Scientist | SSHT

Invited Speakers

Alyson MacKay

Position: Manager, Ingenuity – Lakehead University's Business Incubator

Experienced leadership: Managing Ingenuity since March 2015, Alyson oversees the university’s premier incubator space and supports innovators and entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurship champion: Previously served as Entrepreneurship Coordinator and helped launch the Ascend Accelerator, a successful program supporting student startups with mentorship and seed funding
Background & Values: Born and raised in Thunder Bay, Alyson returned after expanding her expertise working in hospitality (Starbucks, McDonald’s). She is passionate about sustainable community growth, environmental stewardship, and empowering youth -which led her to serve on the board of EcoSuperior

Dr. Sunit Das

Dr. Das is a neurosurgeon and scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital and the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto
He holds the position of Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto, and serves as the Keenan Chair in Surgery
He also leads the CNS Tumours program at Ontario Health / Cancer Care Ontario
Education & Expertise
Holds medical (MD, PhD), master’s, and bachelor’s degrees (BA)
His academic focus integrates neurosurgery, brain tumour biology, and neuro-oncology
Notable contributions in areas such as glioblastoma, metastatic brain tumours, tumor radioresistance, and clinical PET/MRI imaging
Research & Publications
Authored 400+ scientific publications, garnering nearly 9,000 citations
His studies include:
Test-retest reliability of fMRI in brain tumour patients research.unityhealth.tojournals.plos.org
Meta-analysis on stereotactic radiosurgery vs. whole brain radiation

Kirusha Srimohanarajah

Position: Head of clinical innovation and business development, Radialis Inc. MedTech Innovation Leader | Electrical Engineer | STEM Advocate

Education & Credentials

Bachelor of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering, University of Waterloo (2015)
Licensed Professional Engineer (P.Eng), Professional Engineers Ontario
Currently pursuing an MBA at Johns Hopkins University

Former Electrical Engineer at Synaptive Medical, where she contributed to the development of Modus V™, a robotic digital microscope used in neurosurgery
Engineering Manager at Thornhill Medical, leading teams focused on mission-critical life support systems for field and mobile ICU use
Venture Partner at Megalab Group, supporting clinician-led MedTech startups focused on women’s health and underserved areas

Co-inventor on over 58 patent applications, with 18 granted to date
Areas of contribution include neurosurgical navigation, object tracking in surgical robotics, and advanced imaging systems

Speaker at professional and public forums including PEO, Women in Engineering, and Waterloo Engineering
Host of “Office Hour” sessions on career growth, inclusion, and navigating change in STEM
Active mentor through initiatives such as #LiftAsYouClimb and women’s health MedTech grants

Passionate about inclusive innovation, collaborative leadership, and improving patient outcomes through responsible technology
Committed to empowering the next generation of engineers, especially underrepresented groups in STEM

To be determined