Doan Lab Team

Dr. Quynh Doan

Dr. Quynh Doan

Investigator and Pediatric Emergency Physician, BC Children’s Hospital

Kenneth McKinley

Kenneth McKinley, M.D.

Junior Investigator/Collaborator and Pediatric Emergency Physician, Children’s National Hospital

Kenneth McKinley, M.D., is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine at George Washington University and a pediatric emergency medicine attending at Children’s National Hospital, in Washington, DC. Dr. McKinley began his research career under the mentorship of Dr. Doan, applying complex computational models to predict the impact of system changes on pediatric ED throughput. He is now focused on the application of machine learning algorithms to develop prediction models for specific pediatric populations that present to the Emergency Department, including patients presenting with chief complaints related to sickle cell disease, asthma, or behavioral health. By creating robust risk prediction models for patients presenting with these complaints, Dr. McKinley’s work aims to enhance care for these patients, improve patient throughput generally, and help address the problem of ED crowding.

Karly Stillwell

Karly Stillwell

Research Coordinator

Karly is a Research Coordinator in the Doan Lab, and has been working with the lab since May 2014. Karly graduated from UBC with a Combined Major in Science. In her free time, she enjoys baking new cookie recipes, playing soccer, and traveling.

Troy Chong

Troy Chong

Co-op Student

Troy is a fourth year student majoring in Microbiology and Immunology. He is passionate about providing health interventions for the pediatric population and marginalized groups. In addition to the START team, he is currently involved with work at the Canucks Autism Network. In his spare time, he is a competitive curler and loves hiking and running!​

Punit Virk

Punit is a second year PhD student at the School of Population & Public Health at UBC, where he recently completed his MSc (’18). Punit’s research interests include young adult mental health (focusing on higher education settings), health measurement, and the evaluating e-mental health interventions. For his doctoral project, he is developing and evaluating a psychosocial self-assessment and guidance tool for post-secondary students (called HEARTSMAP-U). This work aims to improve the identification of psychosocial concerns among students and their connectivity with accessible support, on- and off-campus.

Heather Burt

Heather Burt

Heather has completed her MSc at UBC SPPH under Dr. Doan. Her thesis focused on evaluating the reliability of HEARTSMAP-U, a psychosocial self-assessment tool for post-secondary students. Post-graduation, she's continuing to evaluate HEARTSMAP-U and investigate the use of IV ketamine for acute suicidality in pediatrics as a research coordinator. In her free time Heather loves to be outside, playing sports and travelling.

Melissa Woodward

Melissa Woodward

Melissa is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Doan Lab. She previously completed her PhD in Neuroscience with Dr. Lang (UBC Radiology) and a two-year postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Honer (UBC Psychiatry). Outside of the lab, Melissa serves on the Board of Directors for the Vancouver Women’s Health Collective and enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, hiking, and playing dungeons and dragons.​ 

Sahajdeep Chhina

Sahajdeep Chhina

Sahaj is a UBC graduate with a major in Psychology. He is a member of the Clinical Research Support Unit at BC Children's Hospital, assisting in a variety of projects within the Doan Lab. His research interests include psychosocial determinants of health in neurological disorders, specifically traumatic brain injuries. He is dedicated to helping produce meaningful research for the pediatric population and increasing diversity within research. He spends his free time taking care of his cats, finding new places to eat, and hiking.

Alyssa Chong

Alyssa Chong

Alyssa is an undergraduate student at UBC studying neuroscience and genetics. Currently, she is conducting her Directed Studies project in the Doan Lab, which focuses on assessing clinician’s perceptions of the MyHEARTSMAP report. Outside of her studies, Alyssa is a karate athlete, enjoys watching hockey, and spending time with her friends.

Yury Onikashvili

Yury Onikashvili

Yury is a fourth year student majoring in Chemical Biology who has been involved with the Doan lab since late 2020. He has been working alongside the team at the Doan lab to investigate the use of IV ketamine for acute suicidality in pediatrics. In his free time Yury loves basketball, going on hikes with his dog, and taking pictures of his cat. 

Christine Chen

Christine Chen

Christine is a fifth-year student at UBC studying biology. She is passionate about improving the quality of care for vulnerable populations and contributes through clinical research and volunteering. In her free time, she enjoys trying out new restaurants, watching TV shows, and weightlifting. 

