Speakers
Speakers / Panelists
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Welcome and Opening Remarks
November 5, 2021 from 10:45am EST to 11:00am EST -
Panel Discussion: Alberta and Ontario Regulation
November 6, 2021 from 2:00pm EST to 3:00pm EST -
Panel Discussion: Alberta and Ontario Regulation
November 6, 2021 from 2:00pm EST to 3:00pm EST -
Welcome and Opening Remarks
November 5, 2021 from 10:45am EST to 11:00am EST -
Keynote: Confronting Medical Colonialism Against Indigenous Children in Canada
November 5, 2021 from 11:00am EST to 12:00pm EST -
PA Advocacy: 10 Ways for Busy PAs to Make a Difference
November 6, 2021 from 3:15pm EST to 4:15pm EST -
PA Advocacy: 10 Ways for Busy PAs to Make a Difference
November 6, 2021 from 3:15pm EST to 4:15pm EST -
Cultural Safety for Non-White Patients
November 5, 2021 from 12:15pm EST to 1:15pm EST -
Canadian PA Competency Framework
November 6, 2021 from 12:15pm EST to 1:15pm EST -
Student Resume Building Workshop
November 7, 2021 from 2:00pm EST to 4:15pm EST -
Canadian PA Competency Framework
November 6, 2021 from 12:15pm EST to 1:15pm EST -
How to Publish Your Journal Paper: Understanding Metadata and the Submission Process
November 6, 2021 from 2:00pm EST to 3:00pm EST -
Canadian PA Competency Framework
November 6, 2021 from 12:15pm EST to 1:15pm EST -
Panel Discussion: Alberta and Ontario Regulation
November 6, 2021 from 2:00pm EST to 3:00pm EST -
Interpreting Chest X-Rays
November 7, 2021 from 11:00am EST to 1:15pm EST -
Providing Crisis Care in a Pandemic: Virtual Based Wards and Crisis Units in Winnipeg, Manitoba
November 6, 2021 from 11:00am EST to 12:00pm EST -
The Pop-Up Medical Facility
November 7, 2021 from 11:00am EST to 1:15pm EST -
Providing Crisis Care in a Pandemic: Virtual Based Wards and Crisis Units in Winnipeg, Manitoba
November 6, 2021 from 11:00am EST to 12:00pm EST -
Does Your PA Career Need a Boost? Think Academics!
November 6, 2021 from 3:15pm EST to 4:15pm EST -
Does Your PA Career Need a Boost? Think Academics!
November 6, 2021 from 3:15pm EST to 4:15pm EST -
Does Your PA Career Need a Boost? Think Academics!
November 6, 2021 from 3:15pm EST to 4:15pm EST -
Reading CTs: Chest Interpretation
November 6, 2021 from 12:15pm EST to 1:15pm EST -
Student Resume Building Workshop
November 7, 2021 from 2:00pm EST to 4:15pm EST -
Interpreting EKGs
November 7, 2021 from 2:00pm EST to 3:00pm EST -
Cultural Safety for Non-White Patients
November 5, 2021 from 12:15pm EST to 1:15pm EST -
Cultural Safety for Non-White Patients
November 5, 2021 from 12:15pm EST to 1:15pm EST -
Cultural Safety for Non-White Patients
November 5, 2021 from 12:15pm EST to 1:15pm EST -
CTs: Neuroaxis Review of the Head & Spine
November 7, 2021 from 3:15pm EST to 4:15pm EST -
Poster Presentations
November 6, 2021 from 4:30pm EST to 5:30pm EST -
Poster Presentations
November 6, 2021 from 4:30pm EST to 5:30pm EST -
Poster Presentations
November 6, 2021 from 4:30pm EST to 5:30pm EST -
Welcome and Opening Remarks
November 6, 2021 from 10:45am EST to 11:00am EST
Leslie St. Jacques
CCPA, CAPA President
Leslie St. Jacques
Leslie St. Jacques is a Canadian Certified Physician Assistant from the inaugural class of the PA Education Program at McMaster University (2010). Leslie has worked in Neurosurgery at the Krembil Brain Institute at Toronto Western Hospital since 2014. She has also worked as a PA in Neurosurgery for the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg (2013) and in the Cardiovascular Surgery ICU for Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) (2010-2013).
