Meet Our Team
We want to help you!
Our multidisciplinary team strives to help you proactively self-manage your lifestyle behaviours and health
Dr. David Alter
MD, PhD, FRCPC
Dr. David Alter is the founder of My Heart Fitness (MHF). He is a practicing Cardiologist, research scientist, and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Alter’s research spans across many disciplines including cardiovascular health services and outcomes, population health, health systems research, cardiac rehabilitation and prevention. Dr. Alter brought over 25 years of clinical and research experience, and created, validated, and implemented MHF within a learning health management ecosystem. As a musician and songwriter, Dr. Alter has incorporated music into medicine through the application of rhythmic music auditory stimulation - - a technique which has been implemented within MHF learning digital platform to improve exercise behaviours and performance. Dr. Alter has published approximately 200 scholarly peer-reviewed papers, and has held research chairs with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and the University of Toronto
Dr. Ravi Bajaj
*Bio coming soon*
Joanne Berardi
Registered Kinesiologist (R. Kin)
Joanne is a Registered Kinesiologist, Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist with over 20 years of clinical experience in chronic disease management. With a professional background and focus in cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation as well as working with high risk patients, Joanne has a deep passion in helping patients improve their health and manage their chronic condition(s) through evidence-based exercise treatment plans. Joanne has obtained her Honours Bachelor of Kinesiology degree from McMaster University and her Exercise Physiologist certification through the American College of Sports Medicine. She has also completed her Diabetes Educator certification program from the Michener Institute, and Training Enhancement in Applied Cessation Counselling and Health certification program from the University of Toronto (Faculty of Medicine). Outside of work, Joanne is a passionate soccer mom! She enjoys spending time with her family and friends and hitting the trails on her bike.
Karma Gajjar
Registered Kinesiologist (R.Kin)
Karma graduated from the University of Waterloo with a B.Sc. in Honours Kinesiology. She then went and pursued a post graduate certificate in Exercise Science and Lifestyle Management at Humber before becoming a Registered Kinesiologist. Kinesiology was the choice for Karma as she always enjoyed playing sports growing up and gained further interest in the science behind it! In 2016, Karma began her career at a private physiotherapy clinic and continues to teach therapeutic exercise to those with musculoskeletal injuries alongside the physiotherapists. She then joined My Heart Fitness in 2018 where she educates on the importance of exercise and provides exercise prescriptions for primary and secondary prevention of chronic diseases. In this role, Karma has also gained further interest in Diabetes Management and Education and hopes to pursue further in this area. Karma enjoys helping people achieve their fitness goals and to help people become more active throughout the day. After work, you can find Karma at the gym so she can end her day on a strong note! During the summer months, she enjoys biking, playing recreational sports outdoors and enjoys the local trails. However, as the weather cools down, the oven heats up and Karma starts on her baking!
Andrew Serediuk
Registered Kinesiology (R.Kin)
Andrew graduated from Ontario Tech University with a Bachelors degree in Health Science in 2015 and a postgraduate certificate Exercise Science and Lifestyle Management from Humber College in 2017. Andrew’s interest in Kinesiology stemmed from the support he received from many different physical therapists throughout his life due to injuries while playing sports. He started his career in private clinics and a hospital setting where he gained experience training and rehabilitating all different types of clients and patients.
Andrew has been working in cardiac rehabilitation and prevention for chronic conditions for 5 years and Orthopaedic rehabilitation for 3 years.
Andrew’s passions include travelling, playing soccer and broadening his professional skill set.
Kristel Fernandes
Registered Kinesiologist (R.Kin)
Kristel is a Registered Kinesiologist with the My Heart Fitness Clinic. Having worked within the field of cardiac rehabilitation and chronic disease management for 5 years, her passion for helping people set and achieve their goals is unwavering. After completing an Undergraduate degree at the University of Waterloo she pursued a post graduate certificate at Humber College that gave her an incredible sense of the field of Kinesiology. Having worked in various clinical settings such as Physiotherapy and cardiac rehabilitation, she has been able to expand her knowledge base and get hands-on experience working with a variety of populations and musculoskeletal injuries. She is exceptionally passionate about sports, particularly soccer and arsenal football club, and often uses her passion to drive further education and relate training methods to higher capacity individuals as well. Her love for sports gave her a better understanding of the human body, how much our bodies are able to tolerate and how best to nurture it when injured to return to health. When she’s not at the clinic, she can be found playing soccer and volleyball, and often camping during the summer months. She loves spending time with her family, especially her nieces and nephews, and understands that family time is as important as exercise is for overall health and well being. She looks forward to meeting you and getting you moving towards your MET-minute targets and having a blast doing it!
Christine Tsilas
Registered Dietitian (RD)
Christine Tsilas is a Registered Dietitian and has been a member of the My Heart Fitness (MHF) team since 2021. She grew up eating homemade traditional Greek foods, which sparked her love for food and nutrition. She obtained an Honors Bachelor of Science (HBSc) degree in Nutrition, Neuroscience, and Psychology from the University of Toronto in 2014, followed by an HBSc specializing in Nutrition and Dietetics from Western University. She then spent a year managing a Café & Juice bar inside of a downtown Toronto fitness club. She completed a Master of Science in Foods and Nutrition (MScFN) and Dietetic Internship at Western University in 2019, with clinical rotations in post-acute care rehab, oncology, and diabetes education. Prior to joining MHF, she worked as a Retail Dietitian at Sobeys, as well as in nutrition research at the University of Toronto and St. Michael’s Hospital. She loves helping people enjoy food and find eating patterns that work for them. Her favourite things to eat (almost daily) include dark chocolate and espresso. In her spare time, she travels to Greece and enjoys the local fresh foods.
Rachel Troshupa
Registered Dietitian (RD)
Rachel is a Registered Dietitian, and member of the My Heart Fitness team. She loves helping others include more delicious and heart-healthy foods each day, while also maintaining a balanced approach to healthy eating. She earned her Bachelor of Science at Brescia University College with an Honours Specialization in Nutrition and Dietetics after which she completed her dietetic internship at London Health Sciences Centre. She has completed training in motivational interviewing and is dedicated to helping people implement long-term nutritional changes that last a lifetime. In her spare time, Rachel enjoys running, rewatching episodes of The Office, and enjoys a piece (or two) of chocolate.
Ram Bala
*Bio coming soon*