SYPN Executive Committee

Member Engagement co-leads 

Mishail Bhatia

Mishail graduated from the Master of Public Health Program at Western University. Mishail has a long-standing interest in pursuing a career working in global health policy and is very excited for the opportunity to broaden her skill set and competencies as a new public health professional while collaborating with team members on the SYPN Executive Committee.

Hannah Dawson

Hannah recently graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science with a Master's in Global Health Policy. Prior to her Master's degree, Hannah worked with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Canada, volunteered with the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network, and completed an undergraduate degree in International Development from McGill University. 

Education and Professional Development co-leads 

Lis Huang

Lis is excited to support students and young professionals in their education and professional development. She is passionate about collaborating with others to address systemic issues to foster a more inclusive, sustainable, and just future. In her spare time, she enjoys cycling, fostering positive relationships with plants, and baking.

Matt Jalink

Matt is an epidemiologist situated in Kingston, Ontario where he is studying for his PhD in Epidemiology at Queen’s University. Recently, Matt has worked as the Queen’s Global Oncology Program Manager managing their global cancer portfolio and served as an epidemiologist with the Aga Khan Health Services, Tanzania coordinating a multi-million-euro grant. Matt is an active rock climber player who also has a love of languages varying levels of English, French, and Swahili.

Event Planning co-leads 

Satveer Dhillon

Satveer is a Health Studies undergraduate student in the Faculty of Health at the University of Waterloo. Previously, she has been a Research Assistant in health geography and has worked with ROTOM, a non-profit organization focusing on seniors and their dependents in Uganda and Ethiopia. Satveer also had the opportunity to work with the Region of Peel’s Health Services division through various co-op placements.

Esther Kim

Esther Kim is a settler of Korean descent, born and raised in British Columbia. She is currently a student in the Master of Public Health program at the University of Toronto, with specializations in Indigenous Health and Environment & Health. She also has a BASc in Cognitive Science and Health Geography from McGill University. Esther is passionate about community-based research and working together to develop culturally safe healthcare systems. When she is away from the computer, she enjoys reading, going on walks, and playing the piano.

Mentorship

Alex Kwok

Alex Kwok, MSc., is a global health and clinical researcher committed to achieving health equity, access to health services, care, and prevention in the NCD space. Previously, he worked at Arthritis Research Canada, where his research helped evaluate an online self-management program to support people with inflammatory forms of arthritis in maintaining employment. He is actively involved in non-communicable diseases advocacy through his engagement with NCD Child as a member of the Young Leaders Programme with a focus on ensuring meaningful involvement of people living with NCDs. Alex is also on the steering committee of NCD Labs, an initiative of WHO to accelerate the NCD agenda through incubating grass root projects. In 2022, Alex was recognized as a Young Health Scholar as Part of the One Young World conference supported by a scholarship offered by AstraZeneca. Alex is now completing a computer science program at the University of British Columbia and is excited to explore digital health as a driver for health equity.

Sebastian van Gilst

Sebastian van Gilst is a dedicated global public health professional with a strong background in health systems governance. He holds a Master of Public Health and is currently working for Peel Public Health, concentrating on the Housing & Health portfolio. Prior to this, Sebastian served as a Technical Officer of Health Systems Governance for the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Egypt for three years. With previous experience at both Peel Public Health and Niagara Public Health, Sebastian has developed a deep understanding of regional and local public health dynamics in Ontario. He also gained valuable global health experience as a Programme Management Officer intern for the Western Pacific Regional Office of WHO in the Philippines.