Leslie is a co-lead for PAs for the University Health Network (UHN) and has been the elected President of their PA Council since 2014. Since 2010, she has been involved in creating structures to enable PA practice at the local level, working with pharmacists to develop the first set of Medical Directives for HHS, and then later for UHN. Leslie has worked to revise the UHN PA policy, create templates for required documentation to ease the on-boarding process, and worked with the IT department to create a platform for PAs within the electronic medical record system. Successful integration pathways have supported the steady increase in the number of PAs working at UHN, currently 35 and counting.
Leslie recently completed the Graduate Diploma in Clinical Epidemiology through McMaster University. She is an advocate for Physician Assistant involvement in research and in teaching, and has facilitated problem-based learning sessions in neurology and psychiatry for McMaster. Leslie has been a preceptor for PA students’ placements in neurosurgery for both University of Toronto and McMaster University. She has presented clinical material for CAPA’s annual conference in both poster and lecture formats, as well as contributed to the Journal of Canada’s Physician Assistants.
Dr. Kirsten Luomala
CD, DMSc, MPAS, CCPA
Dr. Kirsten Luomala
Kirsten Luomala is a neurosurgery Physician Assistant at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton. She served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 26 years and graduated from the inaugural PA Degree class in 2009. Kirsten served on multiple deployments in Haiti, Afghanistan, and Alert. She is a former PA instructor at the Canadian Forces Medical School. In 2014, she retired from the CAF to join the Alberta PA demonstration project and has worked in Neurosurgery since then. She completed her Doctor of Medical Science with a neurovascular focus in 2021. Kirsten is the current CAPA Alberta Director and has been significantly involved in PA regulation in Alberta.
Patrick Nelson
CAPA Executive Director
Patrick Nelson
Prior to joining Santis, Patrick served as the Executive Director of Public and Corporate Affairs at the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), the voice of the province’s 34,000 physicians. Over ten years with the organization, he led the OMA through several strategic communications campaigns, a comprehensive governance review, as well as a major rebranding of the organization itself. Under his tenure, member satisfaction with the OMA doubled to a record high while over the course of a recent five-month advocacy campaign the profession has witnessed a remarkable 12% increase in public trust. From 1998-2003, Patrick worked in senior communications roles in the Ontario government. As an aide to Ontario’s Minister of Health, Patrick led the issues management and legislative agenda.
Dr. Ann Collins
Past President
Dr. Ann Collins
For three decades, Dr. Ann Collins ran a full-time family practice in Fredericton, New Brunswick, which she started after serving three years with the Canadian Armed Forces in Kingston, Ontario. In addition to providing office and hospital care, she also provided nursing home care for over 20 years and was a family medicine residency teacher at Dalhousie University from 1998–2019. Dr. Collins graduated from Dalhousie University in 1985.
Dr. Collins has served as president of the New Brunswick Medical Society (NBMS) and spent five years as chair of the NBMS Board of Directors. She has led two NBMS governance reviews and served on the 2008 CMA Governance Review Committee Task Force. Prior to taking on the role of CMA president, she spent seven years serving as the New Brunswick representative on the CMA Board of Directors.
Her community involvement has been highlighted by a six-year term (two years as chair) on the board of governors of St. Thomas University, a leading liberal arts school in Fredericton.
Dr. Samir Shaheen-Hussain
MD, CM, FRCPC
Dr. Samir Shaheen-Hussain
Samir Shaheen-Hussain has been involved in anti-authoritarian social justice movements – including Indigenous solidarity, anti-police brutality and migrant-justice organizing – for nearly two decades. He is a member of the Caring for Social Justice Collective, and has written or co-written about state violence and health care for several publications. After personally witnessing the harmful effects of medical colonialism on children, Samir Shaheen-Hussain says he felt the need to act. Along with others, he launched an advocacy campaign, #aHand2Hold, that succeeded in getting the Quebec government to stop its practice of airlifting children from northern communities for treatment at urban pediatric centres, without a parent or caregiver present. . He is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at McGill University and works as a pediatric emergency physician in Tio’tia:ke (Montreal).
