Meet The Team
Achieving new
heights together.
Nikko Gimpaya
Nikko is a research assistant at St. Michael's Hospital. He completed his undergraduate studies (HBSc 2014-2018) and Master of Education (MEd 2019-2020) at the University of Toronto. He joined the Grover lab in 2017 and his research interests include the development and improvement of simulation-based training curricula in gastrointestinal endoscopy, appraisal of clinical guidelines, and evaluation of research practices.
William Tran
Will is a Research Coordinator at Scarborough Health Network (SHN). He completed his Life Sciences Degree (HBSc, 2015-2019) and a Master of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences (MSc, 2019-2022) at Queen’s University. Will joined the Grover Lab in 2023 and his research interests include medical education, such as ergonomic-based education in endoscopy, and simulation-based training. Will likes to play basketball and volleyball, spend time with family & friends, and occasionally bike to Niagara Falls from Toronto.
Rishad Khan
Rishad is a resident at the University of Toronto (Internal Medicine 2019-2022, Gastroenterology 2022-2024) who began working in the lab in 2015. His research interests include endoscopy education and assessment, physician-industry interactions in gastroenterology, and clinical outcomes and safety of advanced endoscopic procedures.
Rishi Bansal
Rishi Bansal is a medical student at McMaster University (class of 2023), and began working with the lab in the summer of 2018. His research interests include using clinical data to improve hospital outcomes, critical appraisal, and the medical-industrial complex. Rishi is also a deputy editor and contributor at Healthy debate.
Yash Verma
Yash is an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto (HBSc, 2018-2022), he has worked with the Grover lab since June 2019. His current research interests include preferential publication rates among editors, relationships between industry and patient advocacy groups, and endoscopic educational interventions. In his free time, Yash enjoys cooking, playing sports and working with children.
Michael Scaffidi
Michael is a resident at Queen's University (Internal Medicine 2022-2025), who first started working in the lab in 2011. He completed his Masters of Education in 2013 at the University of Toronto. His research interests are curricular development and evaluation and simulation-based training in endoscopy. He is also a composer with published music on Spotify.
Juana Li
Juana Li is a medical student at McMaster University (c2024, Hamilton) and has worked in the lab since 2018. Her research interests include medical education in endoscopy and physician-industry relationships. In her free time, Juana likes to go for hikes, play ultimate frisbee, bake, and spend time with family and friends.
Ally Zhao
Ally is an undergraduate student at McMaster University who began working in the lab in 2022. She is currently working on a project related to re-creating low-cost simulations for novice endoscopists to practice with. Some of her hobbies include cooking, spending time with friends, and going on runs.
Nasruddin Sabrie
Nas is an internal medicine resident with a strong interest in GI and GI research particularly as it pertains to general education and endoscopy training. Most recently Nas has collaborated on a project that aims to understand the process of credentialing in endoscopy from an international point of view.
Karam Elsolh
Karam is a medical student at McMaster University (2020-2023). Karam began working at the lab in 2019. His research interests are in the areas of medical education and patient engagement in research. He’s an avid swimmer and likes spending his free time experimenting in the kitchen!
James Lisondra
James Lisondra is a medical student at the University of Ottawa (MD2027) and a recent graduate from Ontario Tech University. He joined the Grover Lab in Summer 2020 as a Keenan Research Summer Student. He is passionate about using health systems research to alleviate socioeconomic disparities and integrating simulation-based strategies into medical education. Outside of work, he enjoys illustration, travelling, and watching documentaries.
Daniel Tham
Daniel is a Medical Student at the University of Ottawa (Class of 2026) and a graduate of the McMaster Bachelor of Health Sciences Program (Class of 2022). He began working in the lab in 2018 and his research interests include medical education, simulation and augmented reality in training, financial conflicts of interest in GI, and clinical practice guidelines.
Dr. Samir C Grover
MD, MEd, FRCPC.
Lab Head
Dr. Grover’s research is in the application of simulation and technology-enhanced learning strategies to endoscopy education. Among other areas, his research has demonstrated that curricular approaches to endoscopy simulation are superior to ad hoc training and that training of progressive fidelity and complexity in endoscopy simulation improves transfer to the clinical setting. His research work has also evaluated simulation to teach non-technical skills in endoscopy, and to teach ergonomic behaviours.