Board of Directors Sonia Kandola R.N., BScN, M.N., is the Vice President of PCHS Edmonton, having a background in communicable disease, health promotion, disease prevention, and maternal/childcare nursing. Sonia completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at the University of Alberta and is primarily involved in public health matters in Edmonton and surrounding area. She completed her Master of Nursing degree with an interest in leadership and teaching. She brings her clinical skill set to our team, drawing on her knowledge of the determinants of health, quality improvement, and critical appraisal skills, and other areas as the need arises. Sonia ensures that she is informed and understands the importance of trauma-informed care. She also has experience in conflict resolution, building and maintaining community partnerships, and engaging key stakeholders, while maintaining her enthusiastic and positive nature.Sonia has deep experience working with ethno-cultural communities and desires to ensure that barriers to accessing care are reduced and marginalized communities are supported. She believes that PCHS Edmonton can improve health equity and is passionate about volunteering her skills and expertise to our team. Dr. Sara Grewal, PhD (Comparative Literature, University of Michigan) is the Secretary of PCHS Edmonton. As Associate Professor of Postcolonial Literature at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Sara’s areas of teaching and research focus on South Asian literature (with a particular focus on the Urdu ghazal, Partition literature, and Punjabi popular culture), postcolonial criticism, race and ethnicity studies, translation studies, lyric theory, and global hip hop. Sara has won the Distinguished Teaching Award and the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (I.D.E.A.) Award at MacEwan; the Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award at the University of Michigan; as well as a Fulbright award for her doctoral dissertation research. Her forthcoming book, Dis-locatia, Deterritorialization, and Diaspora in Sikh Hip Hop (co-written with Dr. Harjeet Singh Grewal) examines the expression of diasporic masculinized identities in the work of Sikh Canadian hip hop artists. Sara also teaches Punjabi and gurmat to kids aged 5-15 at the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Edmonton gurdwara Sunday school and summer camp. She has developed a unique curriculum that reworks Punjabi literacy instruction in a manner more suited to the needs of diasporic learners.Given her expertise in teaching and working with youth across a wide span of age groups, Sara is excited to continue her work by focusing on youth mentorship and supports in Edmonton. Sanjeet Sandhu, R.N, BScN, MPH. is the Treasure of PCHS Edmonton. She is excited to be on the board and working alongside passionate individuals who care for the well-being of others and are dedicated to supporting our community on a broader level. Sanjeet joins us with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing, Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Biological Science, and most recently, she completed a Master of Public Health with a focus on Social Policy. Prior to completing her Master of Public Health, Sanjeet worked as a Primary Care Nurse for 7 years, delivering primary care in the clinic setting; gaining experience in chronic disease management, mental health, healthy aging, prenatal care and women’s health. She was inspired to complete her MPH to utilize her passion for health promotion and health equity. Sanjeet is excited to bring her knowledge and experience as a Primary Care Nurse and her Master of Public health lens to the board and to support the clients who will be served by PCHS. Jesse Kaur Chana is an active board member of PCHS Edmonton. She completed her Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree with distinction from the University of Alberta in June 2021. She pursued a major in Psychology with a minor in Biological Sciences. Throughout her degree she has explored areas such as basic psychological processes, brain and behavior, as well as cognitive and developmental psychology. She has spent time volunteering with children with autism, served as a peer-mentor in the community, and has been an executive member on the Canadian Blood Services Youth Committee. She is an Undergraduate Academic Scholarship recipient, a Jason Lang Scholarship recipient, and a Dean’s List Honoree. She is passionate about working in healthcare and giving back to the community. She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree at the University of Alberta. With her degree she hopes to spend time providing dental care for those in need and working towards establishing equity in dental care amongst Canadians. She is excited to be involved in upcoming initiatives with PCHS and is highly motivated to engage with and provide support to Edmonton youth. As a recipient of Queen’s Diamond Jubilee award and the Premiers Award for Community Services, Baldev Mutta has been in the field of community activism for the last 45+ years. With a background in social work, he is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Punjabi Community Health Services (PCHS). PCHS is a Health Service Provider in the Central Region of Ontario Health. He has received many community awards for his work on equity, community development, diversity management, and organizational change. He is often sought out as a speaker of health equity issues. He is passionate about helping the community and developing youth activities to take on the fight against injustice and health inequity. He lives in Brampton and in his spare time plays with his three grandchildren. Raji Sidhu is a board member and a key officer representing the PCHS affiliates across the network. During her tenure in the finance field, she developed a passion for marketing and creating strategies to both maintain and develop relationships. Her strength lies in demonstrating initiatives and has been repeatedly recognized for her strong communication, versatility and willingness to face new challenges.