Ohood Elzibak
MPAS, BHSc. (PA), CCPA
Ohood Elzibak
Ohood Elzibak is a Physician Assistant in Orthopaedic Surgery, specializing in sports orthopaedics and arthroscopic surgery since 2010. She completed her undergraduate studies at McMaster University and was part of the inaugural PA cohort. In 2012, she went on to obtain her Master's degree in Physician Assistant Studies at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Ohood is an Assistant Clinical Professor (Adjunct) in the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University and is involved in clinical skills teaching and preceptorship in Orthopaedic Surgery. In 2016, Ohood was the recipient of the national PA Educator of the Year award. She is a passionate advocate for the PA profession and for justice, diversity and inclusion in medicine.
Anna D'Angela
MBA, BHSc. (PA), CHE, CCPA
Anna D'Angela
Anna is a Canadian Certified Physician Assistant in Interstitial Lung Disease and Lung Transplant Medicine at St Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. She is a three-time graduate of McMaster University, finishing her BHSc-PA in 2020, her MBA in Health Services Management in 2017 and her Arts & Science degree (with a combination in Health Studies) in 2013. In 2019, she received the CHE designation from the Canadian College of Health Leaders, a program designed to support healthcare professionals to define and understand their leadership and the role they play in leading systems change.
Prior to her PA journey, Anna spent time in various organizations across the GTHA in quality improvement, strategic sourcing, and project management roles. Through her work and training, she has fostered skills in and recognized the power of design thinking (including brainstorming!) to support people closest to problems, generate more innovative solutions.
In her free time, you can find Anna spending time with her dog Daisy and her partner in the various parks and trails in Hamilton or volunteering as a Board Member with YWCA Hamilton, an organization that works to ensure women and girls have the rights, resources and opportunities to shape their own lives and communities.
Jessica Danquah
HBSc., MPH, CCPA
Jessica Danquah
Jessica Danquah completed a Bachelor of Science in the Physician Assistant (PA) Education Program at McMaster University. Since graduation, she has worked at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in the Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology, managing the care of acutely ill cancer patients. Alongside her clinical practice, she serves as the PA Lead for her department and is the PA representative for both the Wellness and Caregiver Advisory committees at Princess Margaret.
Prior to her work as a Physician Assistant, she completed a Masters of Public Health at the University of Queensland in Australia, specializing in Infectious Diseases. Upon completion of her degree, she returned to Canada; her continued interest in the area of infectious disease prevention lead to research work with the Ontario Network of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Treatment Centres. Her work focused on HIV prevention in vulnerable female populations. Her public health interests expanded to an international level, and she followed this by working with the Canadian International Development Agency and Youth Challenge international, helping to implement a health education initiative for the prevention of HIV/AIDs in Ghana, West Africa. Additionally, she has worked in the area of cancer genetics research at Women’s College Hospital, tying together her academic and research interests in the areas of oncology and infectious disease.
Jessica has a strong interest in the management of complex care in immunocompromised patients and in the future, hopes to develop interventions aimed at improving access to care and health outcomes in vulnerable at risk populations.
Leslie Nickell
MSW, MD, CCFP
Leslie Nickell
Leslie Nickell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of Toronto, and has been a Faculty member since 1993. She was a full time Family Physician at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre for over 20 years and then served as the Medical Lead for Caregiver Support Services at the Bridgepoint site of Sinai Health System from 2013-2020. Throughout her career, Dr. Nickell has been involved in many aspects of medical education, in undergraduate and postgraduate domains. In September 2018, Dr. Nickell began in her role as Medical Director of the Physician Assistant Bachelor of Science Program at the University of Toronto. From 2009 – 2017, she served as the Associate Dean, Health Professions Student Affairs, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. Dr. Nickell holds a Masters of Social Work degree from Wilfrid Laurier University, completed her undergraduate medical degree at McMaster University and her Family Medicine residency at University of Toronto. Her academic and clinical interests include PA and medical education, career transitions, the learning environment, physician/student wellness and resiliency, generalism, interprofessional education and care, complexity care, caregiver well-being and supporting health care systems.
