February 28, 2012
Preconference Speakers
Armine Yalnizyan, Senior Economist., Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Armine Yalnizyan joined the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives in 2008. She is a regular contributor to the Globe and Mail’s on-line business feature, Economy Lab and Canadian Business magazine. She is also a member of the Big Picture weekly business panel featured Thursdays on CBC's Lang and O'Leary Exchange.
Patricia O'Gorman, Ph.D
Dr. O’Gorman is a psychologist in private practice in East Chatham, and Albany New York, is noted for her work in families, children of alcoholics, trauma, child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health, and substance abuse. She was one of the first researchers in children of alcoholics in the early 1970’s, documenting the impact of alcoholism and sobriety on adolescent development, and went on in 1974 to create the Department of Prevention and Education for the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD). She has served as an international consultant to organizations in preventative and clinical strategic planning. Dr. O'Gorman is a cofounder of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics, and has held positions ranging from Clinical Director of a child welfare agency, Executive Director of an agency serving survivors of crime and abuse, to Director of Prevention for NIAAA. She is a veteran of numerous television appearances, including Good Morning America, Today, and AM Sunday. She is the author of Dancing Backwards in High Heels: How Women Master the Art of Resilience, and with Phil Diaz is the coauthor of The Lowdown on Families Who Get High, 12 Steps to Self-Parenting for Adult Children, 12 Steps to Self-Parenting Workbook, and Breaking the Cycle of Addiction, as well as numerous articles in magazines including Addiction Today, Counselor, and Recovery. She brings to the topic of Trauma and Co-Dependency, the same type of seminal thinking that she used to help create the Children of Alcoholics Movement.
Dianne Bascombe, Vice President, Programs & Research
Pathways to Education Canada
Dianne is a recognized leader in Canada’s voluntary sector, always staying close to her passion for working on behalf of children and youth. As Vice President of Programs and Research for Pathways, Dianne works across the organization to meet the challenge of linking research to practice, and to bring the knowledge of front-line staff into an agenda for excellence and innovation.
Prior to joining Pathways, Dianne was most recently the CEO of JUMP Math, a registered charity dedicated to improving mathematics learning by supporting educational and community networks with resources and research. Over the past twenty years, she has held a number of leadership roles in the national voluntary sector, using her expertise and graduate work in economics and public policy to influence social equity issues. As Executive Director of national organizations including the Canadian Child Care Federation, Family Service Canada and the National Children’s Alliance, Dianne has had the privilege of working with communities towards better outcomes for all of Canada’s children. Dianne is a recipient of the Family Service Canada Leadership Award and the Queen’s Jubilee Medal.
Ronni Gorman, Program Director – Pathways to Education, Scarborough Village -
YouthLink
The Pathways to Education Program is currently in year 3 and there are 250 Scarborough Village students registered ranging from grades 9-11 and attending 16 different high schools outside of their community. Approximately 15,000 people live in Scarborough Village, all living in high rise rental buildings within a 1 kilometre radius in Southwest Scarborough. Although a community with much strength, levels of poverty are high for students and community infrastructure is minimal with no community high school, no bank, no post office and no library in the neighborhood.
Ronni has been working with youth across Scarborough for the past 14 years and specifically in the Scarborough Village community for the past 6. As a lifelong resident of Scarborough herself, Ronni has always had an interest in working with youth in the area through a combination of school support and community development initiatives with young people. Previous to Pathways, Ronni was a community based mental health worker with YouthLink and has held an extensive range of related roles in youth programming, youth justice and school social work capacities. Ronni holds a BSW from Ryerson University and an MSW from York University.
Tom Cooper, Director,
The Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction
Tom was appointed the Director of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction in 2009 and previously served for eleven years as community development coordinator at McQuesten Legal & Community Services in the east end of Hamilton. Educated at McMaster University, Tom served as a freelance columnist for the Hamilton Spectator prior to taking on the role of HRPR Director. Tom is passionate about his community and its residents and has spent much of the last year advancing the Roundtable’s new Action Plan – which aims to reduce and eliminate poverty through strategic community initiatives. In his spare time, Tom enjoys taking his six year old son on excursions to Greater Hamilton’s phenomenal 126 waterfalls.
Ginette Cyr, RN, BScN,
Public Health Nurse, Sudbury and District Health Unit
Ginette has been working as a public health nurse for 13 years. She has worked in the areas of Injury Prevention and Infectious Diseases but has spent most of her time in the field of Health Promotion at the Porcupine Health Unit and currently at the Sudbury & District Health Unit. She is presently involved in the implementation of a community model for parenting in the Sudbury and Manitoulin districts using Triple P: Positive Parenting Program. Ginette is trained in several Triple P levels and delivers programming to a variety of clients. She has dedicated much of her time to coordinating the delivery of this program with 33 other agencies across the district area to ensure all families can access parenting services within their own communities.
February 29, 2012 - March 1, 2012
Keynote Speakers
Cindy Blackstock, PhD
Executive Director, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada www.fncaringsociety.com
Associate Professor, University of Alberta
A member of the Gitksan Nation, she has worked in the field of child and family services for over 20 years. An author of over 50 publications, her key interests include exploring, and addressing, the causes of disadvantage for Aboriginal children and families by promoting equitable and culturally based interventions. Current professional interests include holding fellowships with the Atkinson Foundation, the Ashoka Foundation, and the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation.
