Yashar Khosroshahi - President

Email: nsa_president@ndnet.ccnm.edu

The President serves as the official representative of the student body and the NSA, provides direction to NSA committees in execution of their mandates, serves as chair of all NSA executive meetings and student assemblies, and is involved in the creation of events that will foster the spirit of community within the college.

A Message from the NSA President

Welcome friends and colleagues, both new and returning, to a brand new year here at CCNM. To the new, prepare yourselves for the most exciting and challenging chapter in your lives of which CCNM is just the beginning; I can guarantee that you will be inspired by the knowledge, passion and support of the faculty, staff and your colleagues. To those returning, this is just one more year toward practicing a medicine that is truly inspirational and healing for so many lives; remember this during those times when the light seems dim at the end of the tunnel and lean on all those around you who are here in support during times of joy and despair.

The Naturopathic Students' Association (NSA) Executive Council is your elected student government. We represent the student voice on academic and clinical education issues, at the level of the provincial and national Naturopathic Doctors' associations, and the level of the College's Board of Governors. While the NSA Executive consists of fourteen elected members, the NSA as a whole is comprised of the elected executive, fifteen elected class representatives and the entire student body. Our goals this year as an executive are ones committed to maintaining integrity and transparency in the work we do, promoting passion for the profession and keeping lines of communication open between the students and the staff and faculty here at CCNM.

The coming 2008-2009 year will be an incredibly eventful year with a variety of events ranging from Unity Summit to Formal to Closing Ceremonies. MedGames and the Ontario Medical Students' Weekend are a few more fantastic events that the NSA has been a part of within the medical students' community and the Health Awareness Weeks that are organized by the students at CCNM are a true testament of the passion and initiative that exemplifies student life within these walls. I invite you all to get involved and challenge yourselves to acquire much of the limitless wealth of knowledge and experience that CCNM has to offer during this leg of your journey.

We are proud to represent you as the NSA Executive for the 2008-2009 academic year and we are committed to supporting all students in your experiences and initiatives throughout your development as a Naturopathic Doctor here at CCNM. Remember, get involved – learn, teach and be amazed at your own natural abilities. As we are empowered as students to contribute to growth in our education and shape the future of the profession, so we will as Doctors empower our patients to take responsibility for their health and shape the landscape of the world.

Yours in Health,

Yashar Khosroshahi
NSA President
nsa_president@ndnet.ccnm.edu

Catherine Howes - VP Social Programming

Email: nsa_social@ndnet.ccnm.edu

The Social Programming Vice-Presidency is shared by two individuals who have one vote at council. The VP Social representatives are responsible for ensuring that CCNM students have the opportunity to live a balanced lifestyle by organizing social events such as our annual Unity Summits and Graffiti Pubs, amongst other fantastic outings like Boat Cruise and Winter formal.

Nooreen Sumar - VP External Communications

Email: nsa_external@ndnet.ccnm.edu

The role of NSA External is to facilitate and create opportunities for CCNM students outside of the school environment, including Ontario Medical Students' Weekend (OMSW) and MedGames. As well, NSA External acts as a liason; between CCNM and other educational institutions, companies and anyone else we attempt to build bridges with. They are a voting executive member of the NSA council.

Katrina Cox - Chair of Council

Email: cocouncil@ndnet.ccnm.edu

The Chair of Council position is responsible for the organization of the Naturopathic Students’ Association Executive Council including administration tasks and chairing the council meetings. They are also charged with organizing room bookings for all the students at CCNM

I am excited to be entering my 4th year of clinical internship at the Robert Schad Naturopathic Clinic in May 2008. It is so exciting to finally have the opportunities to apply everything I have learned thus far and further expand my horizons by gaining knowledge from those around me in clinic.

Furthermore, I am honoured to have the opportunity to serve as the Chair of Council of the Naturopathic Students' Association for the 2008-2009 term. It's so exciting to be able to give back to a community of such a passionate group of students in order to help facilitate positive change throughout all four years here at CCNM. Having served as the NSA VP Finance on the NSA for the 2006-2007 term, I am aware of the importance of effective communication and the need for proper dialogue between individuals. If you have any comments, concerns or suggestions at any time throughout the year, stop me in the halls or email me to voice your thoughts.

