The People Behind Vitiligo Voices Canada
Get to Know Us
Omar Sharife
Co-Founder & President
Omar Sharife grew up in Vancouver, Canada, and developed vitiligo around the age of 19. It first appeared as a small, heart-shaped spot in the middle of his forehead. After years of light treatments and topical creams, the mark eventually faded but not before deeply affecting his confidence and self-image. For years, Omar tried to hide his vitiligo, even using makeup to conceal the patches.
Through his 20s and 30s, he was able to keep most of his vitiligo hidden under clothing, but growing spots on his hands and around his lips caused increasing anxiety. His world changed dramatically in his late 30s when vitiligo reappeared on his face, spreading quickly across his nose, forehead, eyes, and neck. No longer able to conceal it, Omar faced a period of deep depression and intense social anxiety.
By chance, in his early 40s, Omar was cast in a commercial for a new vitiligo treatment which he later learned was Opzelura. The commercial first aired during the Super Bowl halftime show in 2023, a surreal turning point in his journey. This experience connected him to the global vitiligo advocacy community and opened his eyes to the lack of dedicated support in Canada.
In 2024, Omar co-founded Vitiligo Voices Canada, the country’s first national non-profit support network for people living with vitiligo. As President, he leads the organization in raising awareness, building community, and amplifying the voices of those living with vitiligo across Canada and around the world.
Parsa Abdi
Co-Founder
Parsa Abdi does not have vitiligo himself, but his connection to the condition began early. His sister was diagnosed when they were young, and seeing her navigate the subtle shifts in confidence and the quiet emotional weight of being visibly different left a lasting impression on him. Years later, when a close friend shared his own diagnosis, it reinforced for Parsa how isolating vitiligo can feel, even for the people he knew best.
These experiences shaped how he came to understand visible differences long before he ever considered a career in medicine. As he moved through medical school, that early awareness grew into a deeper interest in the stories, emotions, and lived experiences behind vitiligo, not just the clinical aspects. He saw how much it meant for people to have community, representation, and a space where they did not have to explain themselves.
Parsa went on to co-found Vitiligo Voices Canada, helping build the country’s first national support network dedicated to individuals living with vitiligo. As a medical student and longtime advocate, he has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed publications in vitiligo and continues to work where patient experience and scientific progress meet. Parsa approaches his role with humility, seeing himself as an ally whose purpose is to listen, support, and amplify the voices of those with lived experience.
Shahnawaz Towheed
Co-Founder
When Shahnawaz Towheed was six, white patches began appearing across his dark brown skin, a change that would eventually lead to universal vitiligo by the time he turned eleven. Growing up South Asian in Canada, he found himself caught between two versions of visibility: being seen too much for his difference and not enough for who he was. The loss of pigment reshaped not only his appearance but his sense of identity, belonging, and confidence.
Years of navigating stares, teasing, and quiet self-consciousness instilled in him an empathy that would later define his work. What once felt like isolation evolved into a drive to make others feel less alone.
Today, Shahnawaz is a medical student and advocate whose work explores the psychological and social dimensions of living with visible difference. As Co-Founder of Vitiligo Voices Canada and a member of the Vitiligo Society’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Panel (UK), he works to create spaces where patient stories are valued alongside science. His advocacy bridges continents but stays rooted in a single idea: that healing begins when people feel seen, heard, and understood.