Deniece O'Leary
MPAS, PA-C
Deniece O'Leary
Deniece O’Leary is a Physician Assistant with a Master’s Degree in Physician Assistant Studies. After graduating, she worked in a medically underserved family practice in California. She moved her family from California to Ontario in 2009 to accept a position as an Assistant Professor at McMaster University’s new Physician Assistant Program. At McMaster, she taught clinical skills and problem-based learning for four years.
Deniece is the past Ontario PA Chapter President for the Canadian Association of Physician Assistants (CAPA) for two terms, spearheading initiatives for PA regulation, medical directives and Ministry of Health discussions in the province. She has also served as past Vice President and President of the Canadian Physician Assistant Education Association (now known as PAs for Research, Scholarship and Education in Canada - PARSEC). She has worked as a course director, guest lecturer and faculty member since 2011 within the University of Toronto’s PA program.
In Ontario, Deniece has worked in five family practice offices, 1 orthopedic office and 1 dermatology office. She is currently in a full-time role with two physicians associated with the Hamilton Family Health Team. Most recently, Deniece worked as a Medical Educational Consultant for Silvergate Media in New York City on a children’s medical program. Throughout her career, she has been fortunate to teach and mentor many PA students and clinicians, both in academic settings and clinical settings.
Ian Jones
MPAS, CCPA, PA-C
Ian Jones
Ian W Jones, MPAS, CCPA, PA-C, is an Assistant Professor of the University of Manitoba, and the Managing Editor of the Journal of Canada’s Physician Assistants (JCANPA). Professor Jones is the author of over 20 peer reviewed published articles.
Dr. Kristen Burrows
BSc, BHSc(PA), MSc, PhD, CCPA
Dr. Kristen Burrows
Dr. Kristen Burrows is the Assistant Dean of the McMaster Physician Assistant Education Program and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine. Kristen’s clinical work includes internal medicine and dermatology. Her research interests focus on medical education, health policy, and health human resources with a focus on PA integration. In addition to her academic role, she consults for Hamilton Health Sciences and St. Josephs Hospital regarding PA health workforce planning.
Christopher Barnes
BN, MPAS, CCPA
Christopher Barnes
Chris Barnes is a graduate of the Masters of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) program through the University of Manitoba (U of M) and is a proud Canadian Certified Physician Assistant. He has worked as an Emergency and Urgent Care PA for 6 years and also works as an independent contractor in Manitobas Northern & Remote First Nations Communities. Before becoming a PA, Chris worked as and ER and Critical Care Registered Nurse and a Paramedic. Chris is also a Clinical Instructor with the U of M MPAS program teaching clinical procedures and direct Clinical mentorship in the Urgent Care. You can find Chris on TWITTER @manitobabarnes or INSTAGRAM @chris_bar_nes
Katrina Pullia
CCPA
Katrina Pullia
Katrina Pullia is a Canadian Certified Physician Assistant (CCPA) with a keen interest in mental health research. She is a two-time alumnus from McMaster University, completing both her Bachelor of Health Sciences (Physician Assistant) and Bachelor of Science (Biology & Psychology) at the institution. Katrina’s passion for research started with the completion of two undergraduate thesis projects during her first degree. To enhance her research skills, Katrina worked as a Research Assistant and Clinical Study Coordinator in the Department of Psychiatry at McMaster University prior to entering the McMaster PA Program in the fall of 2016. After graduation, Katrina moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba to join a team of six PAs working in Crisis and Emergency Psychiatry. She had the opportunity to engage in a wide range of research opportunities with the rise of virtual care during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as support and mentor physician assistant students. Since the spring of 2021, Katrina has returned to her home province of Ontario and is practising in Pediatric Mental Health in Ottawa, Ontario where she continues to have an active role in a variety of ongoing clinical research studies.
