2024-2025 Team

Luna Taguchi, President

Luna Taguchi is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto. She studies the source of variation in infectious disease, focusing on coinfection – simultaneous infection of different pathogen strains. She uses mathematical models to understand how they can determine infection outcomes. She joined TSPN in 2022 because of her interest in science communication and evidence-based public health policy. With experience in teaching and mentoring young students of all ages, she strongly believes that scientific knowledge should be accessible to everyone. 

Picture of the treasurer, Vernon Fong.

Vernon Fong, Treasurer

Vernon is a fifth-year PhD candidate in the Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology department at the University of Toronto, where his research centers on the proteins and metabolic processes driving medulloblastoma, the most common pediatric brain cancer. He became involved with TSPN in 2023, drawn by a passion for how scientific advancements can shape society. As the fundraising lead and current treasurer, Vernon is committed to supporting the organization’s mission to advocate for responsible and impactful science policy changes.

Melanie Seabrook, External Affairs Director

Mélanie is a researcher at the North American Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. She recently completed her Masters in Health Systems Research at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. Her research focuses on Canadian public health systems and investigates how they may be funded more sustainably to allow for crisis preparedness and promoting population health. Through her studies, she has grappled with the challenge of translating research insights into effective tools for policy-making, and is excited to continue engaging in this work through returning this year to her role as TSPN’s External Affairs Director.

Bipin Kumar,
Internal Affairs Director

Bipin Kumar pursued a Master’s in Computer Science from the University of New Brunswick. He is pursuing a CanStudyUS Home and Away Policy Fellowship from the Dias at Toronto Metropolitan University(TMU). He also worked on the Beyond Endless Frontiers project, examining the implicit social contract between science and society on the themes of trust, integrity, and ethics of science(TIES). He is also an executive member of Support Our Science (SOS), a grassroots-level organization focused on funding levels for graduate and postdoc researchers.
He also volunteers with the Canadian Science Policy Centre (CSPC), co-chairs the Events and Workshops Committee, and is a program committee member.

 

Nathan Tok, Executive-at-Large

Nathan is a public policy grad student. He has previously studied environmental public health and global health for his master’s and health sciences, geography, Spanish, and economics for his undergraduate degree. He also works for the National Institute on Ageing as a researcher. As an Executive at Large, he does what everyone else is already doing.