Meet the Team

The iPARC Lab brings together a multidisciplinary group of researchers, clinicians, trainees, and collaborators.

✧ Lab Director

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Noémi Dahan-Oliel, PhD, OT

Noémi is a clinician scientist at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Montreal, Canada and Associate Professor at the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University. Her research program is supported by a Clinical Research Scholar Award from the Fonds de recherche du Québec- Santé and a Rising Star Award from the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. Her research interests include multidisciplinary care, rehabilitation, youth- and family-engagement research and knowledge mobilization.

Noémi has supervised and mentored over 50 undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral trainees. She is passionate about developing tools and knowledge on the assessment and treatment of children with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita and other rare musculoskeletal and neuromuscular conditions together with clinicians, trainees and people with lived experience.

✧ Staff | Shriners Hospital for Children

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    Betty Vasiliki Darsaklis, OT, MSc

    Clinical Research Associate

  • Close-up of a young woman with dark hair, smiling, wearing earrings, against a plain background.

    Sena Tavukcu

    Clinical Research Coordinator

  • Young woman with long dark wavy hair smiling inside a car.

    Maya Hatwik

    Clinical Research Coordinator


  • A woman with dark hair pulled back, wearing a black top with a beaded necklace, smiling against a light blue background.

    Meryem Ben Jdira

    Clinical Research Coordinator

  • Sarah Cachecho, OT, MSc

    Clinical Research Associate

✧ Patient Partners

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    Luca "Lazylegz" Patuelli

    Founder & Creator, ILL-Abilities

  • A young man with glasses and a beard, wearing a black hoodie with 'CIRQUE DU SOLEIL EST. 1984' written on it, standing by rocks along a shoreline, looking to the side with a cloudy sky in the background.

    Francis Lacombe

    Orthotist

  • A woman stands next to a large informational banner promoting Blue Soler, a therapeutic stand-up paddleboarding program aimed at improving physical, mental, and emotional health. The banner includes a QR code, logos of supporting organizations, and the phrase "EL MAR CURA" in bold blue letters.

    Carolina Navalon-Martinez

    Vice-President of Associacion Artrogriposis Multiple Congenita Espana

✧ Trainees and Students

  • A young man with black, slightly curly hair, wearing a gray sweater over a white collared shirt and a dark tie, standing with his arms crossed against a light gray background.

    Yongni Zhang, PhD, PT

    Post-Doctoral Fellow
    Nov. 2025-Dec. 2027
    Project: Clinically Relevant Psychometric Properties of the Shriners Hospital Arthrogryposis Pediatric Evaluation–Upper Extremity

  • A woman with wavy brown hair, wearing a green top, smiling in an indoor setting with bright lighting.

    Neda Naghdi, PhD, PT

    Post-Doctoral Fellow
    Feb. 2025-Jan. 2026
    Project: AI-driven analysis to automate a clinically relevant score for functional tasks in the upper extremity of children with rare musculoskeletal disorders

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    Clarice Araujo, PhD, OT

    Post-Doctoral Fellow
    Feb. 2023-Jan. 2026
    Project: Development and validation of the Gross Motor Functional Classification for children and youth with Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (GMFC-AMC)


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    Naomi Zukerman, OT, MSc

    Doctoral Student
    Jan. 2026-August 2030

    Research project: Pediatric Core Outcome Set for AMC: An International Multi-Stakeholder Consensus Study

    Published in COMET: https://www.comet-initiative.org/Studies/Details/3378

  • A woman with dark brown hair and a light complexion taking a selfie in front of a plain door, wearing a white sweater.

    Nithikaa  Shashikanth, PT, MSc

    Doctoral Student
    Jan. 2026-August 2030


  • A smiling woman with brown hair, wearing a white textured sweater and blue jeans, crossing her arms while standing against a light blue background.

    Sarah Turgeon-Desilets, PT, MSc

    Doctoral Student
    September 2026-August 2031

✧ Alumni

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    Ahlam Zidan, PT, PhD.

    Doctoral Student Alumni
    May 2021 - Sept. 2025
    Research project: Developmental milestones and functional mobility in children with arthrogryposis

  • A woman with shoulder-length black hair, wearing a red dress with puffed sleeves, a pearl necklace, a watch, and rings, smiling in an indoor setting.

    Rose Elekanachi, PT, PhD.     

    Doctoral Student Alumni
    Sept. 2019 - Dec. 2024 
    Research project: The experience of caregiving for children with rare musculoskeletal conditions: a qualitative study in AMC

  • Young woman with long brown hair smiling, wearing a blue patterned blouse, standing against a neutral background.

    Caroline Elfassy, OT, PhD. 

    Doctoral Student Alumni
    Sept. 2017 – Jan. 2024
    Research project: Development of an outcome measure for the upper extremity in children with AMC


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    Doaa Taqi, Dentist, PhD.

    Post-Doctoral Fellow Alumni
    March 2022 - March 2023
    Research project: Scoping review on what is known about the oral and maxillofacial phenotype of individuals with arthrogryposis

  • A woman with curly hair smiles at the camera in a lush indoor garden with orchids and various green plants.

    Shahrzad Nematollahi, Epidemiology, PhD.     

    Post-Doctoral Fellow Alumni            
    Jan. 2021- June 2024
    Research project: Consensus-based common data elements for arthrogryposis 


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    Tessah Dunn

    Masters Student with Thesis Alumni
    2021-2023
    Research project: Social deprivation lens in autism and rare musculoskeletal diseases

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    Marianne Gagnon

    Masters Student with Thesis Alumni
    2018-2020
    Research project: Telerehabilitation for youths with AMC

    Co-supervision with Louis-Nicolas Veilleux, PhD, Experimental Surgery