Speaker: Dr. Gregory Taylor, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer
Presentation: Greetings from Health Canada/The Public Health Agency of Canada
Dr. Gregory Taylor is Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, appointed on September 24, 2014.
Dr. Taylor obtained his MD from Dalhousie University in Halifax where he also completed a family medicine residency. After several years in active primary care in Ontario, he completed a fellowship in Community Medicine at the University of Ottawa and joined Health Canada’s Laboratory Centre for Disease Control. His initial responsibilities focussed on cardiovascular disease and he has been involved with a wide range of Federal chronic disease activities.
He joined the Agency’s Office of Public Health Practice in 2007, with primary responsibilities focussed on building public health capacity in Canada, and a number of key leadership roles within the Agency and in the Public Health Network.
Dr. Taylor became the Deputy Chief Public Health Officer in 2012 directly supporting the Chief Public Health Officer and Associate Deputy Minister.
He maintains his connection with the University of Ottawa as adjunct professor of Epidemiology and Community Medicine.
Speaker: Granville Anderson, Durham MPP
Presentation: Greetings from the Province of Ontario
Durham MPP Granville Anderson is in his first term at the Provincial legislature, but he has a long history of community involvement.
First elected to the Peterborough, Victoria, Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board (PVNCCDSB) as trustee in 2003, Mr Anderson was eventually appointed chairman of the board. In his time as trustee, he played an integral role in ensuring the board worked within its financial means to meet students’ needs and support student success.
As well, Mr Anderson has volunteered his time in the community in a variety of other roles. He served as Vice-President of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul; was, for several years, a coach in the Clarington Boys’ Baseball League; and is a member of Courtice Rotary.
Since moving into Provincial office, Mr Anderson has been named Parliamentary Assistant to the Ministry of Child and Youth Services. This ministry is charged with ensuring every child in Ontario has the best possible start in life and access to the right supports and opportunities. In his role as Parliamentary Assistant, Mr Anderson will aid in working toward development of a provincial Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder strategy by engaging families and affected youth, to listen to their challenges and help gather solutions.
Mr Anderson was born in Jamaica, and moved to Canada when he was 13. He has a diploma in Business Administration from Seneca College and a certificate in Mediation from the University of Windsor. He has two grown children.
Speaker: Marian Mlakar, Director of the Children and Youth at Risk Branch at the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services
Presentation: Overview of the Development of Ontario’s FASD Strategy
Marian Mlakar is the Director of the Children and Youth at Risk Branch at the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services. Marian has 26 years of experience in the Ontario Public Service, across six ministries, in a variety of settings serving children, youth and adults. Her background includes counselling, community development, strategic policy and planning, stakeholder consultations, and research. She has a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Toronto.
Speaker: Nancy Pool, Director of the British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health
Presentation: Moving Forth on FASD Prevention: Findings from a national Gap Analysis project
Nancy Poole is the Director of the British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health, leading knowledge translation, network development, and research related to improving policy and service provision for girls and women with a range of health and social concerns, including substance use problems. She has co-edited four books with Dr. Lorraine Greaves, the most recent entitled Transforming Addiction: Gender, trauma, transdisciplinarity. She is the Prevention Lead for the CanFASD Research Network guiding a national network of researchers, service providers, policy analysts and community-based advocates working on FASD prevention. Nancy is also known in Canada for leadership in piloting online participatory methods for knowledge generation and exchange on women’s health, including virtual networks and online communities of inquiry.
Speaker: Dr. Jocelynn Cook, Scientific Director of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada
Presentation: Using Screening, Diagnosis and Data to Improve Outcomes
Dr. Jocelynn Cook graduated with a PhD in Reproductive Physiology from the Medical University of South Carolina in 1997 and spent 10 years in an academic setting as a graduate student, a post-doctoral fellow and an Assistant Professor. Wanting to expand her skillset beyond the basic science laboratory, she embarked on a Masters of Business Administration, and graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with an MBA, specializing in Economics and Health Policy. Her professional career has focused on issues related to maternal-fetal medicine; specifically, substance abuse during pregnancy, preterm birth, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and Assisted Human Reproduction. Early on in her career, she became involved with Aboriginal Health research, especially as it related to the social determinants of health.