Ashley Millham
CCPA
Ashley Millham
Major Ashley Millham is in his 33rd year of service to Canada as a senior officer in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). He currently serves as Officer Commanding of Banting Company, and CAF Physician Assistant Program Director at the Canadian Forces Health Services Training Center (CFHSTC) in Borden, ON.
Graduating the CAF PA Program in 2010, Warrant Officer Millham was recruited to Canadian Special Operation Regiment as a Physician Assistant. There he was able to hone clinical skills and excelled in remote trauma medicine, tropical and travel medicine.
In 2015, Master Warrant Officer Millham was posted to 1 Canadian Field Hospital as Sergeant Major. In 2016, he deployed to Erbil, Iraq as the Hospital Sergeant Major for the initial deployment of the Role 2 Hospital. In this role, he assisted the initial planning for the deployment by utilising the “glass house” concept. To solve the problem of overfilling space with equipment, he had room outlines taped on the floor and placed the equipment needed, giving planners realistic estimates of equipment capacity in the facility Canada would inherit. The “glass house” model became the primary tool used for final training exercises for hospital staff deploying to Erbil.
After commissioning to rank of Captain, he was posted to London, Ontario as the clinic commander. With COVID-19 forcing multiple rapid military deployments, he planned medical screening and immunization clinics for several hundred Reserve Force soldiers deploying throughout ON and QC. In May 2021, Major Millham was deployed as Senior Medical Authority to Task Force Aurora, the CAF mission to support the COVID-19 immunization efforts in northern remote First Nations communities in Manitoba.
Major Millham has had operational deployments in Cyprus, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Central and South America, Sub-Sahara Africa and Iraq.
Avery Clavio
PA-S
Avery Clavio
Avery Clavio is a recent graduate of the Master of Physician Assistant Studies program at the University of Manitoba Class of 2021.
"Before PA school I lived in Hamilton, Ontario where I attended McMaster University and graduated from the Bachelor of Health Sciences program in 2018. In the past I have worked as a research assistant at the St. Joseph's Research Institute in Hamilton and as a Personal Support Worker for three years in an assisted living facility. I have a wide range of interests in medicine and am particularly fond of minor procedures such as suturing. I hope to use my research experience to contribute to literature around PAs in Canada. For fun, I try to stay active through sports such as basketball (Go Raptors!), running or hiking. I also enjoy playing board games with friends. I am currently in the process of looking for a job but am enjoying some time off."
Dr. Abbas Ghavam-Rassoul
MD, MHSc, CCFP
Dr. Abbas Ghavam-Rassoul
Abbas Ghavam-Rassoul is a family physician at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. His diverse clinical practice includes the care of patients with mental illness and HIV. He is actively involved in several projects aimed at increasing collaboration between family medicine and psychiatry in service delivery and trainee education. He has held multiple educational leadership roles from organizing clerkship electives to being postgraduate education program site director at St. Michael's Family Medicine from 2007-2013. He is currently Program Director for the Academic Fellowship and Graduate Studies Program in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and teaches graduate courses in teaching and education, behaviour change and Family Medicine.
Sharona Kanofsky
PA-C, CCPA, MScCH
Sharona Kanofsky
Sharona Kanofsky is Associate Professor, Teaching Stream in the Department of Family & Community Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Temerty Faculty of Medicine. She is the Scholarship and Research Lead I the Consortium of PA Education. Prior to this role, she was the inaugural Academic Coordinator of the PA Program for the first 9 years. She is a Canadian- and American-certified PA, with a MScCH - Health Practitioner Teacher Education. She practiced as a PA in the USA and Canada, most recently in geriatric care at Baycrest Hospital. Sharona received the CAPA 2013 Tom Ashman PA of the Year Award.
