Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov
(Plenary speaker)
Maxxine Rattner, PhD, RSW
(Plenary speaker)
Joshua Black, PhD
(Concurrent session speaker)
Dr. Charlie Chen
(Moderator)
Mireille de Réland
(Concurrent session speaker)
Danica Hans, RN, BScN Bilingue, CHPCN(C)
(Concurrent session speaker)
Dr. Mary Heilman
(Panel member)
Paula Holmes-Rodman, PhD
(Concurrent session speaker)
Sarah Karesa
(Concurrent session speaker)
Sheila Killoran, MA MTA FAMI
(Concurrent session speaker)
Tanya L’Heureux
(Concurrent session speaker)
Stephanie Laing, MSW, RSW
(Concurrent session speaker)
Dr. Lawrence Lee
(Concurrent session speaker)
Meghan MacMillan
(Concurrent session speaker)
Dr. Louis Minders
(Panel member)
Maril Murray
(Concurrent session speaker)
Tracy Powell
(Panel member)
Serena Rix
(Concurrent session speaker)
Wenda Salomons
(Concurrent session speaker)
Dr. Megan Sellick
(Concurrent session speaker)
Mary-Ann Shantz
(Concurrent session speaker)
Craig Traynor
(Concurrent session speaker)
Janet Vandale
(Concurrent session speaker)
Dr. Sharon Watanabe
(Concurrent session speaker)
Dr. Linda Watson
(Concurrent session speaker)
Speaker bios
Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov
Dr. Chochinov is a distinguished professor of psychiatry at the University of Manitoba, a senior scientist at CancerCare Manitoba Research Institute and co-founder of the Canadian Virtual Hospice. He is a global authority on palliative care, with more than 300 career publications focused on how patients and families cope with life threatening and life limiting illness. He is the co-editor of the Handbook of Psychiatry in Palliative Medicine and his latest book is entitled Dignity in Care: The Human Side of Medicine, both published by Oxford University Press. He is an officer in the Order of Canada and an inductee into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.
Sessions:
Maxxine Rattner, PhD, RSW
Maxxine is a hospice/palliative care clinician and educator recognized for her expertise in non-physical suffering. During her decade of work as a hospice social worker, she supported the psychosocial needs of hospice residents and their (chosen) families and implemented a bereavement support program. Currently, Maxxine writes, teaches and does research and advocacy work on palliative and end-of-life care, suffering and grief. Her work seeks to create more space within palliative care for the harder parts of living with, and dying from, a life-limiting illness and to support patients, families and clinicians with these aspects. In her private practice, she provides clinical training, education, consultation and support to health care teams, and clinical supervision to social workers working in hospice and palliative care, long term care, cancer care, and other settings.
Sessions:
Joshua Black, PhD
Joshua Black is a bereavement researcher, speaker, and host of the Grief Dreams Podcast. He is dedicated to raising awareness of those who are bereaved who are not being provided the necessary bereavement support. Joshua works as the bereavement initiative manager for the BC Centre for Palliative Care.
Sessions:
Dr. Charlie Chen
Charlie Chen is a Medical Lead, Physician Diversity, Wellness, and Development with Provincial Medical Affairs for AHS. He is also a palliative care consultant working in Calgary, Alberta, is the medical lead for advance care planning and goals of care for Calgary Zone and a clinical associate professor at the University of Calgary in the division of palliative medicine. Charlie has held leadership positions in Alberta and BC, including the medical director for palliative and end of life care in Calgary Zone. Charlie is passionate about mindful self-compassion, nonviolent communication, and medical education. In his spare time, he loves to sing and write music.
Sessions:
Mireille de Réland
Mireille de Réland is a mindfulness facilitator, consultant and caregiver. She provides well-being programs to caregivers, individuals impacted by life limiting illnesses, and the ageing. She is a member of the Canadian Centre of Caregiving Excellence Advisory Network, a social prescribing advocate and a volunteer at Kensington Health. Mireille has her certificates in mindful informed end-of-life care, and narrative based medicine from the University of Toronto.
Sessions:
Danica Hans, RN, BScN Bilingue, CHPCN(C)
Danica Hans is the education lead for the Covenant Health Palliative Institute. Danica has experience as a sessional instructor at the University of Alberta Faculty of Nursing and as a registered nurse and clinical nurse educator on the Tertiary Palliative Care unit in Edmonton, Alberta.
Sessions:
Dr. Mary Heilman
Dr. Mary Heilman is the ethicist for St. Paul’s Hospital and the Catholic Health Association of Saskatchewan. She received her Ph.D. from the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Police at the University of Saskatchewan in 2016. Her research built on her experience as a spiritual care provider, and investigated the role of conscience in healthcare. Mary first became interested in bioethics through her love of science fiction, and lives in Saskatoon with her husband and their two young children.
Sessions:
Paula Holmes-Rodman, PhD
Paula Holmes-Rodman is an anthropologist, consultant, writer, caregiver, and advocate. Paula is pursuing an advanced certificate in narrative based medicine at the University of Toronto in illness narratives, solidarity storytelling, and health equity. Through Ovarian Cancer Canada, she has offered writing workshops and presented on caregiving, legacy, and storytelling.
Sessions:
Sarah Karesa
Sarah Karesa is a Registered Psychologist, Program Manager of the Edmonton Healing Centre (a program of Jewish Family Services Edmonton which specializes in grief and loss support), and an Associate Professor with City University of Seattle’s Edmonton Campus. Additionally, she is published researcher, professional speaker, and mental health advocate with a passion for working with grief, end-of-life, and caregiving.