Outside of school, I maintain balance in my life by competitively swimming, camping, reading books for hours on end, and working as a Student Representative for Pascoe Canada. I am extremely fortunate to have such great friends, family and a supportive partner to help me cope with all the stresses that can epitomize this program at times.

I was born and raised in Chatham Kent, more specifically on a small hobby farm outside a small town called Ridgetown. I was a member and captain of the McMaster Marauders Women’s Varsity Swim Team while studying to receive a B.Sc. in Biology and Mathematics. I've been blessed to have had the opportunity to travel to many places including the Caribbean and the country of China.

Crystal Hadikin - VP Finance & Administration

Email: nsa_finance@ndnet.ccnm.edu

The Vice President of Finance and Administration is responsible for keeping the books, and handling the majority of the financial transactions. Basically the VP Finance ensures that funds allocated by the NSA executive best serve the needs of the student body.

I grew up in a small town called Castlegar in south-east British Columbia. After graduating high school my family moved to Sooke, another small town, on Vancouver Island. I went back to school in Victoria to obtain my pharmacy technician certification. After working for a while, I decided to go back to university to obtain a B.Sc. in Neuroscience at the University of Lethbridge. During my undergrad I worked as a research assistant at the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience where I researched memory. This was quite a rewarding learning experience, but I was not ready to end my career as a student.

I started my journey at CCNM in January ’08 and wanted to get as involved as possible and this is why I decided to run for NSA. As your VP Finance I will be responsible for ensuring that we utilize our financial resources responsibly to ensure a successful and fulfilling year. I look forward to working with many of you in the upcoming year.

Sharon Rutledge - VP Internal Communications

Email: nsa@ndnet.ccnm.edu

The Vice President of Internal Communications is responsible for the maintenance and flow of information between the executive members and to the student body. To this effect, the major responsibilities of this position include the management of The Vine; the NSA\'s student newsletter, the NSA website, NDNet, the official NSA calendar of events, the yearbook and student directory and jointly with the VP External Communications, to manage the public image of the NSA.

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Adrian Nasager - VP Academic Affairs - Classroom

Email: nsa_classroom@ndnet.ccnm.edu

The NSA classroom is a voting member of the NSA executive council. They are responsible for making sure that each respective year has an Academic Clinic Forum on a regular basis. They are also responsible for following up on these ACF meetings. They also sit on the Academic Team Meetings, Standing Curriculum Committee, Continuing Education Council and the ADNSA council.

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Ellen Wong - VP Academic Affairs - Curriculum

Email: nsa_curriculum@ndnet.ccnm.edu

It is the responsibility of NSA Academics to oversee the academic experience of students throughout their four years at CCNM. Your NSA Academics representative meet regularly with the four Associate Deans (Curriculum, Delivery, Clinical Education, and Operations and Residency) along with your class reps to discuss any concerns which students may have. VP Academics will then assess the concerns from a global four year perspective and outline potential changes for discussion. The VP Academics, Curriculum representative is involved in addressing any curriculum design and delivery questions any student may have. They represent the student body at large by serving as a liason between students and faculty/administrative staff. Please feel free to approach your NSA Academics representative for any of the following: concerns regarding learning objectives and outcomes, delivery of course material, and suggestions and comments regarding any aspects of a specific course or educational experience at CCNM.

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Jacqueline Cooper - VP Student Services

Email: nsa_sservices@ndnet.ccnm.edu

The NSA Student Services is a voting executive member, and is responsible for events involving the student body, including clubs and information weeks. Various weeks throughout the school year are committed to information topics, such as Women\'s and Men\'s health awareness week, Consciousness week, Kids n\' Teens week, etc. There are clubs available for all kinds of interests, and students are encouraged to start their own clubs.

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Amel Oudhini- VP Clinical Education

Email: nsa_clinic@ndnet.ccnm.edu

The Vice President of Clinical Education is responsible for liaising between the Robert Schad Naturopathic Clinic, our on-site clinical education centre and public medical clinic. The RSNC is the largest Naturopathic medical clinic of its kind in North America.

