Speakers – Kids Brain Health Virtual Conference 2020

Master of Ceremonies

Dr. Brian Goldman,
ER Medical Doctor & CBC Host,
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Day 1: Monday, November 9, 2020

Dr. Cindy Blackstock, OC FRSC,
Executive Director, First Nations Child & Family Caring Society of Canada &
Professor of Social Work, McGill University

Dr. Jessica Brian,
Clinician Investigator,Holland Bloorview & Associate Professor, University of Toronto

Christopher De Groot,
Research Coordinator,
BC Children’s Hospital

Preeti Kar,
Doctoral Student,
University of Calgary

Erin Klein,
Master’s Student,
University of British Columbia

David Kuik,
Board Chair, Kids Brain Health Network & Chief Executive Officer, Norima Consulting Inc.

Dr. Chaya Kulkarni,
Director, Infant Mental Health Promotion,
Hospital for Sick Children

Nicola Lewis,
Chief Executive Officer,
Kids Brain Health Network

Dr. Samantha Micsinszki,
Registered Nurse,
McMaster University

Tracy Moisan,
Marketing and Communications Leader,
Adopt4Life – Ontario’s Adoptive Parents Association

Hon. Sen. Jim Munson,
Senator,
Senate of Canada

Alex Munter,
President & Chief Executive Officer,
Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario

Dr. Brian N. Katz,
Vice President, Child and Youth Services,
The Centre for Child Development

Dr. Dugan O’Neil,
Vice President, Research and International (pro tem),
Simon Fraser University

Hon. Minister Carla Qualtrough,
Minister of Employment,
Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion,
Government of Canada

Dr. James Reynolds,
Chief Scientific Officer,
Queen’s University

Dr. Douglas Swanson,
Research & Training Manager,
Kids Brain Health Network

Elder Syexwaliya Ann Whonnock,
Elder, Squamish Nation
SFU Indigenous Student Centre / Elders Program

Dr. Jennifer Zwicker,
Deputy Scientific Officer, Kids Brain Health Network &
Director of Health Policy at the School of Public Policy, University of Calgary

Dr. Jill Zwicker,
Associate Professor,
University of British Columbia

Day 2: Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Dr. Melanie Barwick,
Senior Scientist,
SickKids’ Research Institute and the Centre for Global Child Health

Wenda Bradley,
Executive Director,
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Society of Yukon (FASSY)

Francine Buchanan,
PhD Candidate,
University of Toronto

Dr. Andrea Chaplin,
Evaluation Specialist at Public Health Ontario in the Research,
Evaluation and Continuous Quality Improvement Support Unit

Angela Clancy,
Executive Director,
Family Support Institute of BC

Dr. Melissa Dobson,
Associate Chair & Instructor,
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology

Dr. Michèle L. Hébert,
Postdoctoral Associate,
University of Calgary

Dr. Lucyna M. Lach,
Associate Professor,
McGill University

Sandy Litman,
Project Lead, KBHN Navigation Alberta,
Alberta Health Services

Nancy Lockwood,
Manager of the Fetal Alcohol Resource Program (FARP),
ABLE2

Jaime Lougheed-Winkler,
National Coordinator,
Cerebral Palsy Canada Network

Alison Martens,
Administrative Assistant,
Alberta Health Services

Rachel Martens,
Family Engagement Facilitator,
CanCHILD

Dércia Materula,
Research Associate,
University of Calgary

Dulcie Mercado,
Autism Support and Resource Specialist,
Autism Information Services British Columbia

Dr. Anton Miller,
Clinical Associate Professor,
BC Children’s Hospital

Dr. Wendy Mitchell,
Research Project Manager,
University of Calgary

Hon. Sen. Rosemary Moodie,
Senator,
Senate of Canada

Dr. David Nicholas,
Professor,
University of Calgary

Dr. Melanie Noel,
Professor,
University of Calgary

Connie Putterman,
Founder, Parent Advocate,
The Canada/Israel Autism Research Initiative

Dr. James Reynolds,
Chief Scientific Officer,
Queen’s University

Flora Roudbarani,
Master’s Student,
York University

Dr. Fakhri Shafai,
Research and Evaluation Project Coordinator,
AIDE Canada

Dr. Ryan Stevenson,
Assistant Professor,
Western University

Dr. Douglas Swanson,
Research & Trainee Manager,
Kids Brain Health Network

Donna Thomson,
Parent Advocate, Author

Samantha Wong,
Research Associate,
McGill University

Dr. Jill Zwicker,
Associate Professor,
University of British Columbia

Day 3: Thursday, November 12, 2020

Buse Bedir,
Investigator,
University of Victoria

Maude Champagne,
Doctoral Student,
Queen’s University

Dr. Penny Corkum,
Professor,
Dalhousie University

Dr. Andrea Cross,
Postdoctoral Fellow,
CanChild

Dr. Ryan D’Arcy,
President, Chief Scientific Officer & Co-Founder,
Health Tech Connex

Hon. Sen. Colin Deacon,
Senator,
Senate of Canada

Jim Fit,
Founder and Chief Executive Officer,
Velsoft Inc.