Britton Sprules
CCPA
Britton Sprules
Britton Sprules graduated from the Physician Assistant Bachelor of Science Program at the University of Toronto in its inaugural year. Upon graduation, she began working as a PA in Primary Care in Thunder Bay, ON, where she has been an integral part of the clinic for the past 10 years. In 2012, she joined the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) as a faculty member where she sits on multiple committees including the Academic Council, Academic Council Appeals Committee, and the Admissions Committee. As an Assistant Professor at NOSM, she provides an invaluable PA perspective on all things academic. In 2017, Britton joined her alma mater, the University of Toronto PA program, as the Clinical Course Director and was the first graduate of the program to become a faculty member. At the onset of the pandemic, Britton began working as the COVID-19 National Airport Screening Director for 24/7 OEMS, an occupational and emergency medicine company, where she and her teams across Canada provide Point of Pick-Up Rapid Antigen Testing for multiple Mines in the Northwest Territories. During that time, Britton wanted to further her interests in academia and is currently finishing her Master’s in Health Professions Education at Queen’s University.
Dr. Sarah McIsaac
MD, MBBCh MEd, FRCPC
Dr. Sarah McIsaac
Sarah MacIsaac is a staff respirologist with a focus on interstitial lung diseases. She completed her undergraduate degree in Connecticut, her medical school at McMaster, her internal medicine and respirology training at McGill and her interstitial lung disease fellowship at McMaster. Her areas of interest include interstitial lung diseases, lung cancer, and reducing barriers to care for patients- specifically those who identify as LGBTQ2S+. She is originally from Nova Scotia and is a mediocre surfer who is hoping her daughter will also love surfing.
Harrison Elliot
BScPA, BHSc, RPSGT
Harrison Elliot
Harrison is a recent graduate from University of Toronto’s PA program Class of 2020 and is now working in Emergency Medicine as a PA.
Hongmei Zeng
M.Sc., MPAS, CCPA
Hongmei Zeng
Hongmei Zeng - I obtained a Master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies from University of Manitoba in 2012. I worked in Critical Care at Winnipeg Regional Health Authority for 6 years. I am currently working in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery while moonlighting in Critical Care. While working in Critical Care, besides the responsibilities in medical/surgical ICUs, I work in the coronary care unit at Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg. I am part of the inpatient cardiology consultation service.
I am a clinical instructor teaching surgical skills for the MPAS program at University of Manitoba. I also teach suture techniques and patient assessment sessions for year-1 and year-2 medical students at University of Manitoba.
Before becoming a Physician Assistant, I was a medical school graduate in China and subsequently attended graduate schools studying Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Shantou University (China) and University of Manitoba. I’m a strong advocate for health equity and have a passion for humanitarian work. I served on the Health Care Professionals Committee in the Bethune Bai Qiuen Canadian Alliance - a not-for-profit corporation and travelled on humanitarian missions to provide medical aid to under-serviced and underprivileged areas in China.
Sarah Flanagan
BScPA, MA, CCPA
Sarah Flanagan
Sarah Flanagan is a Canadian Certified Physician Assistant, practicing in the areas of primary care and general obstetrics. She works at Sanctuary Refugee Health Centre in Kitchener, Ontario, where she leads the Prenatal & Postpartum Care Program. She is a graduate of the PA Consortium, Class of 2016. Prior to pursuing a career as a physician assistant, Sarah completed graduate studies in medical anthropology, undertaking field work examining the political ecology of health in isolated Guaraní communities in
Paraguay. She also worked for several years as a research and clinical assistant in optometry. Sarah enjoys working with a culturally and ethnically diverse refugee patient population, addressing social determinants of health while helping newcomer families
welcome their first Canadian babies and lay down roots in their new home country. Outside of clinic hours, Sarah enjoys spending time with family, travelling & learning new languages, and attempting to teach her husband and seven-month-old daughter
medical Arabic.
