Guest Speakers: STEAM Sisters: Sandhya and Swapna Mylabathula
Friday September 18, 2020 Rotary Virtual Meeting via Google Meet
Topic: The Impact of Concussions
12:00 Noon to 1:30 PM
RSVP to office@rotarytoronto.com
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Sandhya Mylabathula [PhD Candidate, MSc.] and Swapna Mylabathula [MD/PhD Candidate] (@steam.sisters) are the STEAM Sisters!
When they’re not on fun STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) adventures, they research concussions as PhD and MD/PhD students respectively at the University of Toronto (but let’s face it, that’s still a STEAM adventure!). Swapna is a McLaughlin Scholar and her research includes work on concussion policy and concussion in women’s hockey. Her clinical interest is sport and exercise medicine! Sandhya is a returning CIHR Fellow in Public Health Policy, and has investigated concussion risk factors, policy, education, sex/gender, and management.
Sandhya and Swapna co-developed a national concussion strategy and consulted on provincial concussion policy, and co-delivered a TEDx Talk on youth engagement and health policy. Their work has helped to inform Canada’s first concussion legislation, Rowan’s Law. They are honoured to have been recognized as two of the top 50 Most Influential Torontonians (GridTO Magazine) and as Urban Heroes (Toronto Community News) for their contributions, which they’ve travelled internationally to present. They enjoy working with youth and doing hands-on science activities as Outreach Coordinators for Let’s Talk Science all across the Greater Toronto Area and with Sandy Lake First Nation, and engage in science communication with folks of all ages as Ambassadors and Science Journalists for the Royal Canadian Institute for Science. Swapna and Sandhya love sharing their passion for all things STEAM through their work in children's television (including a project launching now that they’re SUPER excited about - Shaftesbury’s STEAM Stars!, and various TVO programs), and recently launched their own initiative as the STEAM Sisters, active on social media as @steam.sisters (Instagram), as well as in person at events and conferences. Sandhya has also created and contributed to interactive STEAM exhibits, including at the University of Toronto and the Ontario Science Centre.
These twins are also founding members, an executive producer, and show hosts of Medicine in Motion Podcast, and Swapna has been a show host and content creator for Raw Talk Podcast for the last three seasons. Sport (particularly hockey!) is one of their many hobbies, and what originally sparked their interest in concussions. They also enjoy playing the violin and sitar, learning new languages, as well as learning to cook dishes from all over the world.