2025 MedEd Conference

Featured Speakers:

Dr. Fariba Mohtashami

Dr. Fariba Mohtashami is a distinguished Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgeon at St. Paul’s Hospital, where she leads as the Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. At the University of British Columbia, she is a Clinical Professor and the Head of the Division of General Obstetrics and Gynecology.

A dedicated advocate for gender equality, Dr. Mohtashami is particularly committed to addressing disparities within the healthcare system. As a female surgeon operating on persons with a uterus, she actively challenges double standards and harmful gender stereotypes that fuel misogyny in medicine and sexism in surgery. Her advocacy focuses on ensuring equitable access to healthcare resources and closing the gender pain gap, striving for fairness and dignity in patient care and professional representation.

Dr. Nicholas Tong

Dr. Nicholas Tong BHSc, DDS, MSc, FSCD, FACD is an Assistant Professor of Teaching at the UBC Faculty of Dentistry in the Division of Prosthodontics and Dental Geriatrics. He is the Program Director for the UBC General Practice Residency. Dr. Tong graduated with BHSc degree from McMaster University, a DDS degree from the University of Toronto, a GPR certificate from the University of Alberta Hospital, and a MSc (Craniofacial Science) degree from UBC.

He is a staff dentist with the UBC Geriatric Dentistry Program, treating frail and functionally dependent patients in Long-Term Care. Dr. Tong is Chair of the Geriatric Dentistry Committee with the British Columbia Dental Association, a Fellow with the Special Care Dentistry Association and American College of Dentists, and a Director at Large with the American Society for Geriatric Dentistry. 

Dr. Geoffrey Blair

Dr. Geoffrey Blair is a retired Pediatric Surgeon who, for more than 30 years worked at British Columbia Children’s Hospital where he was the Surgeon-in-Chief from 2001 to 2010. Currently, a UBC Clinical Professor Emeritus, he teaches Surgery at the medical school. His many leadership roles include Pediatric Surgery Training Program Director, Chair of the Royal College Pediatric Surgery Council, President of the Canadian Association of Pediatric Surgeons, and Specialist Forum Chair at the Canadian Medical Association.

Dr. Blair has worked in Uganda intermittently for years helping to train surgeons in that country and currently leads national medical education research projects. He has been awarded provincial, national and international awards for his work as a surgical teacher and mentor to many. As an advocate for environmental protections and especially with concerns for the welfare of all children, he has helped to inject climate health issues into the school’s curriculum.

Dr. Ali Sadeghi

D.M.D., M.D., F.R.C.D.(C)

Certified Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon

Dr. Sadeghi received his Doctor of Dental Medicine from the University of British Columbia in 2000 and his Doctor of Medicine from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City in 2005. He completed his internship, residency, and chief residency at the Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Dr. Sadeghi’s surgical skills encompass the entire scope of treatment options for patients with congenital, acquired, or traumatic problems of the oral cavity, maxillofacial skeleton, and associated structures. His skills include the repair of all facial fractures, orthognathic jaw surgery, dental and craniofacial implants and associated bone grafting, maxillofacial pathology, and temporomandibular joint disorders.

Dr. Sadeghi is a Fellow of the Royal College of Dentists of Canada and a member of the B.C. and Canadian Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. An enthusiastic educator, he is an associate clinical professor in the dentistry program at UBC, where he was awarded the part-time teaching award in 2010. He is the Department Head of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Lions Gate Hospital. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, and fishing. 

Panelists:

Helia Jafari

Helia Jafari is a dental student at the University of British Columbia, pursuing a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree since September 2023. She graduated with distinction from UBC in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Cell and Developmental Biology, completing both the Honours program and Co-op.

Before dentistry, Helia gained diverse research experience at institutions including the National Cancer Institute, BC Cancer Agency, and UBC’s Faculty of Dentistry. Her work spanned areas such as gynecologic oncology, gastrointestinal oncology, and oral brush cytology, contributing to multiple publications and presentations.

Outside of academics, Helia enjoys traveling, baking cakes, and binge-watching TV shows!

Philip Edgcumbe

Dr. Philip Edgcumbe (BASC, MD, PhD) is a UBC radiology resident. He will be doing a clinical rotation at LGH radiology from April 7th to May 3rd, 2025. Outside of clinical medicine, he has interests in entrepreneurship and biomedical engineering.

Philip is the co-founder and CEO of MAP Medicine. At MAP Medicine, our goal is to make surgeries and radiology procedures safer and faster. We enable surgeons and radiologists see into the patient before they cut into or biopsy them. We do this by developing software for the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3 head-mounted displays. Our software creates a mixed-reality environments where doctors can overlay cross-sectional imaging information directly onto the patient .

Philip was previously the co-founder and board member of the Collective Open Source Medical Innovations for COVID19 (COSMIC – www.cosmicmedical.ca) organization.

He shares his experience as a healthcare innovator and his perspectives on disruptive technology and the future of healthcare as a Singularity University faculty member. 

Daniel Aminbakhsh 

Daniel Aminbakhsh is currently a third year pharmacology student at UBC. Daniel started in the faculty of science at UBC, and later joined the pharmacology program. Daniel graduated from St. George’s School in 2022, where he was involved in different aspects of student life, and was the recipient of many awards and recognitions.

For the previous two summers, Daniel worked at St. Paul’s Hospital and BC Children’s Hospital as a research assistant.

Outside of school and work, Daniel plays Mario Kart, tennis, and likes to ski. Daniel is excited to be part of the 2025 Med-Ed Conference, and he is looking forward to the discussions to come!

Josh Ham

Josh Ham is a third-year PhD candidate within the molecular cardiac physiology research group at Simon Fraser University, under the supervision of Dr. Damon Poburko. His research largely focuses on neurovascular physiology, where he investigates the intracellular trafficking pathways of neurotransmitter packaging proteins, and the development of engineered blood vessels capable of neurovascular communication.

During his undergraduate degree in biomedical physiology, Josh was (and still is) heavily involved in student outreach, student governance, and community volunteering with at-risk populations. 

Josh is a huge proponent of maintaining mental and physical health through work-life balance. Outside of research, he likes to stay active (and stave off boredom) through a combination of soccer, volleyball, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and strength training. When his mood calls for something more low-key, Josh relaxes by cooking, or discovering food-ventures around the lower mainland.

Meghan He

Meghan He is a UBC medical student who studied Comparative Literature and Psychobiology at UCLA. Her research focuses on grounding medicine in the humanity of patient stories. She is co-President of the UBC Surgical Club, where she co-founded the EDI advocacy group, UpSurge, in alliance with the UBC Department of Surgery. In her free time, she teaches kids’ yoga with the Vancouver School Board and volunteers for community dance events.