Meet Our Team & Partners
Our interdisciplinary team is global in reach, with roots in Egypt and Canada.
Matilda Taylor
President, Board Member
Matilda Taylor is laboratory research assistant at the BC Center for Excellence in HIV and Aids. She recently graduated from Quest University Canada where she focused her studies on microbiology and immunology centering around the Dengue Virus. Her interest in global health and infectious disease led her to learn about the Trachoma. Her passion for bringing awareness to this issue was sparked from the realization that there are millions of people unnecessarily losing their vision and experiencing intense pain due to a disease that we know how to treat and prevent. This ultimately led to her co-founding Collaborative Vision Foundation.
Yassin Nayel
Vice-President, Board Member
Yassin Nayel is an Egyptian student in his second year of medical school at the American University of the Caribbean. Born and raised in Cairo, Egypt, Yassin found his passion for Global Health early in life. Throughout his adolescence, Yassin traveled back and forth between Egypt and Germany highlighting the disproportionate burden of diseases shared by countries of the Global South. At the moment, while pursuing his medical degree, he is constantly working with the aim of providing equal treatment of infectious diseases worldwide. As a co-founder of Collaborative Vision, he is a driver helping to bridge the gap between countries and cultures. His care for this issue drives us constantly to turn words into action.
Ned Taylor
Treasurer, Board Member
Ned Taylor is a third year Civil Engineering Student at the University of British Columbia. He is constantly pushing himself to embrace uncomfortable situations to grow his abilities and meet new people. When not immersed in his studies, you can catch him outdoors, playing the piano, or building a canoe out of concrete. His passion for using technology to create positive change in the world is what led him to join Collaborative Vision as Treasurer.
Moe Nayel
Board Member
Moe Nayel is a Process Lead at AstraZeneca’s biologics production facility in Maryland. He graduated from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) with a degree in Chemical Engineering and a minor in economics. His drive to make a meaningful impact on the lives of patients around the world led him to join collaborative vision.
Sally Kenawy, MD.
Board Member
Dr. Sally Kenawy is a passionate Paediatrician, practicing medicine in Toronto, Canada. She graduated from St. George’s University School of Medicine and completed her Paediatric residency at SUNY Downstate Medical Centre in Brooklyn, New York. Sally’s passion extends beyond children’s health, entailing a vision to eliminate health inequalities locally and globally. Her Egyptian heritage and lifelong goal of improving health outcomes in underserved areas including Egypt is what prompt her to join forces with Collaborative Vision.
Katie Verigin
Board Member
Katie is a communications designer focused on inclusion and wellbeing. She works with health researchers at the BC SUPPORT Unit to communicate their methodologies. In addition to that, she works with Awake Labs, a wearable technology company helping to increase independence for adults with developmental disabilities. Katie holds a Bachelor’s of Arts and Sciences from Quest University Canada with a focus on critical race and international political economy. Katie supports the website and digital presence of Collaborative Vision Foundation.
Sidney Sponer
Secretary, Board Member
Sidney Sponer is a Master of Art’s student in English and Film at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. She recently graduated from Quest University Canada where she focussed on literature and cultural studies. Her interest in healthcare is rooted in an understanding of the social factors which lead to issues with prevention and treatment of disease. Her experience working with non-profits throughout B.C. and in communications work at Quest University have culminated in her position as Secretary on the board of the Collaborative Vision Foundation.
Michael Taylor, PhD.
Board Advisor
Over the past 25 years Dr. Taylor has been a consultant to the wastewater treatment industry. He has worked towards raising wastewater treatment standards and gained an appreciation of the health aspects of wastewater treatment. The condition of wastewater that we dispose of in our natural environment has both environmental and human health ramifications. He is grateful to have this opportunity to serve on the board of directors in recognition of the high standard of health that he and his community enjoy. He hopes that one day we will all have the same level of health care that is available here in Canada. Much of his free time is spent slipping off rock faces, turning around before confronting difficult mountain passages or being sea sick on sailboats.
Partners
Amr Nayel, MD, MSc, MBBCh
Dr. Nayel is our ophthalmologist on the ground in Egypt. Dr. Amr Nayel is a vitreoretinal specialist in Cairo, Egypt. With over 35 years of experience in ophthalmic surgery, he is one of the most well-known and respected names in ophthalmology in Egypt. Upon graduating from Cairo University, he completed his residency training under the guidance of Dr. Bahy-El-Dine Shalash, the former chair of the ophthalmology department. He pursued his fellowship in vitreoretinal surgery at the esteemed Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University and later became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeon in Edinburgh. Currently he is the President and Chief Medical Officer at the Nayel Eye Center.
Dr. Nayel generously donates his time and clinics partnering with Collaborative Vision targeting advanced trachoma cases. Whether that be by donating resources at the clinics, diagnosing patients, or coordinating surgical procedures for patients at hospitals, Collaborative Vision is grateful for the opportunities his support provides. His expertise, generosity, and enthusiasm greatly facilitates our goal to fund high quality trachoma diagnosis and treatments for those unable to afford it.