Kendra Weerheim
Kendra Weerheim
Dr. Courtney Leary
Dr. Courtney Leary
Dr. Courtney Campbell Leary is an Indigenous family physician in her home community of Norway House, Manitoba and is also a member of the Norway House Cree Nation. Dr. Leary attended the University of Manitoba after graduating from Norway House High School & Warren Collegiate Institute where she obtained a Bachelor of Science 4 year major in Microbiology and minor in Psychology. She then attended and graduated from the University of Manitoba Faculty of Medicine in 2008 and pursued post-graduate training in Family Medicine. Dr. Leary also attended and graduated from the University of Manitoba CCFP-Emergency Medicine post graduate training. She practiced emergency medicine at the Thompson General Hospital and in 2014, Dr. Leary became employed by Ongomiizwin Health Services (formerly J.A. Hildes Northern Medical Unit) in her home community of Norway House. She is the medical education lead for the Norway House family medicine training site for the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. She has also developed a program to introduce Traditional Indigenous Healing practices into the curriculum for medical learners who visit Norway House. Dr. Leary’s goal is to showcase the diverse experiences and resiliency of the Indigenous population in her home community and to encourage other young Indigenous scholars to pursue careers in the health care fields. Dr. Leary is also the Chief of Staff of the Norway House Hospital and the Senior Medical Advisor to Norway House Cree Nation.
Matthew Johnson
Matthew Johnson
I have worked in Neurosurgery as well as surgical critical care, trauma & Neurocritical at Maine medical center since 2003. I graduated with a Master's in Health professions from Northeastern University in Boston in 2000. I have extensive experience in all aspects of Neurosurgery as a PA.
I have also in the past worked in emergency medicine and prior to becoming a PA in 2000 worked as a Paramedic. I deployed to Kuwait with the US Army in 2020 and worked as an ED provider for 6 months on the military base.
On my off time I enjoy hiking, mountain biking and travelling and spending time with my adult children.
I look forward to reviewing a concise methodology to read & interpret Head CT's & spine CT's from the PA perspective.
Eden Dupont
BSc, MPAS, CCPA
Eden Dupont
Eden Dupont graduated from the University of Manitoba Masters of Physician Assistant Program in 2014. She worked as a Hospitalist PA in Bethesda Hospital in Steinbach, MB for three years. Currently she works on the Acute Leukemia and Bone Marrow Transplant ward at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg. She has been with this team for 4 years. Eden is the Chair of the Advanced Practitioners Committee in Cell Therapy Transplant Canada. Her goal is to advocate PA continuing education and promote our role as medical providers.
Adrianna Olszewski
Adrianna Olszewski
Adrianna Olszewski graduated from the Physician Assistant Program at the University of Toronto in 2020. Prior to this, she completed her undergraduate degree in Human Kinetics at the University of Guelph and gained healthcare experience by working as a Pharmacy Assistant. She has always had an interest in surgery and held a position in General Surgery at Mount Sinai since graduation. Adrianna recently transitioned to a position in Trauma and ACS at Hamilton General. Throughout her time at Mount Sinai, she had many discussions about medical documentation with our fantastic supervising physicians, Dr. Erin Kennedy and Dr. Alexandra Easson, as well as my PA colleague Irene Chhay. We developed a simple project as a starting point for evaluating the quality of terminology used in written medical documentation.
Alifiya Goriawala
Alifiya Goriawala
Alifiya Goriawala is a Canadian Certified Physician Assistant currently working in Princess Margaret Cancer Center in Medical Oncology/ Allogeneic Bone Marrow transplant. She also has five years of experience working in General Surgery and Surgical Oncology at Mount Sinai Hospital. Alifiya is a compassionate clinician and lifelong learner looking to expand her clinical expertise and make a meaningful contribution to cancer care through role as a PA in Medical Oncology. Alifiya is a strong advocate of the PA profession within Canada and is actively involved in mentorship, teaching and educational initiatives for PAs. Alifiya is also an instructor at the Consortium of PA education and enjoys mentoring PAs in training. Alifiya enjoys new experiences and loves making new connections.
Dr. Rose Zacharias
President Elect
Dr. Rose Zacharias
OMA President-Elect Dr. Rose Zacharias, based in Oro-Medonte, Ontario, is a medical hospitalist and physician wellness officer with Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care. She also is an emergency physician with 17 years of experience at Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital and currently working in Midland, Ontario at the Georgian Bay General Hospital.