Two candidates are contesting the role of vice-president (operations) of the Health Sciences Society (HSS), both set on making the health sciences student body a closer community.
Akhila Challa and Zara Zafar, both HealthSci ’28, are running for the position of vice-president (operations) of the HSS for the upcoming school year. The Journal was provided a statement from each candidate regarding their plans and hopes for what they’ll achieve if elected.
The vice-president (operations) manages HSS internal operations and oversees the Finance, Clubs and Marketing commissions, and the initiatives they run.
Akhila Challa
Having been part of the HSS for the last two years, serving as both first- and second-year representatives, Challa was motivated to run because of her own troubles navigating university resources in her first-year, prior to being involved with HSS.
She stated that the pillars her campaign is built around, which she coined her “three keys to success,” are operational visibility, fostering community, and increasing student engagement.
Challa plans to continue current initiatives, including the Google Calendar where all HSS events are centralized, but she also plans to implement new ones. This includes “resource nights,” which she describes as similar to the orientation expo at the BHSc orientation, an event where first-year students are introduced to some of the academic and student wellness resources that Queen’s has to offer, but she plans to have them “aimed at students in all years, providing resources at Queen’s, Kingston, and beyond”.
Challa also plans to improve many current vice-president (operations) initiatives, including building on event bursaries and marketing initiatives to create more “centralized resources” to better fit student needs, increase funding through investments, and provide increased bursary options and opportunities so “students can connect with their peers and thrive.”
Challa identified the most important part of her platform is her dedication to the student body and their needs, adding she “will strive to keep myself, and the HSS, accountable and driven.”
Zara Zafar
Zafar is currently the HSS marketing commissioner, where she has worked with clubs, committees, and HSS executives to improve outreach, visibility, and student engagement. It was through this experience she became motivated to run, as she saw how student feedback could influence initiatives and increase participation.
The pillars of Zafar’s campaign are increasing engagement, improving transparency, and strengthening collaboration across the HSS council and committees.
If elected, Zafar plans to implement centralized systems, which includes a shared clubs calendar to allow health science students to become more involved in clubs, improved support for incoming students through mentorship programs and up to date information, and executive office hours. She plans to utilize engagement metrics, such as post-event surveys and feedback forms, to assess impact and areas of interest for improvement.
She also identified the need for clearer communication, noting that many of the strong services offered by the HSS “often go underutilized”. She emphasized engaging in meaningful dialogue and transparency, to ensure the needs of the health science student body are met.
Zafar said that the most important part of her platform is her “commitment to listening and putting students first”, while building systems that work for present and future students.
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Voting will take place between Jan. 30 and Feb. 1.
Tags
Elections 2026, HSS elections, HSS executive, HSS Vice-President (Operations)
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