves as a volunteer presenter during her first year as an undergrad. Upon seeing the positive impact and excitement that the workshops evoked for both students and volunteers, she decided to found the York University chapter. Anna is very excited to spend this year raising awareness brain and spinal cord injury prevention to children and students on campus and to continue to see the chapter grow!
Manvir Dhanday (he/him)
Director of Finances
Manvir is in his third year of the Bachelors of Business Administration program at the Schulich School of Business. This is his first year as a part of the Brain Waves Association. Manvir’s interests lie in finance, accounting, sports, and psychology. From a young age, he was intrigued by contact sports such as football and MMA. Over time, his love of sports led him to become interested in how the brains of athletes are impacted by consistent contact to the head. This eventually resulted in him wanting to create awareness about brain injuries and their impact. His interest in finance and creating awareness about brain injuries intersected perfectly with the Director of Finance role and what the Brain Waves Association represents. As a result, he was extremely excited to join the Brain Waves Association’s executive team. Manvir looks forward to an awesome year with the Brain Waves Association!
Shanice Ebanks (she/her)
Director of Events
Shanice has graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Honours Psychology with a focus on neuroscience. She has previously worked with Brain Waves Association as a presenter and has been in various research positions at the university. Shanice was originally in the Specialized Kinesiology& Health Science program and has a remarkable story of how her Christian faith led her into neuroscience, which she hopes to continue. She has even graduated as a Member of the Dean’s Honour Roll List and in her last year she averaged a GPA of 8.5/9. Shanice is delighted to work as the Director of Events at Brain Waves to deliver educational workshops about brain and spinal cord injury prevention to the public.
Rozhan Khalajzadeh (she/her)
Volunteer Coordinator
Rozhan is in her fourth year of undergraduate studies in Kinesiology and Health Sciences with an aspiration to enter the medical field. Although medicine greatly focuses on managing diseases, Rozhan believes that disease prevention and health promotion are just as important in order to lead healthy lives and have a healthy society. Holding this belief makes her deeply resonate with the Brain Waves association’s goal of teaching elementary students about neurophysiology, brain injuries like concussions, and the importance of wearing a helmet as an injury preventive measure.
Nezha Ahsan (she/her)
Director of Media
Nezha is in her final year of a Specialized Honours degree in Kinesiology with a minor in Psychology. This is her second year volunteering with BrainWaves and she is keen to continue educating kids about the workings of the brain and injury prevention! Nezha currently works in the Mental Health Department at Toronto Western Hospital as a research assistant. She is interested in promoting the importance of mental health in young people. Nezha is looking forward to working with the BrainWaves team to ensure that elementary students across the GTA are educated about the brain!
Arhum Ahmed (she/her)
Social Media Manager
Arhum is in her fourth year of her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She loves reading and studying the brain and neuroscience. She loves learning about both the social and science aspects of the brain and how it interacts with the world. In her spare time she enjoys reading fiction novels, listening to science and true crime podcasts, and cooking. She plans on finding a career that includes both her interests in law and the healthcare field. Being a part of the Brain Waves Association she hopes to learn more about the brain while teaching others.
Aarushi Pradhan (she/her)
Social Media Manager
Aarushi is in her third year of the Bachelors of Sciences -Specialized Honours Psychology program . She is passionate about advocating for mental health amongst individuals from all walks of life ! Academically Aarushi's interests lie in psychopathology , abnormal patterns in behaviour and the biological basis of behaviour. Aarushi hopes to work in the field of clinical psychology further on. She also has previous experience working with children and very much enjoys interacting with them.This is her first year with BrainWaves and she is looking forward to meeting new people , educating individuals about brain injuries and prevention as well as learning more about the brain and consequences of brain injuries along the way.
Anya Sharma (she/her)
Social Media Manager
Anya is a 4th year undergraduate student pursuing a major/minor in Psychology and Political Science. Her interests include working with her hands doing things such as woodworking, cross-stitching and knitting. She aspires to be working in the medical field one day. She holds a particular interest in all things neuroscience. She works as a researcher at York University in the Elder Lab. This is her first year being a part of the Brain Waves Association. She hopes to educate kids about the prevention of brain injuries and spark their interest in neuroscience.
Guadalupe Urquia (she/her)
Social Media Manager
Guadalupe is a second year honours psychology student who found an interest in health psychology. She’s interested in learning more about the issues of brain injuries (such as how they can cause memory or mental problems), & the ways to prevent these injuries (especially in kids, since their brains are still developing). Guadalupe is also interested in applying for the York-Seneca Rehabilitation Services Certificate Program. This is her first year working with Brain Waves, and she can’t wait to meet new people and to learn more about the brain & how brain injuries can have long term consequences.