This broadened her research perspective and she gained expertise related to suicide prevention, mental health and addictions, child development, communicable diseases, chronic diseases, health surveillance and National and International trends in morbidity and mortality.
Dr. Cook joined the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada as its first Scientific Director in 2014 and oversees all work related to Continuing Medical Education, Clinical Practice Guidelines, Research, Accreditation, Global Health and Indigenous Health. Dr. Cook is an Adjunct Professor to the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Ottawa, appointed in 2002.
Speaker: Sean Monteith, Director of Education for the Keewatin Patricia District School Board
Presentation: FASD as a Mobilizer in Education Change: The Keewatin Patricia Experience
Sean Monteith is the Director of Education for the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board, a public board of education that encompasses virtually all of Northwestern Ontario and includes 9 distinct communities. He has been an elementary and secondary teacher, a Principal, and was Superintendent of Education with the KPDSB for 6 years with specific responsibility for Special Education. During that time, he established a team of professionals and administrators that dedicated their own learning to supporting students living and learning with FASD. As Director, he is a member of the provincial FASD ONE Education Action Group and works alongside his staff to further the improvement of outcomes for children and their families in the north impacted by FASD.
Joining him were:
Mike Dean, Teacher
Nicole Downey, Educational Assistant
Holly Szumowski, Teacher
Speaker: Dr. Kaitlyn McLachlan, Clinical Psychologist in the Forensic Psychiatry Program at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behaviour Neurosciences at McMaster University
Presentation: FASD, Justice and Evidence-based Practive: Moving Toward Fairness and Sustainability Dr. Kaitlyn McLachlan is a clinical psychologist in the Forensic Psychiatry Program at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University. Dr. McLachlan received her M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology with a specialization in forensic psychology at Simon Fraser University. She subsequently completed two years of postdoctoral training in research with NeuroDevNet, a trans-Canada initiative dedicated to studying children’s brain development from both basic and clinical perspectives. Dr. McLachlan’s program of research focuses on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder across the lifespan. Her work has included focus on prevalence, screening, and diagnosis of FASD in correctional and forensic mental health settings, along with better understanding the capacities, risks, and needs of justice-involved adolescents and adults with FASD. Dr. McLachlan’s work as a clinician-scientist has been recognized with a Canada FASD Research Network Sterling Clarren Research Award, and she is the author of numerous peer reviewed publications.
Speaker: Sylvia Maracle, Executive Director, Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres
Presentation: Building Community – Through an Indigenous Lens
Sylvia Maracle is a Mohawk from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territories and a member of the Wolf Clan. She has been Executive Director of the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres for 35 years, the largest urban Aboriginal service network in Ontario. In addition to this she is the Chair of a variety of Aboriginal organizations of joint Aboriginal-government committee processes in education, ending violence, cultural and service development. She is the founding and continuing Chair of the Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services the largest urban Aboriginal housing provider in the Province. In 2012, Ms. Maracle was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws, for her work in business and economic development from the University of Guelph. In 2008, Ms. Maracle won a Public Service Award from Indspire (formally called the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation).
Speaker: Sherry Baum, Executive Director, Community Living, Dryden-Sioux Lookout
Presentation: Collaboriation and Networking – Leveraging Impact
Sherry Baum is the Executive Director of Community Living Dryden-Sioux Lookout and the Coordinator of the Healthy Generations FASD Family Support Program. She is one of the founding members of the North Western Ontario FASD Network covering the Kenora Rainey River District and the present chairperson of the steering committee. She has worked for 25 years in developmental services with children, youth and adults in both front line and management. Her passion is bringing together people from diverse sectors and backgrounds to collaborate and leverage their impact. Sherry is also on the advisory committee for the North Network of Specialized Care. The Community Network of Specialized Care is a collaborative network of specialized clinical services and community partners from across Northern Ontario that is committed to improving the quality of life of adults with a developmental disability.