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Aida Ahrari
PGY2 – University of Toronto
Aida is a second year radiology resident at the University of Toronto. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Ottawa, before moving to Toronto to complete her medical school training and master’s in Healthcare Leadership and Innovation at the University of Toronto. In her spare time, she enjoys spinning, hiking, and being a cat mom. She is excited to be a part of this year’s CAIR RFS committee.
Jamal Ait ichou
PGY3 – McGill University
Jamal was part of the CAIR RFS team since its very beginnings and had the pleasure of co-organizing events aiming to promote the field of IR among Canadian trainees. He completed his medical degree at McGill university and is currently a radiology resident at the same institution. Jamal also pursued a MSc at UdeM, where he had the chance to work on a new embolizing gel for the treatment of varicose veins. In his free time, Jamal enjoys cooking and cycling, with a particular interest in hill climbing. He is looking forward to continue supporting resident-led educational and promotional events in the upcoming year!
Jaspreet Bajwa
PGY5 – University of Toronto
Jaspreet has been a member of the CAIR RFS for a couple of years and had the pleasure of being involved in the committee’s development and growth to what it is today. Jaspreet completed her medical degree in Ireland, and is currently a radiology resident at UofT. Next year, Jaspreet is looking forward to completing an IR fellowship at UofT. In her spare time, Jaspreet enjoys lifting weights, exploring Toronto and rewatching TV shows she’s already seen.
Helena Bentley
PGY3 – University of British Columbia
Dr. Bentley is a PGY-3 resident physician in diagnostic radiology at the University of British Columbia. She completed her MSc at McGill University and she is finishing her PhD at the same institution. Dr. Bentley previously served as the inaugural Chair of the Canadian Association of Radiologists Resident and Fellow Section Education Committee. She currently serves on the Radiographics Trainee Editorial Board. She is passionate about medical education, quality of care, health policy, and healthcare resource allocation. @RadiologyTweets
Ginger Chen
PGY4 – McMaster University
I am excited to join CAIR RFS this year and to work with trainees across the country who share my passion for IR. I completed my undergraduate and graduate degrees at Queen’s University before moving to the beautiful Sint Maarten to complete my medical training. I am currently a PGY4 Radiology resident at McMaster University. In my free time, you can find me dancing, paddle boarding, traveling, or walking my cats!
François Coulombe
PGY5 – Laval University
Originally from the beautiful Quebec City, I spent ten years studying Immunology at McGill University in Montreal and ended up with a PhD. I moved back to my hometown for medical school and quickly fell in love with IR at a discovery cocktail organized by the CAIR. I am now enrolled in the IR residency program at Laval University. I am deeply involved in research and I truly believe that our field needs, more than ever, solid research in order to be better recognized. Beside work, I love spending time with my wife and two daughters, traveling and working on electronic music. I have been Dj-ing for almost 20 years!
Bo Yi Dou
PGY2 – University of Sherbrooke
This is my first year with the CAIR RFS and I am excited to be part of resident led interest group. I completed my medical training at the University of Sherbrooke, and have a strong interest in mentoring and in research. By producing educative contents, designing our website and organizing CAIR events, I hope to help bring the field of IR closer to radiology residents and medical students.
Olivier Houle
PGY1 – Université Laval
This my first year with the CAIR RFS and I am thrilled to join this team of motivated residents. I completed my medical training at the University of Sherbrooke delocalized campus in Saguenay. Throughout the year, I want to learn more about this innovative medical field and share my passion with other students. I hope our collaborative effort will make interventional radiology shine even more!
Kevin Shixiao He, Past RFS Chair
Fellow – University of Toronto
Kevin is the past chair of the CAIR RFS, which he founded in 2020 with the hope of building a community of trainees with the same shared passion for the little known specialty called IR. He completed his residency at McGill, a first fellowship in Abdominal Imaging and Intervention at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and is currently completing his second (and last!) fellowship in Vascular/Interventional Radiology at the University of Toronto’s UHN and Mount Sinai Hospital. He hopes to continue helping the RFS grow and to mentor the next generation of trainees on their road to IR. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, which his friends enjoy even more, and motorcycling, which some of his colleagues lowkey disapprove. Feel free to reach out for anything!
Francine Heelan
PGY3 – Dalhousie University
Francine completed her undergraduate degree in Biology at Acadia and subsequently worked at ABK Biomedical Inc. alongside Dr. Robert Abraham in developing radiopaque embolic particles. She then completed her medical training at the University of Ottawa and returned to the east coast for residency at Dalhousie University in Diagnostic Radiology. As a returning member of the CAIR RFS she is excited to return and assist in planning events and hosting initiatives that bolster resident interest in IR! Outside of medicine, she loves to spend time chasing her manic shelties along the beaches of Nova Scotia.
Andrew Kiraly
PGY3 – University of Calgary
The first time I was exposed to IR was over 10 years ago when I was working as a care aid in the ER and I helped transfer a patient to the suite. To this day, I still think IR is magic. This is my first year being involved with the CAIR RFS, and I’m excited for the opportunity. Before radiology residency, I studied medicine at UBC, completed degrees in Biomedical Studies with a minor in First Nations studies, a Bachelors of Nursing, and worked as a paramedic. I’m passionate about building strong interdisciplinary ties between radiology and other clinical specialties, and feel that IR is a perfect balance of both. While not dreaming about wires and catheters, I’m lucky enough to be the dad of two amazing girls, and the husband to a rockstar GP.
