Celebrating Pride at MedsEXPERT: Meet our team!
At MedsEXPERT Clinic + Pharmacy, we believe in healthcare and support for everyone! This includes creating a safe, stigma-free, inclusive and affirming space for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
Pride is a celebration of love in its purest form. It is the time to take a pause in our busy lives, reflect and acknowledge the love and care we have for one another. We are social beings who thrive on connections, acceptance and relationships; and Pride is the best time to remember to spread as much love as we can. Inclusive healthcare during Pride means affirming, assuring and respectful support that recognizes 2SLGBTQIA+ needs without judgement. Whether it be using the correct pronouns, or understanding specific mental health disparities, or ensuring safe + accessible treatment for all — it is important to bridge the gap between traditional healthcare views and evolving needs of the community.
Pride 2025 is MedsEXPERT’s seventh pride and we are more than excited to celebrate not only our commitment to inclusive care, but also the incredible team members who make this possible. Each staff member brings their heart to work and dedicates their time here to help and accommodate patients. Here is how some of our team are celebrating Pride this season and a little window into who they are!
Niloufar Navab (she / her)
Pharmacy Assistant
To be who you wanna be, and love whom you fall for, regardless of what society tells you to do! That’s what pride means to me. Working in a stigma free environment at medsEXPERT, I feel privileged to spend this year’s pride in the heart of the community and with the community!
This year, I’ll celebrate 🌈 with the other team members at medsEXPERT and I’m excited to enjoy the vibe.
My go-to song for pride is always Boy George and anything Freddie Mercury/David Bowie collab. LOL
I think I would have wanted to be Marcel Proust, if I could switch lives with a queer person, dead of course.
Happy PRIDE and shine like shooting stars!
Tower Li (he/him)
Pharmacist / Designated Manager
Pride is loving, laughing, and living as who you are & who you want to be. I am celebrating this Pride by embracing the serenity & joy in my day-to-day life and sharing it with those around me!
Happy PRIDE 2025 from our medsEXPERT family!
Arnold Ruste (he / him)
Pharmacist / Clinic Manager
Pride is about uplifting others to live their true authentic selves and being visible. It’s a celebration of joy, resilience, and chosen family, especially in healthcare spaces where inclusion can be life-saving. As a sex-positive organization, we strive to ensure all our clients are tested and ready for the festivities to come, not just in June, but all-year round.
I celebrate Pride by surrounding myself with community, and the iconic sounds of Whitney Houston, “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay (Thunderpuss Remix) and The Veronicas, “Untouched”.
Prachi Nepal (she / her)
Pharmacy Assistant
Pride to me is a celebration and acknowledgement of queer history and progress. It’s a radical, uncensored showing of joy and defiance in the face of generations of persecution. Inclusive healthcare looks like creating spaces that enable everyone to show up as their most authentic selves to access care.
One of my favourite portrayals of queer love in mainstream media is the San Junipero episode of Black Mirror -- it's such a sweet and joyful portrayal of sapphic love with a happy ending. In my personal life, I’m celebrating pride by reading The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai and Annabel by Kathleen Winter.
HAPPY PRIDE 🌈 2025 and for years and years to come!
Sanjana Kikkeri (she / her)
Pharmacy / Clinic Assistant
Pride, to me, means embracing who you are without any apology! It focuses on love, identity, and individuality in all forms. Pride is a reminder to be who you are authentically without any judgement or fear and to spread positivity all around.
This is my first Pride at MedsEXPERT and I am super excited to be part of the team! I celebrate Pride every year by supporting local queer businesses and the parade. It is a tradition amongst me and my friends to dress up in fun colours with cute makeup and cheer on.
My favourite queer character in a TV show is Captain Holt from Brooklyn 99. As a gay, black police officer he portrays the several issues in law enforcement, while also being strong and resilient!
Aliana (Ali) Dhalla (she/her)
Pharmacy Assistant
Pride to me is a celebration of queerness and love. It’s a time when we embrace the entirety of our individual identities together. Pride is a time to celebrate the history of our community and acknowledge the individuals who fought and continue to fight for equity. Pride has helped me be proud of who I am and shown me the importance of being my full, authentic self.
Being a part of the team at medsEXPERT has been such a great experience, the love we have for our community shines through everything we do. I celebrate pride with my friends and family always with a fresh haircut 😋
Aysan Tafazoli (she/her)
Pharmacist
To me, Pride is about visibility, empowerment, and recognizing the right to live authentically - and proudly - every day of the year! It’s a time to celebrate identity and honour those who’ve fought for equality in the face of defiance. As a pharmacist, I strive to promote a safe, inclusive space where everyone can access compassionate care free stigma or discrimination. Pride is a powerful reminder that healthcare is not one-size-fits-all. It means creating a space where people feel seen, heard, and safe - where their identities and relationships are respected, and their care is tailored to each individual need without judgement. Playlist this Pride: Anything vintage Britney!
