Our research group operates out of Saint Paul’s Hospital in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. The diversity of skill sets and experiences allow us to explore issues challenging people living with HIV through multiple avenues. Within our group, we have individuals skilled in epidemiological methods, statistics, and mathematics.
Meet our research team below.
Dr. Viviane Lima, PhD MSc
Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine
Interesting Fact: Viviane loves reading, kayaking, walking her dog Zoe and riding her motorcycle.
Jielin Zhu, PhD MSc
Clara (Lu) Wang, MSc
About Clara Wang: Clara is a member of the EMBARC team and a statistician at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. She holds an MSc degree in Statistics from Simon Fraser University and an MSc degree in Mathematics from the Memorial University of Newfoundland. She has been providing statistical support for a variety of cohort studies and research on administrative data. Her research interests include statistical inference, modern statistical modelling, biostatistics and research in epidemiology.
Hasan Nathani, MSc
About Hasan Nathani: Hasan is a member of the EMBARC team and a statistician at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. He holds an MSc and BSc degree in Statistics from Simon Fraser University. Before joining the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Hasan had worked as a statistician at the BC Centre for Heart Lung Innovation and Fraser Health Authority. His research interests include multilevel modeling, sports analytics, biostatistics and research in epidemiology.
Bronhilda Takeh, MD, MPH
About Bronhilda Takeh: Bronhilda graduated from the UBC MPH program. She was a Graduate Research Assistant at the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and now joins the EMBARC team as an epidemiologist. Prior to pursuing her master’s degree, she worked as a physician in Cameroon, where she supported the delivery of HIV management strategies. Her current research interest focuses on chronic diseases among the aging population of people living with HIV/AIDS.
Interesting Fact: Bronhilda enjoys singing, cooking, and she also has a passion for adventure.
Carly Magee, PhD
About Carly Magee: Carly is an epidemiologist with the EMBARC team and the Epidemiology and Population Health program at the BC Center for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. Carly completed her PhD at the School of Population and Public Health (SPPH) at UBC and a post-doctoral fellowship at the Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes (CAHO) at St. Paul’s Hospital. Her research currently focuses on the impact of physical and mental comorbidities on health outcomes among people with HIV.
Interesting Fact: Carly enjoys hiking, biking and cuddling with her cat.
Jintong Yan, MSc
About Jintong Yan: Jintong graduated from the Statistics program at UBC. She is a member of the EMBARC team and a statistician at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. Before pursuing her master’s degree, she worked as a data analyst in China, supporting risk management. Her research interests include statistical modelling, survival analysis, and biostatistical epidemiological research.
Interesting Fact: Jintong enjoys cooking, travelling, and reading, and she adores her little kitten.
Ali Mokhtari, PhD
About Ali Mokhtari: Ali is a Mathematical Modeler in the EMBARC research group at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. He completed his PhD in theoretical physics at Simon Fraser University. His current interest is in applying mathematical and AI models to predict the dynamics of complex and chaotic systems, with a particular focus on epidemics of infectious diseases. His previous research spans quantum many-body systems, quantum foundations/gravity, and the use of AI in quantum many-body systems and economic forecasting.
Interesting Fact: Ali enjoys watching movies, cooking, adventuring, and engaging in discussions on logic and philosophy.
Xinmiao Wang, MSc
About Xinmiao Wang: Xinmiao is a Statistician at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, contributing to the EMBARC research team. She earned her MSc in Statistics from the University of British Columbia and a BSc from Simon Fraser University. Her professional passion centers on applying advanced statistical methodologies and consulting to advance public health research. She currently focuses on enhancing statistical methods and exploring causal inference to deepen our understanding of healthcare challenges, particularly in HIV/AIDS research.
Interesting Fact: Xinmiao enjoys exploring the great outdoors through snowboarding, hiking, and kayaking, and is also enthusiastic about street and food photography.
Our students
As key members of our research team, graduate students working under Dr. Lima can build their analytical and research skills through hands-on experience as a Graduate Research Assistant at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. Additional opportunities to participate in our research are made to medical students through clinical rotations and elective courses.
To learn more about our current students and past alumni, please explore our Education and Training
Felipe Duailibe, MSc
About Felipe Duailibe: Felipe is a research assistant in the EMBARC team. He completed his Master’s in Experimental Medicine at the University of British Columbia. He focused on understanding the impact of syndemic factors on HIV sexual risk among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. Felipe has also contributed to major research initiatives, including COVID-19 therapeutic trials and public health surveillance in Brazil.
Interesting Fact: Felipe is very passionate about videogames. He considers himself a gamer, but not a good one.