Sessions:
Sheila Killoran, MA MTA FAMI
Sheila Killoran is the education lead for the Covenant Health Palliative Institute. Sheila holds a master’s in creative arts therapies, with an interest in imagery and grief. An educator and music therapist, she teaches at the University of Alberta and has 18 years of experience at the Tertiary Palliative Care Unit in Edmonton, Alberta.
Sessions:
Tanya L'Heureux
Tanya L'Heureux has been in various family caregiver roles since elementary school, including journeys in/through palliative care. She has been a registered dietitian for almost 20 years, practicing within clinical and public health contexts. She holds a masters of adult education and is a PhD candidate in kinesiology and health studies, pursuing her passions in collective impact and health equity. As education lead for caregiver-centered care, she has worked with a team of over 150 family caregivers and multi-level, interprofessional health and social care providers to co-design and facilitate implementation of competency-based education and practice supports to enhance care providers' ability to provide person-centered care for family caregivers.
Sessions:
Stephanie Laing, MSW, RSW
Stephanie Laing is the director of operations at Kelowna Homelessness Research Centre (KHRC) and a PhD student at the University of Calgary. Stephanie has a long-standing interest in forensic social work, psychiatry, and homelessness, and is an enthusiastic advocate for reciprocal and responsive community situated research.
Sessions:
Dr. Lawrence Lee
Dr. Lawrence Lee has been a palliative care physician consultant in the Edmonton Zone Palliative Care Program since 2010. He’s an associate clinical professor with the Division of Palliative Care at the University of Alberta, Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians board member and past national conference chair as well as LEAP master facilitator with Pallium Canada.
Sessions:
Meghan MacMillan
Meghan MacMillan is a music therapist with Lisaard and Innisfree Hospice in Kitchener, Ontario. She provides bedside support to residents and their families, bereavement programs, and staff wellness supports. She supervises students from Wilfrid Laurier University, where she received her masters in music therapy.
Sessions:
Dr. Louis Minders, MBChB, CCFP
Dr. Louis Minders trained in South Africa, finishing his MBChB with distinction at the University of Pretoria before doing an internship in Durban. Moving to Canada in 2016, Dr. Minders started at St Mary’s hospital in Camrose as a hospitalist. In 2018, driven by requests from patients, he started offering assessments for medical assistance in dying, before eventually starting with provisions later that year. Since then, Dr. Minders has been covering the northeast part of the Central zone as the sole physician provider. He continues to work as a hospitalist in Camrose while also engaging in leadership work for Covenant.
Sessions:
Maril Murray
Maril is the manager of projects at the Covenant Health Palliative Institute. Her professional background is in business consulting, project development and project management. She is grateful to work with a multidisciplinary team of clinicians and creatives to deliver projects on behalf of the institute.
Sessions:
Dr. Tracy Powell, PhD, RN
Dr. Tracy Powell is a registered nurse and a tenured associate professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta. Her clinical background is in oncology, cancer care and palliative care. She has over 25 years of combined experience in clinical practice and academia. Tracy achieved her Ph.D. in nursing at the University of Victoria under the supervision of Dr. Kelli Stajduhar. Her research program focuses on family members' and caregivers' experiences in the context of MAiD.
Sessions:
Serena Rix
Serena Rix is a palliative care pharmacist at the Grey Nuns Community Hospital. Her qualifications include a bachelor of science (honours) degree in pharmacy from the University of Brighton, a Pharm D from the University of Colorado, and a master of science in palliative care from the University of Glasgow. She is an adjunct member of Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Alberta and 2016 recipient of the APEX Award of Excellence in Pharmacy.
Sessions:
Wenda Salomons and Craig Traynor
As chaplains, Wenda Salomons and Craig Traynor provide spiritual care in the Mel Milner hospice at the Edmonton General Continuing Care Centre. In their unique role, they innovate and shape interventions that promote the spiritual health of patients, families, and staff. For enjoyment, Wenda takes pinhole photographs and Craig creates charcoal portraits.
Sessions:
Dr. Megan Sellick
Dr. Megan Sellick worked in the Edmonton zone as a palliative care physician from 2015-2022. In March of 2022 she joined the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre’s palliative care team. She is a LEAP facilitator, and member of the Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physician’s conference planning committee.
Sessions:
Mary-Ann Shantz
Mary-Ann Shantz is a researcher, writer, and educator. Mary-Ann has a doctoral degree in history from Carleton University and six years of experience teaching history at MacEwan University. She is the research coordinator for the Palliative Institute, and since late 2020 has coordinated the Palliative Care Public Awareness project.
Sessions:
Janet Vandale
Jan Vandale is a palliative care clinical nurse specialist. She works in Calgary with the palliative home care program, and with the CAMPP team providing mobile palliative care for people who experience health and social inequities. She lives within view of the beautiful western Rockies and their foothills.
Sessions:
Dr. Sharon Watanabe
Dr. Sharon Watanabe is a palliative care physician who currently serves as director of symptom control and palliative care at the Cross Cancer Institute and co-lead of the Provincial Palliative Care Tumour Team for Cancer Care Alberta.
Sessions:
Dr. Linda Watson
Dr. Linda Watson has been an oncology nurse in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for over 30 years. She has held a variety of nursing and inter-professional leadership roles within the Cancer Care Alberta (CCA) provincial program and currently holds the role of Executive Director, Supportive Care Services and Patient Experience.
Dr. Watson also holds an adjunct professor position with the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary and is past President of the Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology (CANO). She is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the International Society for Nurses in Cancer Care (ISNCC).
Sessions:
Registration now open
Register before Oct. 17 for the Palliative Care Education and Research Conference.