2024 FHS Undergraduate Awards

Megan Obermayer: FHS Award for Outstanding Service to the Faculty of Health Sciences

Throughout her undergraduate degree, Megan Obermayer was involved in various aspects of the health sciences community, including volunteering with the Health Sciences Undergraduate Journal and the FHS Peer Mentorship Program. One of her most memorable experiences was creating the SFU Lung Health Initiative; in this club, she collaborated with other like-minded SFU students, learned from influential community members, and raised awareness and research funds for lung diseases. Another highlight of her time at SFU was partaking in the Health Sciences Co-op Program where she helped manage clinical research studies investigating colorectal diseases at St. Paul’s Hospital.

Outside of SFU, Obermayer volunteers as the Program Coordinator for Girls to the Power of Math, a non-profit organization that focuses on improving math confidence in elementary school girls and gender-diverse individuals. Within this position, she works to enhance Girls to the Power of Math by helping bring the program to new schools and community centers throughout British Columbia. 

Obermayer also volunteers in the Emergency Department at Chilliwack General Hospital where she helps ease patient concerns by providing comfort items and answering questions regarding the delivery of emergency care. Within this role, she enjoys speaking with patients and learning about their experiences accessing the Canadian healthcare system.

For FHS students who are still completing their studies, Obermayer’s advice is to be courageous and accept new opportunities, even those that initially appear daunting or challenging, as it is through these experiences that you will likely witness the most personal growth. She also recommends setting boundaries for yourself, recognizing your limits, and prioritizing self-care.

Evan Barad: FHS Award for Extraordinary Achievement

The most memorable part of Evan Barad’s undergraduate experience was completing and defending his honours thesis, and having opportunity to perform research with the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE). Barad has gained valuable skills in a clinical environment and his research contributions have led to co-authorship on five published peer-reviewed papers. After nine months of research on his own study topic, he successfully defended his honours thesis. Barad is extremely grateful for the mentorship and important relationships he has forged with FHS professors and staff during his undergrad.

After completing his honours thesis, Barad remained with the BC-CfE as a research assistant. He is helping generate and analyze data used for current HIV clinical study in addition to multiple research projects and publications. He is also passionate about cancer research. Having been close with multiple cancer survivors, Barad volunteers with the Terry Fox Run, with the hope to one day to find a cure. He values the importance of the work he is involved with and the opportunity to give back.

Barad recommends introducing yourself to professors and faculty. "The faculty members in FHS are very knowledgeable and genuinely care about their study topic and the students they teach," he says. "If you are ever having difficulties, do not hesitate to reach out. Fostering these relationships can lead to invaluable mentorship which can lead to other opportunities and guidance."

Jeannine Ho: FHS Award for Extraordinary Achievement

Attending SFU on a Major Entrance Scholarship, Jeannine Ho always had an aptitude for learning. Her most memorable moments were travelling to Cortes Island during an experiential learning course. There, she applied Ecohealth research methods and met with Chief Jessie from the Klahoose First Nations to address rural health inequities. Completing an honours thesis under Dr. Stuart Peacock, and also working under Dr. William Small, she thanks them for their mentorship during her undergraduate studies. She also studied the barriers to cervical cancer screening in ethnic minorities. 

Ho was the President of the Blood, Organ, and Stem Cell Club, where she worked jointly with Canadian Blood Services to facilitate on-campus blood donation clinics, stem cell drives, and raise awareness on organ donation. She contributed most of her time outside of her studies volunteering with their organization because of her personal devotion to advocating for patients with cancer and rare blood disorders.

She advises students to actively reflect on the contributions they wish to make in society. Ho encourages students to stay true to their values and choose the more difficult and uncertain path. Change is inevitable in life, so she believes it is important to practice resilience in the face of adversity and being proud of your journey.

Raven Arly Gonzales: FHS Award for Outstanding Community Service

Raven Arly Gonzales valued connection and interaction with other individuals, thus he joined multiple clubs to meet more people. He most remembers his time as actively participating in helping organize club events. Unknowingly, Gonzales met lifelong friendships and connections that became integral to his personal growth. He cherishes hosting events and witnessing the impact it had on himself, and others around him.

Gonzales transferred his acquired knowledge from clubs and co-founded a mental wellness program known as Let’s Be Real alongside a fellow HSCI peer. This program helps encourage authenticity and discovery surrounding the roles of students. They built a team of 10 people and organizes events throughout the year. He enjoys the connections he makes as a result of collaborating with one another.

Gonzales encourages other undergraduates to make time for other parts of their lives, including family, friends, hobbies, and personal interests. "It is important to stay present and enjoy the journey, as these are the moments one could look back on," he says. "Your undergraduate experience will be over faster than you realize, so might as well do it at your own pace."

