Vancouver RIOT

Ailsa Sirois is a Registered Nurse, PhD student at the University of British Columbia, and member of the Aging, Cancer Care, and Support (ACCESS) Research Lab. She is a recipient of the Research Training Award from the Canadian Cancer Society. Ailsa's research focuses on healthy aging, quality of life, and frailty among older adults living with and beyond cancer, and she is passionate about partnering in research with people with lived experience. 

Karan Parekh is a PhD student specializing in prostate cancer research, with a focus on circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), a minimally invasive blood-based biomarker for disease detection, monitoring, and treatment response. Beyond his research, he is a medical illustrator and the founder of Parekh BioSketch, where he merges scientific expertise with a passion for visual storytelling. Through compelling and informative illustrations, Karan enhances research communication, making complex biomedical concepts more accessible to diverse audiences. 

Jamie Kwon is an MSc student in the Prisman Lab and Garnis Lab at the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on the clinical applications of technology in head and neck cancer. She is passionate about scientific outreach and hopes to engage with diverse audiences to increase awareness of cancer and cancer research, and share current advances in the research community.

Mikayla Mbogga is an undergraduate Health Science student. Mikayla previously volunteered with a disability advocacy company and with the Canadian Blood Services. She hopes to become a radiation therapist and contribute to advancing cancer treatment and research!