Lina Elfaki, MSc, joins us to discuss health advocacy and equity, the importance of recognizing intersectionality when looking at representation in STEM, finding balance as a medical student and so much more!

Lina Elfaki is a second-year medical student at the University of Toronto (UofT). She completed her undergraduate degree in Physiology and Human Biology at UofT. For her Master of Science at the Institute of Medical Science, Lina worked with Dr. Howard Leong-Poi at St. Michael’s Hospital to study a novel gene therapy for aortic aneurysms. More recently, she has been passionate about equity-seeking cardiovascular research. Beyond academics, as an immigrant Black woman, she has been promoting gender and racial equity in healthcare and STEM education. She is the inaugural Vice President of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at UofT’s Medical Society pushing for systemic and cultural changes to curriculum, student wellness, and admissions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lina has been focusing on community-based health promotion to support her Black community in Toronto. In her free time, Lina loves to dance and walk by the lake, even at freezing cold temperatures. 

Follow Lina on Twitter! Learn about Step into STEM and the Toronto Political Advocacy Committee (TPAC) online.

This episode of Accidental Intellectual is produced by Holly Boyne, Manon Feasson, Lauren Goldberg, Bronwyn Lamond, Rachael Lyon, Harrison McNaughtan, Stephanie Morris, Lee Propp, and Ariana Simone. Our theme music is by Alexandra Willet and our branding by Maxwell McNaughtan.

To learn more about the Accidental Intellectual podcast and get full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit our website at www.accidentalintellectual.com.