Speakers

Wendy Katherine
Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care

Wendy Katherine is the Coordinator of the Ontario Ministry of Health's Midwifery Program and was the Project Manager of the Ontario Maternity-Care Expert Panel (OMCEP)

Dr. Gilles Julien
The Foundation for Social Paediatrics Promotion

Dr. Gilles Julien has been practising paediatrics for nearly 30 years. He has worked as a social paediatrican since the early 1900's, acquiring experience in multi-ethnic milieu and underprivileged communities. For his practice in social paediatrics, he is recognised locally, nationally and at the international level. In 2004, he was chosen as "The personality of the year" in the category of social sciences and technologies. That prize is attributed by La Presse /Radio-Canada. In February 2005, he was the co-founder of the Foundation for Social Paediatrics Promotion (La Fondation pour la Promotion de la Pédiatrie sociale).

Louise Hanvey
Canadian Council on Social Development

Louise Hanvey has been a research consultant specializing in issues involving children and youth for over 20. Louise has been the Project Director for the Canadian Council on Social Development's report, The Progress of Canada's Children for many years and was the principal author of The Health of Canada's Children: A CICH Profile, Editions 1 and 2. Louise has a Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Manitoba and a Masters of Health Administration from the University of Ottawa.

Lorraine Greaves, PhD
Executive Director of the British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women's Health in Vancouver, Canada, and Clinical Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC

Lorraine Greaves, PhD is the Executive Director of the British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women's Health in Vancouver, Canada, and Clinical Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC. She is a sociologist, writer, speaker and researcher on women's health issues, including tobacco use, substance use, mothering and violence. She is the Vice President of the International Network of Women Against Tobacco, a global volunteer advocacy and research organization.

Special Guest

Hildy Stollery
Storyteller and Literacy Consultant

Hildy Stollery is an acclaimed early literacy expert and storyteller, founding member of the Canadian Association of Storytellers for Children, a University of Toronto teacher educator for 36 years and a dedicated promoter of child and family literacy. Hildy's storytelling is heartwarming and her professional insights are compelling.

Beverley Else
MA, APR

Beverley Else has 30 years of experience in public and media relations, working within and outside Canada. With a background in both the public and private sectors, she has a special interest in social marketing communications. Currently the Manager of Tobacco Control Media Relations for Cancer Care Ontario, Beverley also manages the Ontario Tobacco Strategy Media Network. She holds undergraduate degrees in arts, journalism and radio & television arts, a masters degree in English literature, and accreditation from the Canadian Public Relations Society.

Deana Midmer
BScN, MEd, EdD, Associate Professor & Research Scholar, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of Toronto.

Member of the development team for the ALPHA form. Director of the PRIMA (Pregnancy-Related Issues in the Management of Addictions) Project, a national initiative focusing on developing provider resources in the area of problematic substance use in pregnancy. Faculty for the Lamaze International Childbirth Education program run at the Michener Institute, Toronto. Coordinator of the Prenatal and Family Life Education Program, Mt. Sinai Hospital, Toronto and facilitator of the couples communication classes, "Partners to Parents". In private practice as a solution-focused therapist.

Kathleen Cooper

Kathleen Cooper has worked in environmental research positions for twenty years. As Senior Researcher at the Canadian Environmental Law Association she provides casework support to environmental litigation files and has written extensively on the subject of environmental policy and children's health. She chairs the steering committee of the Canadian Partnership for Children's Health and Environment (CPCHE) and has recently authored CPCHE's Child Health and the Environment - A Primer as well as a companion technical report for Toronto Public Health.

Cindy-Lee Dennis

Cindy-Lee Dennis is an assistant professor at the faculty of nursing, Unveristy of Toronto. She has published numerous papers and conducted several evidence-based reviewes and research studies on the detection, prevention and treatment of postpartum depression.

Mario Corbeil
Best Start Resource Centre

Mario Corbeil is a Bilingual Health Promotion Consultant with Best Start. His experience is diversified. He has worked extensively on pregnancy in difficult life situations, intersectoral collaboration and community nutrition. Mario has worked in the areas of public health, community health development and volunteer management.