Diana Lee

Diana Lee

Diana is a fifth-year student at UBC studying Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences. She is interested in studying holistic approaches in medicine and social determinants of health. Beyond the START program, she is involved in the peer academic coaching program in the Faculty of Science and loves reading, crocheting, and exploring the outdoors.

Rebecca Liu

Rebecca Liu

Rebecca is a first year medical student at UBC. She is passionate about promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion in science. In her free time, she enjoys creating medical illustrations, tutoring children, and finding fun places to eat in Vancouver.

Clement Chui

Clement Chui

Clement previously worked as a registered nurse and is currently a medical student at UBC. He started working with Dr. Doan as a co-op student in 2015 and has since become a co-investigator comparing point of care testing with current standard of care to diagnose strep throat. In his spare time, he enjoys practicing martial arts, biking, and spending time with friends.

Tatsuma Hind

Tatsuma Hind

Tatsuma is in his final year of medical student at UBC. He started volunteering in the Doan lab back in 2016, worked on the MyHEARTSMAP project as a co-op student, and is now investigating the use of IV ketamine for acute suicidality in pediatrics.  In his spare time, he enjoys reading, practicing martial arts, and playing hockey.

Cindy Liu

Cindy Liu

Cindy is an undergraduate student studying a Combined Major in Science at the University of British Columbia. In her free time, she enjoys going on adventures with her two kittens and travelling!

Alaina Chun

Alaina Chun

Alaina has been involved with the Doan Lab since 2017. She loves every second she spends at BC Children’s Hospital and has plans to go back to school in the near future. Outside the lab you can find Alaina volunteering at the Vancouver Women’s Health Collective, beekeeping, cycling or trying new restaurants around the city.

Ravia Arora

Ravia Arora

Research Assistant

Ravia is a recent behavioural neuroscience and immunology graduate from UBC. She is passionate about art, neuroscience and mental health advocacy. Ravia holds leadership positions in various mental health organizations and student teams and hopes to pursue further education in this field. She is primarily involved as a research assistant on the HEARTSMAP-U project.

Yijinmide Buren

Yijinmide Buren

Yijinmide is an undergraduate student studying Integrated Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences at McMaster University. As a co-op student with the Doan Lab, his project involves the prediction of physician workload in the emergency department. In his free time, Yijinmide enjoys hiking, playing team sports, and making music.

Sydney Sparanese

Sydney Sparanese

Sydney is in her final year of medical school at UBC after completing a BSc at the University of Calgary. In the Doan Lab, she has contributed to projects focusing on the psychosocial impact on recovery from concussion in youth. Currently, she is investigating the utility of MyHEARTSMAP amongst patients admitted to BC Children's Hospital. 

Ian Pierce

Ian Pierce

Ian is a third year medical student at Monash University in Australia. He joined the Doan Lab in 2021, as a member of the MYHEARTSMAP Inpatient Study team. Ian’s research and career interests centre on improving patient outcomes in Emergency Medicine. An avid snowboarder and surfer, Ian also enjoys playing Australian rules football for the university team.

Erica McDonald

Erica McDonald

Erica is a first year MD/PhD student supervised by Dr. Doan. Prior to joining UBC, she studied at the University of Waterloo where she completed a BSc in Health Studies and a MSc with a focus on youth mental health and epidemiology. Outside of her studies, she enjoys spending time with her dog Blu, yoga, running, and any adventure that involves ice cream.

Justin Park

Justin Park

Min Ho (Justin) is a medical student at the University of British Columbia. In the Doan Lab, he is primarily involved in the Pediatric ED Workload project. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer, tinkering with his 3D printer, and going on long walks.

Ann Chen

Ann Chen

Ann is a UBC medical student working with the MyHEARTSMAP team in the Doan Lab. She is interested in health informatics and learning about how digital health can enhance and improve patient care. In her spare time, Ann enjoys hiking around Vancouver, practicing calligraphy and hand lettering, or playing badminton with the UBC Badminton Club.

Mikayla Fan

Mikayla Fan

Mikayla is a medical student at UBC. She has a strong passion for mental health research, and is excited to continue learning within the Doan Lab. In her free time, Mikayla is a lover of all things Type 2 fun, and can be found running ultramarathons, backpacking, and playing tennis!

Andrew Nguyen

Andrew Nguyen

Andrew is a medical student at UBC finishing up his third year. In his free time he enjoys traveling, working on various programming projects, and hiking.

Pediatrics Residents:

Carson Gill
Abrar Hossain