Student Council Members 2022 – 2023

Morgan Hiebert – President

Hello! My name is Morgan and I am serving as Student Council President for 2022-2023. To introduce myself briefly, I am a second year MSc. student completing my program under the co-supervision of Drs. Meenu Sharma and Hafid Soualhine within the National Reference Centre for Mycobacteriology at the CSCHAH/NML. I completed my HBSc in Microbiology here at the University of Manitoba, where I became involved in peer mentoring through the International Centre and Science Co-op. In my spare time, I enjoy hiking and camping with friends and family.  served as treasurer of the University of Manitoba Parks Canada Campus Club during my undergraduate years.

In my first year at MMID, I observed the breadth and quality of research powered by MMID students, as well as your strong leadership and integrity. Passionate about upholding these principles, I strive to advocate for fair and just representation of students while facilitating transparent communication between the university and students. Your Student Council is committed to serve students through providing opportunities for volunteering, professional growth and development, as well as support for students wherever we are able. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any concerns, comments, or suggestions you have for the 2022-23 year.

Ryan Ha – Vice-President | MMID HSGSA Councilor

Hello! I’m Ryan and I am the MMIDSC Vice President for the upcoming academic year (2022-2023). I am a second-year MSc. student under the supervision of Dr. Zulma Rueda and Dr. Yoav Keynan. For my project, I am studying the impact that Legionella infections have on our lungs.

Prior to grad studies, I did my BSc. here at the UofM, where I majored in Biochemistry and participated in the co-op program. In undergrad, I had participated in a few science outreach programs under Let’s Talk Science and with the UofM Department of Chemistry. So far in grad school, I have participated in 3MT, in which I was a finalist, and the UM Undergraduate Microbiology Student Council’s mentoring program.Moving forward, I would like to improve the experience of graduate students in MMID by bridging the gap between students and the university to help provide students with the things that they need. In addition to these things, this year I would like to arrange for more group activities to be held whether it’s through volunteering, sports, or movies, as we begin to transition out of the COVID-19 pandemic (with caution, of course).

Rose Chan – Treasurer

My name is Rose Chan and I am the MMID student council treasurer for the 2022-2023 academic year. I am in my last year of MSc, completing my thesis on nucleic acid based diagnostics and therapeutics of SARS-CoV-2 hopefully by Summer 2023. My supervisor is Dr. Darwyn Kobasa at the NML Special Pathogens department. I enjoy playing and listening to music, writing and running tabletop games, reading, and volunteering. 

I completed my HBSc in Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto. During my undergraduate years, I volunteered in Toronto hospitals as student clinical support and patient ambassador. I served as Vice President of a UofT student debate club, participated and organised inter-university debate competitions and events throughout my 4 year of undergrad studies. As a UM graduate student, I signed up as a graduate student mentor for the UM undergraduate Microbiology Student Council (MiSC) mentoring program. I am currently volunteering in a Winnipeg-based emergency homeless shelter, hoping to contribute to the community and neighbourhood that I am a part of.

The pandemic had limited my access to my research initially, which also impacted in-person collaborations and interactions. I wish to serve and support my fellow MMID graduate students as a member of the MMID student council by providing more volunteering and collaboration opportunities, as well as facilitating communication between the university and students. As a part of the MMID student body, I wanted to contribute and be a part of the change I want to see in my own community before I complete my degree. Please don’t hesitate to send me an email, message me on Slack, or talk to me in person if you have any concerns, suggestions or comments! I’m always happy to discuss and to help however I can.