Vladimir Ljubojevic
PGY3 – University of Saskatchewan
Dr. Vlad (like Dr. Phil, but it’s Vlad) is a 3rd year radiology resident at University of Saskatchewan, keen on learning about important things in life, such as radiology, NBA, and cheesecakes. Vlad is originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he has been running a moderately successful beekeeping side hustle for 10+ years, and has arrived to Saskatchewan after finishing the University of Toronto medical school. Vlad’s particular passions are the fields of interventional radiology as well as teaching/mentoring the junior medical learners.
Jorden Lo
PGY1 – University of Western Ontario
Jorden is a new diagnostic radiology resident joining University of Western Ontario. Born in Taipei, Taiwan but raised in Vancouver, Jorden completed both of his undergraduate training and medical school training at the University of British Columbia. In his free time, Jorden enjoys being physically active and playing sports such as Spikeball, golf, and hiking in the warmer months and snowboarding in colder months. Besides being active, Jorden also enjoys geeking out over the latest technology gadgets, software and AI. Being so passionate about technology was one of the main drivers that attracted Jorden to radiology.
Killian Newman
PGY5 – University of Calgary
It’s been my pleasure to be involved with the CAIR RFS for the past couple years in both participant and administrative roles. I look forward to continuing to bolster resident led educational activities such as the Virtual Angio Club which brought together staff and trainees from around the country for valuable discussion.
Bilal Qarni
PGY3 – University of Ottawa
Bilal is a PGY3 resident at the University of Ottawa and first year with the CAIR RFS. He was born in Pakistan, moved to the islands of American Samao, hopped on another plane to new jersey, bounced over to Newfoundland and then his family finally made their mind and settled in Edmonton, Alberta. Just kidding, he then moved to Limerick, Ireland where he completed his Medical School training and now happily living in Ottawa. He is quite passionate about radiology, especially the opportunity to help both physician and patients in a humbling way. Besides medicine, he is a massive gamer, loves to try all things food and drink, and exploring the world around him. He is excited to learn more of the interventional side and use his communication and networking skills to share amongst our medical community.
Sebastien Robert
PGY4 – Western University
As a first time member of the CAIR RFS, I greatly look forward to learning from all the tremendous representatives from across the country! My primary objective is to play a more direct role in the advocacy and growth of the ever expanding field of Interventional Radiology. Through the creation of high quality educational material, in conjunction with the expansion of social/networking initiatives, I hope to help further bring to light all that IR has to offer. The future of CAIR is bright, and I am happy to be a part of it.
Chaitanya Shah
PGY3 – University of Calgary
Chaitanya is currently a third year resident in the diagnostic radiology program at the University of Calgary. He completed his Bachelors of Health Sciences degree with a major in Biomedical Sciences and medical school at the University of Calgary! Any spare time is usually spent in the Kananaskis Country or Banff National Park hiking, kayaking and snowshoeing!
Hilary Strong
PGY2 – Memorial University of Newfoundland
Hilary completed both her Bachelor of Science Honors degree and medical degree at Memorial University. As a proud East Coaster, she is excited to continue pursuing her postgraduate training at home. In addition to medicine, her main passions include spending quality time with family/friends, playing basketball and tennis, and traveling. During her undergraduate degree, she enjoyed competing and traveling on Memorial University’s Varsity Tennis team. She is passionate about exploring, expanding, and contributing to Interventional Radiology learning opportunities as Memorial’s CAIR representative this year!
Alanna Supersad – RFS Chair
PGY4 – University of Alberta
This is my first year with the CAIR RFS, and I am excited to work with motivated, like-minded trainees from across the country. I have a particular interest in resident and trainee wellness as well as mentorship and am looking forward to working with the group to create some new initiatives in the coming year. We are looking forward to repeating the successful events that were put on last year and we are also excited to plan some new events and work on new initiatives in the coming year. Stay tuned for upcoming RFS events. If you would like to get involved please don’t hesitate to reach out at rfschair@cairweb.ca
Philip Surmanowicz
PGY2 – University of Saskatchewan
Philip is originally from Calgary, completed his medical school training in Edmonton, and is now a second year radiology resident at the University of Saskatchewan. Prioritizing balance, Phil enjoys weight lifting, running, and watching shows or playing games with his friends outside of work. He hopes to learn more about interventional radiology through his involvement with the CAIR RFS and for the opportunity to benefit his colleagues and junior learners.
Cyrus Thomas
PGY4 – Queen’s University
Cyrus was originally born in Singapore but spent most of his life growing up in the Greater Toronto Area. He previously studied Kinesiology at McMaster University and decided to move across the country to complete his medical degree at the University of British Columbia. Cyrus then decided to return to Ontario to pursue Diagnostic Radiology at Queen’s University and is currently in his 4th year. He has a strong background and interest in medical education and has been actively involved with the rollout of Competency By Design in radiology residency programs nationwide. In his (dramatically reduced) free time, Cyrus enjoys hiking, skiing, pretending to be a barista and showcasing his musical talents on the saxophone at a pool party near you.