Kendra Zhang – Co-Chair
Kendra is a second-year medical student at Queen’s University. While majoring in English Language & Literature during her undergrad and taking courses like Global Development and Philosophy, she began to see the humanities as pivotal not only in informing her healthcare-related pursuits, but also in developing her worldview. Kendra also strives to incorporate her artistic interests into her volunteering and extracurricular activities through writing, painting, and playing music. Through the Jacalyn Duffin Health & Humanities Conference, she hopes to further explore the arts and humanities with others in order to illuminate lived experiences and learn about the role they might play in helping to humanize patient care.
Jehan Irfan – Co-Chair
Jehan is a second-year medical student at Queen’s University. She has always been a lover of the arts and has specific investments in the practice of Music Therapy for dementia patients. Jehan believes strongly in the intersections between the arts and sciences and carries a passion for how both can work together in tandem to achieve connection and understanding between two individuals. Outside of school, she is an avid reader and piano player who dabbles in writing and other instruments when time permits. Through this year’s conference, she is excited to see what we can discover and appreciate about the unseen aspects of the human condition, and hopes to inspire those who attend.
Lora Stepanian
Lora is a second-year medical student at Queen’s University. The humanities have always played an integral role in Lora’s journey, through a lifelong interest in the visual arts, literature, and music. During her undergraduate studies, she completed a combined degree in fine art history, neurosciences, and immunology. It was through this experience that she learned that science and the arts are not only complementary, but synergistic – that an appreciation for both can lead to greater strength in both. At this year’s Jacalyn Duffin Health and Humanities Conference, she looks forward to challenging the expectations of how the humanities can be used to elevate the art of medicine and to gain a greater appreciation for the human condition — with the ultimate goal of achieving more empathetic patient care.
Sigi Maho
Sigi is a second-year medical student at Queen’s University. Before coming to Queen’s she pursued visual art and design at OCAD University where she learned about the importance of the arts and humanities on one’s well-being. She channelled this idea into her thesis project and explored the importance of enhancing well-being in healthcare facilities through design. She continues to channel her passion for art into all aspects of her life and actively seeks out ways to integrate it within the world of medicine. This year at the Jacalyn Duffin Health and Humanities Conference she looks forward to learning about how other health care professionals are embracing and sharing their passion for the arts and humanities, both within and outside the world of medicine.
Annie Kang
Annie is a first-year medical student at Queen’s University. Her passion for both science and the arts stems from being a ballet dancer and exploring the symbiosis of the human body and artistic expression through movement. She continued to explore this intersection during her undergrad at McMaster, where she took arts-based health science courses, including Artistic Explorations of Community Issues, where she recognized the importance of incorporating medical humanities into the healing process. Through this year’s conference, she hopes to understand how to better deliver empathetic, humanized patient care by listening to the experiences of healthcare professionals and community members alike.
The Jacalyn Duffin Health & Humanities Conference 