Vanessa Fong,
Investigator,
Simon Fraser University

Jacalyn Guy,
Investigator,
Western University

Dr. John Hepburn,
CEO & Scientific Director,
MITACS

Dr. Elizabeth Keys,
Post Doctoral Fellow,
Dalhousie University

Jessica Kohek,
Investigator,
University of Calgary

Heather Lacey,
Executive Director,
Able2

Dr. Jonathan Lai,
Director of Strategy & Operations,
CASDA

Mezaun Lakha-Evin,
Associate Executive Director,
Cerebral Palsy Alberta

Dr. Vivian Lee,
Investigator,
York University

Dr. Sarah Macoun,
Assistant Professor,
University of Victoria

Dr. Christopher McCabe,
Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director,
Institute of Health Economics

Dr. John Paul Minda,
Professor,
Western University

Joanna Nefs,
Chief Executive Officer,
AIDE Canada

Dr. Wendy Mitchell,
Investigator,
University of Calgary

Dr. Alonso Montoya,
Medical Director,
Hoffmann-La Roche Limited

Dr. Brian N. Katz,
Vice President, Child and Youth Services,
Centre for Child Development

Deborah Pugh,
Executive Director,
ACT – Autism Community Training

Connie Putterman,
Founder, Parent Advocate,
The Canada/Israel Autism Research Initiative

Dr. Jacob A. Sadavoy,
Director of Clinical Services,
CB Consultants

Cailey Salagovic,
Graduate Student,
Western University

Dr. Kevin Sanders,
Global Head of Neurodevelopment,
Genentech

Kamaldeep Singh Sembi,
Director of Technology Licensing & IP Counsel,
Simon Fraser University

Ashish Seth,
Investigator,
University of Calgary

Dr. Fakhri Shafai,
Research & Evaluation Project Coordinator,
AIDE Canada

John Sheehan,
Graduate Student,
University of Victoria

Margaret Spoelstra,
Executive Director,
Autism Ontario

Dr. Bobby Stojanoski,
Research Scientist, Brain and Mind Institute &
Research Professor, Western University

Dr. Douglas Swanson,
Research & Trainee Manager,
Kids Brain Health Network

Dr. Noor Syed,
Research Coordinator,
Center for Autism Inclusivity

Donna Thomson,
Parent Advocate, Author

Robyn Woods,
Founder and Chief Executive Officer,
Kids Uncomplicated Inc

Rosslynn Zulla,
Investigator,
University of Calgary

Dr. Lonnie Zwaigenbaum, MD, FRCP(C)
Director of Autism Research,
University of Alberta

Day 4: Friday, November 13, 2020

Carolyn Abel,
Policy Fellow,
CASDA

Krista Carr,
Executive Vice President,
Canadian Association for Community Living

Steve Estey,
Human Rights Officer,
Canadian Council for Disabilities

Jill Farber,
Executive Director,
Autism Speaks Canada

Brittany Finlay,
Research Associate,
University of Calgary

Dr. Nathalie Garcin,
Founder,
Clinique Spectrum

Dr. Stephen Gentles,
Postdoctoral CIHR Health System Impact Fellow,
McMaster University

Daljit Gill-Badesha,
Healthy Communities Manager,
City of Surrey

Debbie Irish,
Chief Operating Officer,
Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work

Kerri Joffe,
Lawyer,
ARCH Disability Law Centre

Dr. Jonathan Lai,
Director of Strategy & Operations,
CASDA

Hon. Mike Lake,
Member of Parliament,
Government of Canada

Rachel Martens,
Family Engagement Facilitator,
CanCHILD

Leslie Peters,
Executive Director,
Autism Yukon

Brooke Pinsky,
Manager of Support Services,
Autism Edmonton

Michael Prince,
Professor,
COVID-19 disability advisory group (CDAG)

Dr. Keiko Shikako-Thomas,
Assistant Professor,
McGill University

Dr. Douglas Swanson,
Research & Trainee Manager,
Kids Brain Health Network

Vanessa Tomas,
PhD Student,
University of Toronto

Dr. Lonnie Zwaigenbaum, MD, FRCP(C)
Director of Autism Research,
University of Alberta

Dr. Jennifer Zwicker,
Deputy Scientific Officer,Kids Brain Health Network &
Director of Health Policy at the School of Public Policy, University of Calgary