Hello there, I’m Nadine!

About Me

Academic Background

My academic journey began with a Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) in Software Engineering from Concordia University, where I built a strong foundation in problem-solving, critical thinking, and human-centered systems design. I am now expanding on that foundation through my Master’s research at Concordia University and Mila, under the supervision of Dr. Mirco Ravanelli and Dr. Marta Kersten-Oertel, where I design clinically grounded AI systems that leverage speech as a biomarker across a range of physical and mental health conditions, with a focus on early detection, continuous monitoring, and equitable care delivery. I work closely with clinicians and researchers to ensure these systems are grounded in real-world workflows, co-designed with their users, and never positioned to replace clinician or human judgment.

My work sits at the intersection of machine learning, medicine, and ethics, with an emphasis on building explainable, uncertainty-aware systems that can adapt to diverse patient populations. I am especially passionate about creating technologies that prioritize collaboration over automation, and care over convenience. As an advocate for social impact, I am driven by projects that use AI not just to optimize, but to care.

This research is generously supported by the NSERC CGS-M federal award and the Arbour Foundation.

Shaping Technology and Research with Ethics, Accountability, and Inclusion

My approach to technology and research is shaped by formal training and hands-on learning in ethics, governance, and responsible AI. As a committed Tech Steward, I developed a deeper understanding of systemic bias in technology and the role of values-driven practice in shaping more responsible and inclusive technological systems.

I hold a TCPS 2: CORE-2022 certification in research ethics, where I learned best practices for the ethical conduct of research involving human participants, including informed consent, privacy, and fairness. This training directly informs how I approach data collection and participant-centered research in practice.

Through the World Health Organization (WHO) Academy course Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence for Health, I gained exposure to global ethical principles, governance frameworks, and regulatory considerations guiding the design and deployment of AI systems in healthcare, with an emphasis on human rights and public benefit.

In addition, I participated in Mila’s Trustworthy and Responsible AI Learning (TRAIL) program, where I learned to integrate ethical reflection, impact assessment, and risk mitigation throughout the machine learning research lifecycle, from problem formulation to downstream evaluation.

Research Experience

I am currently a Research Assistant with the Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health (CEYMH) at the Douglas Research Centre, working under the supervision of Dr. Lena Palaniyappan and Dr. Alban Voppel. I contribute to a multi-site research initiative focused on the early detection of relapse in individuals experiencing psychosis.

My role involves coordinating multisite data collection using REDCap workflows, processing and analyzing bilingual clinical speech data, and supporting the Québec Speech Bank by engineering and analyzing pipelines to clean, align, and structure longitudinal speech recordings across diverse studies. This work enables multimodal analyses of the relationships between voice, symptoms, and cognition, with the goal of supporting more predictive and compassionate mental health care.

Alongside this work, I am engaged in research at the Applied Perception Lab focused on the future of AI-driven surgical innovation and the ethical principles that should guide its development. This work explores how rapid advances in surgical AI raise questions about values, trade-offs, and decision-making as these technologies move from research into clinical practice.

My introduction to healthcare research began in 2022, when I received an NSERC USRA federal award to pursue my first research project under the supervision of Dr. Marta Kersten-Oertel at Concordia’s Applied Perception Lab. This project focused on understanding surgeons’ workflow challenges through a user-centered design approach, including the development of ventriculostomy prototypes to improve surgical efficiency.

The project culminated in a publication presented at MICCAI 2022’s EPIMI workshop. Through this work, I developed an interest in applied healthcare research and in examining how design choices, evaluation practices, and decision-making processes shape who benefits from clinical technologies and whose perspectives are represented.

Climate & Sustainability

Beyond clinical AI, I am deeply interested in how machine learning can support climate resilience and environmental decision-making. I am particularly drawn to interdisciplinary efforts that align technical innovation with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), recognizing climate action as interconnected with public health, equity, and long-term systems sustainability.

My engagement with sustainability has included involvement in Concordia-led initiatives since 2019 and participation in a hands-on AI for Climate Change program through Climate Change AI. These experiences strengthened my belief that responsible AI must extend beyond healthcare and actively engage with global challenges that shape collective wellbeing.

Honors & Awards

Arbour Foundation Master’s Scholarship
Fondation Arbour
September 2025

FRQNT B1X Award Competition
Fonds de recherche du Québec
April 2025

NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship – Master’s (CGS-M)
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
April 2024

Concordia University Special Entrance Award
Concordia University
October 2024

Bourse d’Excellence en Génie
Quebec Ministry of Education
June 2022

NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA)
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
May 2022

Leadership, Service and Engagement

Role	Affiliation	Dates of Service
Member	The Levantines	Feb 2026 – Present
Member	Association Étudiante de Mila (AÉM), Mila - Quebec AI Institute	Oct 2025 – Present
Subcommittee Member	Standing Committee on Research, Graduate Students' Association (GSA), Concordia University	Sep 2025 – Present
Member	Arbour Foundation Scholars	Sep 2025 – Present
Organizer	Brainhack MTL, Concordia University x McGill University	July 2025 – Present
Subcommittee Member	Concordia Council on Student Life (CCSL), Graduate Students' Association (GSA), Concordia University	January 2025 – April 2025
Mentee	GEMinAI Program, Concordia University's Applied AI Institute	October 2024 – April 2025
Ambassador	School of Graduate Studies, Concordia University	September 2024 – Present