A bit about MINDS

Dr. Jamsheed Desai

Neurologist, Medical Clinic Director

MD FRCPC CSCN (EMG)

Before founding The Mississauga Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (MINDS), Dr. Desai saw a need for a different kind of Neurological Clinic. Drawing inspiration from his patients, he saw a need for a clinic that listened to patient stories and provided great patient-driven care. So in 2016, Dr. Desai founded Trillium Neurology Consultants to better serve neurological patients in the west Greater Toronto Area and provide patient-driven care. However, this clinic had limitations. It became clear that the patient deserved a more sub-specialized and all-encompassing experience. A single accessible location where most if not all their Neurologic needs were met. MINDS was born from the desire to provide not only highly specialized and clustered care but to innovate and push the envelope of what was felt to be possible in a community-based clinic.

Currently, Dr. Desai is an active staff at the Trillium Health Partners in Mississauga Ontario, where he divides his time between an active Stroke, Neuromuscular and General Neurology Practice. In addition to his time in the hospital, Dr. Desai is an Assistant Professor at McMaster University and Lecturer at the University of Toronto. He is actively engaged in teaching the future generation of physicians at the Mississauga Academy of Medicine, so don’t be surprised if you run into a medical student or resident at MINDS.

Education:

• Fellowship in Neuromuscular disorders and Electromyography (EMG) at Foothills Hospital, Calgary
• Fellowship in Stroke Neurology at Foothills Hospital, Calgary
• Neurology Residency at Queen’s University
• Medical School at Queen’s University
• Bachelor of Science in Cell Biology and Genetics at UBC

Dr. Ginette Moores

Neurologist, Director of Neurology of Pregnancy Clinic

MD FRCPC CSCN (EEG)

Dr. Ginette Moores is a Neurologist with additional expertise in women’s neurology, obstetrical neurology, Epilepsy and electroencephalography (EEG).

She trained in Neurology at McMaster University. She subsequently completed Canada’s first fellowship in Women’s Issues in Neurology at the University of Toronto. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada and an active member of the American Academy of Neurology, Canadian League Against Epilepsy, and the Ontario Medical Association.

Dr. Moores’ practice includes all areas of general neurology, including Botox® and nerve block injections. Her clinical interests have focused on the provision of sex and gender-specific neurological care with a special focus on preconception counselling and management of neurologic conditions during pregnancy.

Her research interests include women’s neurology, and she has written a textbook chapter about the management of seizures in pregnancy.

Dr. Davar Nikneshan

Dr. Vitaly Kisilevsky

MD PhD, Director of Vestibular Function Laboratory

Vitaly Kisilevsky is an International Medical Graduate MD, and Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada. Dr. Kisilevsky is PhD in Neuroscience (Radboud University, Netherlands) and has obtained his clinical Fellowship in Medical Otology and Neurotology at the University of Toronto (Department of Otolaryngology) in 2003 under the guidance of the world renown Neuro-Otologist Dr. John Rutka.

In addition to being a passionate clinician, Vitaly is a fabulous teacher and has been the Course Director of the Vestibular Rehabilitation Diploma program of the University of Toronto.

Vitaly is actively engage in academia and is currently a reviewer of The Laryngoscope-The Journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, and Member of the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery.

In his spare time, Vitaly is an avid sailor, he loves to paint, sculpt, and enjoys classical music.

Dr. Ed Margolin

Dr. Adrian Fawcett

Lisa Whitley

Phoebe Zhou

NP. Bachelor of Nursing, BSc

Phoebe is an Adult Nurse Practitioner who recently graduated from the University of Toronto with a Master of Nursing degree with high distinction.

She is passionate about providing comprehensive and personalized care and treatments for her patients. She initially received her Honours of Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience in 2011 with distinction, then decided to pursue her interest in nursing and completed her Bachelor of Nursing degree at the University of Toronto in 2015. She is an ICU nurse by background, with extensive experience caring for the adult populations with medical-surgical and neurosurgical conditions.

She is very excited to be part of the MINDs clinic and is proud to work with such a fantastic team of practitioners.

Nergis Tombak

MA, R.T. EMG

Nergis is an R.T. EMG and EEG technologist with a passion for neurology. She received her Master of Arts in Neuropsychology in 2015 at Université Paris 8 and completed neurophysiology training at La cité collégiale in 2018. Since graduating, Nergis has had lots of experience with neuromuscular disorders. She is looking forward to expand her skills in TMS and neuromuscular ultrasound.

Outside of the clinic, Nergis enjoys spending time with her two kids, family, and friends.

Olivia Li

EMG/EEG Technologist

Olivia received a Bachelor’s degree in Behavioural Neuroscience from University of British Columbia in 2018 and a Diploma in Electroneurophysiology with distinction from British Columbia Institute of Technology in 2020. While her passion for clinical neuroscience motivates her to obtain quality diagnostic data that aid clinical decisions, Olivia also enjoys the process of establishing patient rapport during their visits. At MINDS, she hopes to expand her knowledge base by strengthening her skills in NCS/EMG, EEG, and TMS.

Outside of work, Olivia can be found taking nature photography, visiting cafes, and hanging out with her cat.

Emilie Gour

R.T.EMG/R.E.T

Emilie found her passion 5 years ago when she started the Medical Electrophysiology program at CCNB College in New-Brunswick. Following her studies she spent 3 years working in hospital and achieved national certifications in EMG and completed the requirements for the EEG national exams. Emilie is one of a handful of technologists certified in both EEG and EMG.

The goals and vision of Minds brought Emilie back to her home province. The opportunity to further her skill set by leveraging her EEG skills into providing Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation treatments for patients was a bonus.

When Emilie is not with patients you will find her out on the hiking trails or kayaking on the water.

Sarah Hallman. B.Kin.

Cardiac Electrophysiology (holter) Technologist

Registered CVT

Sarah graduated from McMaster University with a Bachelors degree in Kinesiology, followed by a diploma in Cardiovascular Technology from The McMaster/Mohawk Institute of Applied Health Sciences. She has worked at Trillium Health Partners since 2000, initially in cardiac rehab/ cardiac diagnostics, but later cross-trained into cardiac devices, and has worked as a Cardiac Device Specialist for the past 15 years. Clinical interests include arrhythmias, syncope and staying up to date by attending arrhythmia-focused conferences and seminars. Outside the hospital, Sarah enjoys fitness, cooking, reading and watching her two boys play hockey and volleyball.

Andre Prabhu B.Kin

Cardiac Electrophysiology (holter) Technologist

Andre Prabhu graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and is a registered kinesiologist with The College of Kinesiologists of Ontario. Soon after graduation, Andre began his cardiology journey as a Cardiology Rehabiliation Technologist at Trillium Health Partners and transitioned into cardiology diagnostics a year later working as a Cardiology Technologist for the past 13 years. Furthering his cardiology career, he joined GE Healthcare in 2010 where he took a position as a Clinical Application Specialist training end users on various cardiology systems – ECG machines, Holter scanning/interpretation, stress testing and ambulatory monitoring. Clinically, his interests include rhythm evaluation and interpretation and applications training. Non-clinical interests include entertaining his 22 month old daughter, fitness and nutrition, gardening, fishing and anything Porsche related.