Alex McKay
Sex Information and Education Council of Canada

Alexander McKay, Ph.D. is the Research Coordinator for SIECCAN, the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada, Associate Editor of The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality and an instructor at Ryerson University. His work focuses on adolescent sexual and reproductive health and the development of high quality sexual health education programming for youth.

Lorraine Greaves
BC Centre of Excellence for Women's Health

Lorraine Greaves, PhD is the Executive Director of the British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women's Health in Vancouver, Canada, and Clinical Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC. She is a sociologist, writer, speaker and researcher on women's health issues, including tobacco use, substance use, mothering and violence. She is the author or co-author of several books and numerous articles, including Filtered Policy: Women and Tobacco in Canada, CIHR 2000: Sex, Gender and Women's Health, Smoke Screen: Women's Smoking and Social Control, Mixed Messages: Women, Tobacco and the Media, A Motherhood Issue: Mothering Under Duress; Expecting to Quit; Better Practices in Tobacco Cessation during Pregnancy, Reducing Harm: Tobacco Policies and Vulnerable Populations and No Gift: Tobacco Policy and Aboriginal People, among others. She is the Vice President of the International Network of Women Against Tobacco, a global volunteer advocacy and research organization.

Christa Costas-Bradstreet
City of Hamilton Public Health and Community Services Department

Christa Costas-Bradstreet, R.N., is a Physical Activity Specialist with the City of Hamilton Public Health and Community Services Department. Prior to joining the health department, Christa spent 10 years with ParticipACTION. Christa operates her own consulting company and co-teaches the Physical Activity and Health Promotion course at York University in the Kinesiology and Health Sciences program.

Sue Weststrate
Best Start Resource Centre

Sue Weststrate, is a Health Promotion Consultant and early child development project lead with Best Start. Prior to joining Best Start, Sue worked with a public health unit; family, child care and special needs resource programs; and in children's service planning, all with a focus on the early years.

Debbie Aylward
Perinatal Partnership Program of Eastern and Southeastern Ontario

Debbie Aylward is a Special Projects Coordinator with the Perinatal Partnership Program of Eastern and Southeastern Ontario (PPPESCO) as the Special Projects Coordinator. She's worked on several large projects including the recent development of guidelines for care providers on woman abuse and the. Previously Debbie was employed at the Children's' Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) where she worked as a nurse mainly in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Lois Saunders
Affiliated Services for Children and Youth

Lois Saunders is an Early Childhood Educator, certified by the Association fo Early Childhood Educators of Ontario (A.E.C.E.,O.). Lois has acquired experience in a variety of settings including supervisory positions in co-operative preschool, licensed home child care and full day child care programs. Her career includes consulting on the Program Review and Support Project, and teaching in the ECE program at Mohawk College. Currently Lois is employed by ASCY, Affiliated Services for Children and Youth in Hamilton, where she serves as the Healthy Child Care Environment Coordinator. In this role she coordinates network and mentoring activities among child care centre directors and supervisors and early childhood educators at all career levels. Lois is a member of the team of authors that developed and introduced "Raising the Bar on Quality", a community standards program for licensed, centre-based ECE programs in Hamilton.

Jean Clinton
McMaster University

Jean Clinton is a Child Psychiatrist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neuroscience at McMaster University. She co-chairs Hamilton's Best Start Network and is a Board member of Fraser Mustard's council for early childhood development. Jean is the mother of five great kids.

Alita Sauvé
Outreach Counselor/Facilitator, Pathways to Healthy Families of the Jean Tweed Centre

Alita Sauve provides culturally based services to pregnant and parenting Aboriginal women who are experiencing a variety of issues including substance use. Alita has an extensive knowledge of the unique addiction issues within the Aboriginal community, including holistic approaches, family healing, harm reduction strategies, identification and assessment of substance use, and individual and group therapeutic counseling skills. She brings a lifetime of experience in Traditional Native spirituality and culture. She is a descendant paternally and maternally of Traditional Medicine Societies. Alita is proficient in the delivery of "Ceremonial Teachings" which enhance recovery from substance use in the Aboriginal community. Alita is a skilled instructor of Native Family Life practices that focus on the life cycle of women and their ability to meet the challenges of motherhood. She is considered to be a Traditional and spiritual role model and is a Pipe Carrier.