People
Co-directors
Elena Basile
Elena Basile is a teacher, researcher, translator and interdisciplinary artist working along the fuzzy edges of multiple corporeal, linguistic and cultural trajectories of belonging. She collaborates regularly with Roberta Buiani in research generation projects (see the TiP Lab Paul H. Crocker Gallery, 2015; Arrivals + Departures, Myseum Intersection Festival 2018). Her current collaboration with Buiani on the Who Cares? speaker series stems from a long-term interest in fostering transdisciplinary conversations in the Health Humanities and a desire to experiment with, and cultivate, reparative pedagogies of care in the classroom and beyond.
Roberta Buiani
Roberta Buiani is an interdisciplinary artist, media scholar and curator based in Toronto. She is the co-founder of the ArtSci Salon at the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences (Toronto) and co-organizer of LASER Toronto. She is a research associate at the Centre for Feminist Research and a Scholar in Residence at Sensorium, Centre for Digital Arts and Technology (York University) and a lecturer in STS at the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (IHPST) and New College at the University of Toronto. Her recent SSHRC Insight Development research creation project investigates emerging life forms exceeding the categories defined by traditional methods of classification.
Our Team
Catriona Reid
Catriona Reid is a second-year MA student in Art History and Curatorial Studies at York University. Her research interests include cartography, studies of the Anthropocene, and strategic marketing for art galleries. She is especially interested in how eco art can be used as a tool for enacting social change, particularly in regions prone to environmental resource extraction, exploitation, and political unrest. Catriona has worked for various not-for-profit and commercial galleries in Toronto and her hometown of Victoria, BC. She holds a BA in Art History from McGill University.
Shalika Sivathasan
Shalika Sivathasan is a doctoral candidate in the Department of English at York University. She holds an MA in Contemporary Literature, Culture, and Theory from King’s College London, and a BA in History from the University of Toronto. Her SSHRC-funded dissertation explores relations of affect and solidarity in contemporary refugee and migrant texts.
Shalon T. Webber-Heffernan
Shalon T. Webber-Heffernan is an independent curator, writer, and doctoral candidate in the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies at York University. She is Educator-in-Residence at the Blackwood Gallery with the 2021–22 Curatorial Consortium where she created the Attunement Sessions and recently curated an exhibition at Vtape. She was Curator-in-Residence at the Curatorial Lab @ Sensorium (2019–20). Recent writing appears in Comparative Media Arts Journal, Peripheral Review, Performance Matters, Theatre Research in Canada, and Canadian Theatre Review.
Tita Kyrtsakas
Tita Kyrtsakas is a writer originally from Windsor, Ontario. She is a third year PhD student in English literature at York University and for three years, was editor-in-chief of Feminist Space Camp Magazine, an intersectional digital community for artists. Her creative writing has been published in Type/Cast, Shameless, and Sandpiper Journal, and she is a top-10 finalist in the 2022 VIWFF Screenplay Competition for her pilot, Bad. She is very happy to be a part of the “Who Cares?” conference.
Alek Paul
My name is Alek and I use they/them pronouns. I am currently in my final year of a Gender and Women’s Studies BA with a certificate in Sexuality Studies and am mainly interested in issues of community, accessibility, and inclusion; particularly for queer, trans, and disabled communities. I am also an avid miniature painter among many other pastimes, and love to find ways to incorporate my educational interests with my hobbies.
Jackie Betel Fink
Hi I am Jackie Betel a 3rd year student at University of Toronto taking a political science major and a double minor in history and philosophy of science and buddhist psychology and mindfulness. I am half Mexican half Canadian and grew up in Amsterdam and Madrid going to international schools. I love meeting new people, learning and talking about innovations and music. My History and philosophy of science minor is based in New College, so feel free to contact me with any questions about the College.
Kamaldeep Randhawa
Hello, my name is Kamaldeep Randhawa, and I am a 23-year-old biological science enthusiast, studying at York University. I am currently pursuing a career in medicine and my passions include cooking, watching anime and hiking. Learning about the social determinants of health encouraged me to see beyond a biological lens when viewing health, wellness, and illness. Certain ideas and experiences cannot easily be translated into English, and I believe that art and literature are great ways to express what cannot be said by words alone.
Maha Toeima
Maha Toeima is a digital marketeer, social media content creator and a third-year communication student at York University. Maha has a certificate in Digital Marketing from BrainStation, and she is currently completing a certificate in Technical and Professional Writing at Glendon College. She has experience with WordPress and coding languages such as HTML, CSS and Javascript. Maha likes to read, go out for walks, and hike with her friends in her free time, and she also enjoys reading fiction, thriller and drama novels.
Mira Patel
As a first year student in the Communication program at Glendon College, and a graduate of the French Baccalaureate in Literature with honors, throughout my academic years, I have had the opportunity to participate in various intra and extracurricular activities. The discovery of some countries, as well as the mastery of 5 living languages have given me a passion for jobs related to communication and international relations. I like the discovery of different cultures, art, fashion, nature and especially to be able to listen and help people around me.
Thomas Worthington
Thomas is an undergraduate student studying English and Psychology at York University. He is a former research assistant at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, as well as the English Department at York University. Currently, he is interested in the transformative power of literature and is striving to bring a broader public interest to the classics. Thomas is the president of the English Undergraduate Students’ Association at York University and the host of the Let’s Talk Literature podcast. He also loves coffee, old movies, and nature.