Sarah Chae: FHS Award for Citizenship and Exemplary Academic Performance

Sarah Chae’s time at SFU was enriched by an eclectic combination of academic and extracurricular experiences. These included successfully defending her honours thesis with BC Cancer on the effectiveness of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping design a novel planetary health education curriculum for medical schools, and organizing health promotion initiatives as a leader of the Student Health Advisory Committee. Through these experiences, Chae began to appreciate the growth that comes from learning outside her comfort zone.

Outside of SFU, Chae is currently a Research Assistant in the Cancer Control Research department at BC Cancer, where she is embracing her identity as an emerging researcher in cancer care. Since joining BC Cancer, she has gained a deeper understanding of the impact supportive care has to enhance the patient experience after cancer treatment. Chae also serves as a Patient Partner at Fraser Health Authority. As a Patient Partner, Chae is committed to advancing the principles of person-centred care to create more inclusive and equitable health care system for all.

Chae advises undergraduate students not to let the fear of failure stop them of pursuing their ambitions. Rather, embrace the learning that comes from failure as a part of achieving your goals.

Nazafarin Esfandiari: FHS Award for Citizenship and Exemplary Academic Performance

Nazafarin Esfandiari's most rewarding undergraduate experiences were her co-op position at SFU Health & Counselling Services - coordinating a student group focused on destigmatizing mental health and mental illness and and acting as the health communications assistant - and the research experience she gained through her honours project - studying the impact of secondary health conditions on the quality of life and wellbeing of individuals living with spinal cord injury - under the supervision of Dr. David Whitehurst. These experiences allowed her to challenge herself by taking on opportunities that required her to apply knowledge to professional and academic settings, receive invaluable mentorship, and explore her potential future pathway.

Outside of SFU (and FIC), Esfandiari is involved with the BC Division of the Canadian Mental Health Association as a member of the Healthy Minds | Healthy Campuses Leadership Committee. In this role, alongside other representatives from post-secondary institutions across BC, she provided input on proposed community activities aimed at promoting wellbeing related to mental health and substance use on BC campuses. She has always been passionate about advocating for students’ mental health and wellbeing, particularly for international students like herself, and being able to do so is what she loves the most about this involvement.

Additionally, she will join the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC to pursue an MSc degree focused on health economics and outcomes research in the Fall. Esfandiari looks forward to gaining more knowledge and research experience in this area to complement my very rewarding undergraduate experience.

She advices students to keep in mind that learning is not a linear pathway. "Your time as an undergraduate student is the best opportunity to explore your interests, find your passion, and most importantly, build connections," she explains. "Take on opportunities that come your way, regardless of whether they are professional, academic, or volunteer work. The skills you gain through these experiences will help you in ways that you would not expect. Finally, you are at the beginning of a long journey and are not supposed to have all the answers, so do not be afraid of ‘not knowing’ and asking questions, this is part of the learning process."

Jody Tao: FHS Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement, BSc Program

Jody Tao’s favourite experience was doing research at SFU. She worked as a research assistant in the Forde Lab where she studied collagen, the most abundant protein in the human body! Here, she collaborated with industry leaders, developed new protocols, taught others how to run experiments, and met amazing researchers. Tao enjoyed travelling with her group members to Calgary for a national conference, where she won a best poster award.

Tao was the Vice-President of Phi Delta Epsilon and a peer tutor at SFU. Outside of SFU, she volunteered at the Royal Columbian Hospital in the renal clinic and has been a piano teacher for the past 7 years. She enjoys fostering a passion towards music in her students and helping them become life-long musicians.

Tao encourages students to take courses unrelated to or outside their degree. Taking a variety of classes is a great way to explore areas of interest and can lead to incredible opportunities! Some of her favourite courses were physics and computer science. Here, she connected with peers from different backgrounds and gained additional skills that create a well-rounded education. 

Claire Wilson: FHS Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement, BA Program

Claire Wilson’s most memorable undergraduate experience was the opportunity to apply and build upon her academic knowledge in real-world settings. In a co-op work placement with the Injury Prevention and Mobility Laboratory, she discovered her passion for research while leading a mixed methods study about falls among older adults and wearable fall-injury prevention technology. Wilson enjoyed collaborating with students, health practitioners, researchers, community members, and industry personnel.

Outside of her studies, Wilson has a passion for volunteering within her community and exploring the outdoors while mountain biking, snowboarding, and hiking. While volunteering at an Infant and Toddler Immunization Clinic, she loved interacting with young children while supporting the nurses and operating the clinic.

Wilson advises FHS undergraduates to thoroughly explore every opportunity presented, through your professors, FHS emails, or Co-op. Applying academic knowledge in real-world settings is invaluable and facilitates great connections with peers and mentors. She also encourages students to explore a wide range of topics and courses that interest them within the FHS and other faculties. Wilson enjoyed her minor in Kinesiology and classes about Sociology of Sport, Gerontology, and Global Health.