2023 Speaker

Mackenzie Salt (PhD) is an Autistic autism researcher and a CIHR Postdoctoral Health System Impact Fellow alumnus with the McMaster University Autism Research Team and the Autism Alliance of Canada.

Lori Vitale Cox, Director, Eastern Door Center

Linda is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy (SPOT) at McGill University. Her current research focuses on engaging interested parties (including youth, siblings, families, healthcare professionals, civil societies, and policy makers) in patient-oriented research projects and policy to support children with disabilities and their families.

Kristy Wolfe’s experience as a medical mom lies at the heart of her passion for supporting caregivers and healthcare providers through storytelling initiatives. Her lived experience as both a family caregiver and an advocate for mental health following her father’s suicide has led Kristy to a variety of roles as a speaker, facilitator and educator. 

Kristy Timmons, Queen's University

Kristina McGuire is a champion for patient-oriented research and Patient and Family Centered Care. She is the mother to two exceptional children; one child with severe medical complexity and both with neurological and developmental differences.

Konstandina Bakopanos, Junior Assistant, The Canadian Neurodevelopmental Research Training Platform (CanNRT)

Kim Hesketh, Lead, Clinical Modernization, CTN

My name is Kelsey! I have cerebral palsy. I have completed my bachelors degree in Psychology at the University of Guelph, my Master of Arts in Sociology at the University of Ottawa and I am currently a PhD student at the University of Ottawa in the discipline of Rehabilitation Sciences.

Katie oversees the research projects in Corkum LABS at Dalhousie University, and has been the project manager for Better Nights, Better Days for Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (BNBD-NDD) since 2021.