Tobey-Ann Pinder - Student Governor

Email: nsa_sg@ndnet.ccnm.edu

The Student Governor represents CCNM students on the Board of Governors of the Institute of Naturopathic Education and Research (INER). INER is a non-profit organization that operates CCNM and the Robert Schad Naturopathic Clinic. The Board of Governors, made up of elected NDs and other professionals from the community, provides governance through policy and continuing review of CCNM and INER. Although the Student Governor does not have voting rights on the NSA Executive, this position does represent the students' perspective and the NSA by voting rights on the Board of Governors.

Tobey-Ann has predominately lived in Southern Ontario and, for the most part, in the GTA area. However, Tobey has always had her interests and energy spread diversely!

Growing up her passions were sports and being social, skating for 17 years at the Mariposa School of Skating & playing school, city and regional basketball. At Queen's University she completed her Honours Bachelor of Science in Psychology and researched in a Laboratory of Behavioural Neuroscience of Drug Addiction under an Undergraduate NSERC Research Award. Her thesis work on the neurobiological perspective of alcohol myopia & impulsivity has been presented at a number of neuro/cognitive science conferences in North America, and published in collaborative efforts in peer reviewed journals. At Queen's she was actively involved in not only in research & varsity sports but as an avid member of a variety of extra-curriculars & committees ranging from: AMS (student government), departmental boards, charity fashion shows to being a peer health educator!

After Queen's, Tobey traveled through Central America, spending majority of time in Costa Rica. She has a strong interest for adventure activities, sunshine and surfing, so the jungle and the beach were the perfect backdrop for her experience. If you see her daydreaming, its safe to assume she is on a beach, catching a wave or hiking through dank greenery during a rainstorm!

Later, Tobey attended law school at the University of Toronto in the Juris Doctorate (JD) program. While there she was an editor for the UofT Law Review and executive on a Health Law & Policy group. After 1 rigorous year of law and working in the legal department of a global investment bank on Bay St., she realized the importance of her undying intrigue for naturopathic medicine and enrolled at CCNM while on a leave from UofT.  Since attending CCNM, her passion for naturopathic medicine has grown immensely! Although her goal is to practice as an ND, as the profession grows she sees the need for leaders and representation in naturopathic medicine and hopes to complete her JD & ND to be one of those leaders in the future. So, being NSA Student Governor for 2007/2008 is a perfect fit for her interests and she is excited for the upcoming year!

Away from CCNM, she enjoys spending time outdoors and being active. She loves wakeboarding, sunshine and music of all kinds! Travelling is an itch she always wants to fulfill...and recently, she has a growing interest in international healthcare & human rights.

As you can see, she has always had a vision of the importance of being involved and empowered, and encourages everyone else to get informed, get active and get involved!

Kathryn Yash - OAND Representative

Email: nsa_oandrep@ndnet.ccnm.edu

OAND Representative is a voting executive member that acts as a liaison between the Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors and the NSA. The OAND Rep works towards securing your access to health care services and to a strong and vital professional future in the Province of Ontario.

The Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors (OAND) is a body charged with the responsibility of forwarding the cause of Naturopathic Doctors (NDs) within Ontario. They work closely with other Naturopathic provincial boards, the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors (CAND), & the Board of Directors of Drugless Therapy (BDDT-N) to ensure that the rights and plight of NDs are properly heard and addressed by the provincial government and to further the profession. The OAND has shown strong support for CCNM by sponsoring, among other things, The Vine, the biannual “Tea with an ND” events, and unity summit for 1^st year students. As of 2007, CCNM has begun graciously paying for student memberships to the OAND. An OAND membership allows one to stay informed about Naturopathic related political issues and initiatives, access to the member’s only section of the OAND website, upcoming conferences, & special member’s only offers. It is more than worth a $25 membership fee.

As the student representative to the OAND, my role is to communicate students’ issues and needs directly to the board. If anyone has suggestions of charges they would like to see in regards to the OAND or suggestions of how the OAND can be more involved in CCNM then please feel free to e-mail me.

Shawn Manske - CAND Representative

Email: nsa_candrep@ndnet.ccnm.edu

The CAND Representative is a voting executive member, and acts as a liaison between the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors and the NSA. The priorities of the CAND include lobbying the federal government to update policies, providing position papers about important health topics, promoting the naturopathic profession, and keeping NDs across the country united.