
Mary Pressley Vyas – Co-Founder, President, and Board Chair
Mary Vyas is the President and Co-Founder of PSC Partners Seeking a Cure Canada.
She recently joined the US affiliate PSC Partners Seeking a Cure staff as the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. Mary leads the development and execution of key strategies that align with the organization’s long-term goals.
As a member of the research team, Mary oversees the patient registry. She represents both PSC Partners and PSC Partners Canada externally, for example at the PSC Forum through the Center for Collaborative Research, as well as at professional conferences across the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
Mary is the patient-partner Principal Investigator on a team research grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative aimed at clarifying the cellular mechanisms of pediatric PSC and identifying potential cellular targets for effective therapies.
Mary’s commitment to the organization stems from the profound impact PSC has had on her family’s life when her teenager was diagnosed with PSC.
Mary and her husband Jay are proud parents of two young adults. They spend their time between their home in Toronto, Canada, and their home away from home in San Francisco, California.

Eve Jedrzejewska – Co-Founder and Treasurer
Eve is the Co-Founder and Treasurer of PSC Partners Canada. She has been involved with the U.S. and Canadian charities since 2008. Eve is the parent of a young adult with PSC who was diagnosed at the age of 4.
Eve is a senior executive with one of Canada’s large banks. Eve’s career in financial services spans over 20 years and covers capital markets, institutional wealth management, operational risk, compliance and finance, as well as assurance services in the financial sector at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
In addition to PSC Partners Canada, Eve has been active in her community more broadly, including sitting on other boards. Eve is a graduate of University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Commerce degree (double specialist in Economics) and is a CA, CPA as well as a CFA charter holder.

Rachel Gomel – Secretary
Rachel’s commitment to PSC Partners began in 2008 when she attended her first PSC conference. Her career had been centered on academic research, but when PSC sadly appeared in her family, all her passion and drive shifted to PSC. In her 17 years volunteering for PSC Partners, she founded the PSC Partners Patient Registry and continues to lead it as Registry Director.
Rachel has been involved in other major PSC Partners initiatives. She serves on the steering committee of the PSC Forum, supports relationships with biotech and pharma, and led PSC Partners’ participation in the Rare As One initiative. She serves on both the PSC Partners and the PSC Partners Canada Board of Directors.
Rachel holds a Master’s degree in English Literature, and her Ph.D. (in Philosophy of History, Comparative Literature, and Literary Criticism) from McGill University earned her three Canada Council awards. Pre-PSC Partners, she was a researcher, advised and mentored college-bound young people, organized self-help workshops and conference series, and created programs to support single moms with special-need children.
Her husband, three children, seven grandchildren, and her PSC Partners family are the centre of her life.

Sandy VanOstrand – Board Member
Sandy guides the PSC Partners Canada fundraising efforts as Chair of the Fundraising Committee.
She graduated with Highest Distinction from the University of Arizona, earning a B.Sc. in Health Education and a M.Sc. in Exercise Physiology. She followed that with a counselling degree from the University of British Columbia. While working during the last twenty years as a counsellor of young children, Sandy was instrumental in many large community projects involving the environment, baseball, badminton, community building, and the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
After her son’s PSC diagnosis (who was a student athlete on a baseball scholarship), Sandy put her efforts into fundraising for PSC Partners Canada including the first online auction in 2021. Sandy offers guidance to community members who wish to hold their own fundraisers to benefit PSC Partners Canada, sharing what she’s learned after leading successful events.
Sandy VanOstrand lives in Richmond, British Columbia.

Richard Ayuen – Board Member
Richard’s passion in life is helping people to be the best they can be. Being involved with the PSC family and as director on the PSC Partners Canada Board of Directors has been most rewarding. Richard is a business executive with 25+ years of leadership experience and earned an MBA from the Ivey School of Business. He also brings a wealth of knowledge from his involvement and work with other advisory boards and committees. Richard and his family are also involved with the Canadian Liver Foundation (CLF), Canadian Transplant Association (CTA) and SickKids Hospital in Toronto and were also one of the recipients of the PSC Canadian Pioneer Award for their volunteer work. Richard’s son was first diagnosed with PSC in 2009 and within a year, he was given 6 months to live unless he received a liver transplant. In 2010 he received a new lease on life as Richard donated 71% of his liver. As a caregiver, a father and a live donor, Richard has gained a lot of knowledge, perspective and insight on how to navigate the rough seas and how to make the best out of each and every day. In 2013, Matthew received another lease on life with a 2nd transplant.
Richard and his wife currently live in Coquitlam, British Columbia.

Matthew Hodgson – Board Member
Matt joined the PSC Partners Canada Board of Directors in 2025 after becoming involved with PSC Partners Canada as a patient and then later as a volunteer. Matt has first hand experience with PSC, receiving his diagnosis as a young adult in 2015.
Matt’s professional background includes a series of business development roles with both small and multinational companies. His experience extends into the world of start-ups and entrepreneurship, co-founding multiple businesses. Matt holds a Bachelor of Commerce and MBA from the University of Alberta. He’s currently the Director of Advisory Services for a boutique Canadian advisory firm specializing in the valuation and mergers and acquisitions of independent pharmacies.
After learning of his PSC diagnosis in his early 20s, Matt found PSC Partners to be a tremendous resource for understanding the disease and quickly became a participant in the Patient Registry. Matt began volunteering with the communications team for PSC Partners Canada in 2022 and expanded his volunteer role through the ZoomRoom peer sessions as well as the 2023 and 2024 PSC Partners Annual Conference. Matt is passionate about patient participation in academic and clinical research to further the search for a cure.
Matt lives in Edmonton with his wife and new daughter.