Current Residents
Dr. Neelam Minhas
FellowshipBiography: Neelam is from the Northern Interior of British Columbia. She completed medical school within the Northern Medical Program (NMP) at UBC, and then completed residency in PM&R at Western University. She is the current fellowship recipient for the Merz Canadian Physiatrists Research and Development Foundation (CPRDF) CPRDF Neurorehabilitation Fellowship in Spasticity. Her current key areas of interest include electrodiagnostic medicine, acquired brain injury, and spasticity. She enjoys films, food, and walking along Springbank Park.
Dr. Rylie Bonkowski
PGY5Biography: Rylie grew up in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and attended the University of Saskatchewan for medical school. She enjoys working in many different areas within the scope of a Physiatrist, including musculoskeletal, amputee, and neurorehabilitation along with electrodiagnostics. Outside of medicine, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family. Her hobbies include reading, baking, and crocheting.
Dr. Aleksandra Rakic
PGY4Biography: Aleksandra grew up in London, Ontario and completed both her undergrad and Master's in Kinesiology at Western before continuing her medical studies in London as well. Her clinical interests include stroke, acquired brain injury and musculoskeletal injuries. Her research has looked at patient satisfaction with post-stroke telerehabilitation and QI initiatives with switching eligible spinal cord injury patients from low molecular weight heparin to a direct oral anticoagulant. Outside of medicine her interests include weight training, playing basketball, drawing, taking long outdoor walks, travelling, watching anime, and spending time with friends and family.
Dr. Imran Bagha
PGY4Biography: Imran grew up in Sudbury, Ontario but has lived across the province including high school in Stouffville, undergrad at Guelph (Go Gryphons!), and medical school in Thunder Bay. His path to medicine was not typical; he completed an undergrad degree in philosophy and a Master’s in business. Outside of medicine, he enjoys volunteering, travelling, and playing rugby.
Dr. Jin Jeon
PGY3Biography: Jin grew up in Richmond Hill, Ontario, and completed medical school at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. His current clinical interest is in the comprehensive management and rehabilitation of patients with chronic pain. He also has an interest in peripheral nerve and electrodiagnostic medicine. His research focuses on comparing different radiofrequency ablation techniques for facetogenic low back pain. Outside of medicine, he enjoys watching sports, photography, travelling, and spending time with family and friends.
Dr. Robert Thomas
PGY3Biography: Robert grew up in Guelph, Ontario and worked as a dietitian before he completed medical school at the University of Calgary. His clinical interests include musculoskeletal medicine, ultrasound-guided procedures, electrodiagnostics, and headache. Outside of medicine, he spends much of his time raising his four children with his wife. When time allows, he enjoys carpentry, home construction projects, and maintaining an active lifestyle through CrossFit training.
Dr. Eric Lin
PGY2Biography: Eric is originally from Brandon, Manitoba, but has now been in London since undergrad. After completing his undergraduate degree in Medical Sciences, he went on to attend medical school at Schulich and now continues his Western journey in residency. In his spare time, he loves watching movies, playing video games, and generally doing nothing productive.
Dr. Laura Koch
PGY2Biography: Laura grew up in Kingston, Ontario and completed both her undergraduate and graduate studies at Queen’s University before moving to Toronto for medical school at the University of Toronto. Her research interests focus on optimizing participation in physical activity for people with physical and intellectual disabilities. Outside of medicine, Laura enjoys running, practicing yoga, and listening to podcasts on long walks outdoors.
Dr. Paary Balakumar
PGY1Biography: Paary is from Stouffville, Ontario and went to McGill University for his undergraduate degree, University of Montreal for his Master’s and McMaster for medical school. His clinical interests include chronic pain management and neurorehabilitation. He also has a special interest in pedagogical research. In his free time, likes playing sports, video games, and photography… as long as he isn’t taking a nap.
Dr. Rani Rassam
PGY1Biography: Rani grew up in Mississauga, Ontario and completed his undergraduate studies in Kinesiology at McMaster University. He attended medical school at the Schulich school of Medicine & Dentistry where he will continue his journey in residency. His current areas of clinical interest include musculoskeletal medicine, ultrasound guided procedures, and electrodiagnostics. In his spare time, he enjoys playing soccer, rock climbing, spending time with family, travelling, and watching TV shows.
