LAB MEMBERS

Dr. Anne Wheeler

Principal Investigator

Senior Scientist, SickKids Research Institute
Neurosciences and Mental Health Program
Associate Professor, University of Toronto
Physiology Department

Anne.Wheeler@SickKids.ca

Dr. Lisa Gazdzinski

Research Associate

Dr. Lisa Gazdzinski completed her PhD at the University of Western Ontario, where she studied the growth of brain tumours in mice using cellular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques. She then continued to focus on cancer and the effects of radiation treatment on brain development using MRI and other imaging techniques during a postdoctoral fellowship at the Mouse Imaging Centre at SickKids. She joined the BRANCH Lab in January 2016 as a research associate. Her work focuses on deepening our understanding of the effects of traumatic brain injury on neural networks and behaviour using mouse models and advanced MRI and histological methods.

Lisa.Gazdzinski@SickKids.ca

Jordan Mak

Clinical Research Coordinator

Jordan Mak completed his Honours BSc at the University of Toronto with a double major in Human Biology and Neuroscience.  He completed his MSc in the department of Physiology and Collaborative Program in Neuroscience, where his work explored how cognitive & physical enrichment impacted myelination and remote fear memory recall. Jordan’s current projects revolve around how myelin dynamics contribute to recovery following mTBI in mice.

Jordan.Mak@SickKids.ca

Maria Mazaharally

Clinical Research Coordinator

Maria Mazaharally completed her Honours Bachelor of Science with a double major in Neuroscience and Physiology and a Masters of Health Science in Medical Physiology at the University of Toronto. She also earned a Clinical Research Certificate at York University. Maria is currently a Clinical Research Coordinator working with Dr. Wheeler to support the TAY Concussion Sub-study at CAMH and C-PIP Study at SickKids.

Maria.Mazaharally@SickKids.ca

Shireen Parimoo

Bioinformatician

Shireen Parimoo completed her PhD at the University of Toronto in May 2023. Her research explored how the structural and functional properties of the human brain were altered over the course of the adult lifespan and how those contributed to age-related differences in cognitive functioning. Prior to that, she completed her Master’s at UofT where she used eye-tracking to examine age differences in visual attention and recognition memory. Shireen is currently a Bioinformatician at the Centre for Computational Medicine at SickKids and is working with Dr. Wheeler on the Canadian Pediatric Imaging Platform project, which aims to characterize brain development in children and adolescents. Outside of work, Shireen enjoys long-distance running and biking, bouldering, hiking/camping, creative writing, and hosting trivia and board game nights.

Shireen.Parimoo@SickKids.ca

Eman Nishat

Graduate Student

Eman Nishat completed her Honours BSc at the University of Toronto with a specialist in Neuroscience. She is a PhD candidate in the Department of Physiology and Collaborative Program in Neuroscience. Her work uses advanced neuroimaging techniques to investigate changes in white matter maturation following a childhood concussion, and the relationship with mental health. Outside of the lab, Eman is passionate about science communication and making scientific research accessible to the general public.

Eman.Nishat@SickKids.ca

Prashanth Velayudhan

Graduate Student

Prashanth Velayudhan completed his Honours Co-operative Chemistry BSc at the University of Waterloo. He is a PhD candidate in the Department of Physiology and Collaborative Program in Neuroscience. 

Prashanth.Velayudhan@SickKids.ca

Xi Zhou

Graduate Student

Xi Zhou completed her Honours BSc at the University of Toronto with a Psychology specialist and a Neuroscience major. She is a PhD candidate in the Department of Physiology. Her work is to identify specific brain circuits and mechanisms that contribute to anxiety-like behaviours after mild mTBI in a juvenile mice model.

Xi.Zhou@SickKids.ca

Vi Vo

Graduate Student

Vi completed her HBSc at the University of Toronto as a physiology specialist and psychology major. She is now a MHSc in Medical Physiology candidate in the Department of Physiology. At the BRANCH lab, Vi is conducting an in-depth Literature Review on the effects of environmental enrichment on white matter plasticity.

Vi.Vo@mail.utoronto.ca

Larry Afun

Undergraduate Student

Larry Afun completed his Honours BSc at the University of Toronto, majoring in Physiology and Immunology. He previously completed a project course (PSL498Y) and a research assistantship in the lab, where he leveraged and optimised an automated cell counting protocol for immunohistochemistry stains. His current work involves utilising this automated protocol to observe brain-wide changes in microglia distribution in juvenile mild traumatic brain injury models. In his free time, Larry enjoys reading philosophy, weightlifting, and poetry. 

Larry.Afun@mail.utoronto.ca

Alishba Afaq

Graduate Student

Alishba Afaq completed her HBSc at the University of Toronto with a double major in Neuroscience and Immunology, and minor in Biology. She previously worked as a clinical research project assistant under Dr. Wheeler to help launch the Canadian Pediatric Platform at SickKids, which aims to characterize pediatric neurodevelopment. Currently, she is a 1st year Master’s student in the Department of Physiology, examining how neuroinflammation and genetics affect white matter maturation and behaviour in pediatric concussion. Outside of the lab, Alishba enjoys drawing, gaming, and reading thriller books.

Alishba.Afaq@SickKids.ca

Sonja Stojanovski

Graduate Student

University of Toronto

Miranda Mellerup

Graduate Student

Tong (George) Wang

Project Student

University of Toronto