Jane Bradley
Jane Bradley and Associates
Jane Bradley, BA Psychology, Certified Compassion Fatigue Specialist, has spent 35 years healing trauma and crisis. She has worked in agencies serving at risk youth, abused women and their children, developmentally disabled adults, people living with HIV/AIDS, newcomers, people living with mental illness, and the homeless. Located in Niagara, Ontario, Jane Bradley has been in private practice since 1989, and delivers Compassion Fatigue workshops and consultation services across Canada.
Judy Buchan, RN, BScN
Project Manager, Nurturing the Next Generation, Peel Public Health
Judy has worked in the public health arena for 16 years. Judy is a leader in her field with a solid foundation of knowledge related to public health and nursing practice. Her expertise in child and reproductive health is focused in prenatal period, infancy and the transition to parenting. Judy has been a major contributor to the search for evidence related to the Nurturing the Next Generation Project.
Brenda Smith-Chant, PhD
Chair, Psychology Department, Trent University
Adjunct Professor, the Milton and Ethel Harris Research Institute, York University
Brenda completed her Masters and PhD at Carleton University and held a Restracom Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children on the Spina Bifida Project. She has served as the co-ordinator of the Developmental Section of the Canadian Psychological Society and as a senior researcher for the Ministry of Children and Youth Services (province of Ontario), overseeing research and evaluation of early-years programs. Her research interests are in the area of children’s cognitive development and how early development is influenced by parents, educators, and social policy. She has been involved in multiple research projects including Ontario’s Best Start, Cuba-Canada Pathways of Development, Count Me In! (and Count Me In, Two: Long-term predictors of math achievement in children), and the evaluation of the Community Aboriginal Recreation Activator initiative with the Ministry of Health Promotion. She is primary investigator on the Knowledge Synthesis Grant: Nurturing the Next Generation, in partnership with Peel Public Health.
Concurrent Session Speakers
Alison Benedict
Aboriginal Health Promotion Consultant, Best Start Resource Centre, Health Nexus
Alison Benedict, MSW is a member of the Mohawk Nation from Akwesasne, Wolf Clan. Her Mohawk name is Kiawenniserathe, meaning Bright Day. The roots and inspiration of her life work come from the teachings of the Peacemaker. She received her Masters degree from the University of Michigan with a focus in clinical practice with children and youth, including school social work and specialized training in child abuse and neglect. Alison has been a professor and frontline social worker. The focus of her teaching has been work in First Nations/Aboriginal communities and creating culturally specific curriculum. Her specialization is working with people who have experienced trauma, either as survivors or as witnesses. This includes work with physically and/or sexually abused and neglected children, women and men who have experienced or perpetrated violence, residential school survivors and people of various ages experiencing other life challenges.
Angela Mashford-Pringle
PhD Candidate
Angela Mashford-Pringle is an urban Algonquin woman from Temiskaming First Nation in Quebec. She is a PhD candidate specializing in the area of Aboriginal health at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. Angela completed her Master of Arts degree at the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education (OISE) in 2008 in the area of Aboriginal education and early learning. She is providing workshops for teacher candidates in the area of Aboriginal worldviews and history. Angela worked for many years at Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada managing a variety of Aboriginal social programs like Aboriginal Head Start Urban and Northern Communities and the Community Action Program for Children. In 2010/11, Angela worked as the first Aboriginal Programs Manager at Centennial College where she developed an Aboriginal Business Diploma program and created the frameworks for programs in early learning, health management, music, film, and an Aboriginal Studies Diploma. Angela is currently a Course Instructor in the Aboriginal Studies Program at the University of Toronto.
Janette Bowie
Program and Standards Advisor, Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport
Janette Bowie RN, BScN, has spent many years working as a Public Health Nurse, in multiple roles primarily focused on community and family health promotion. She has had a long association with The Best Start Resource Center since its inception. Janette is utilizing her public health knowledge and skills in her current role of Program and Standards Advisor, at the Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport.
Donna Caputo, R.N., BScN.
Public Health Nurse, Algoma Public Health
Donna has worked in Maternal-Child Health for 25 years and has facilitated prenatal classes for 24 years. Currently, she works in both the Reproductive Health and Social Determinants of Health Programs, and is chair of the Algoma Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Committee. She is a member of the Ontario Public Health Association (OPHA) Reproductive Health work group and has worked with the Best Start Resource Centre on numerous initiatives since it began as a pilot project in Algoma.
Louise Choquette
Bilingual Health Promotion Consultant, Best Start Resource Centre, Health Nexus
Louise Choquette is a Bilingual Health Promotion Consultant. Her formal education is in Communications and Educational Technology. Over the past few years, she has been involved in a variety of health promotion initiatives in public health and for not-for-profit organizations in the areas of heart health, physical activity, tobacco use prevention, and substance abuse prevention. Her portfolio with the Best Start Resource Centre has included services to francophones, prenatal education, cultural diversity issues, tobacco, attachment, and physical activity.
Jeff Daiter, MD, CCFP, FCFP, FAASM, CASAM, FASAM, CCSAM, MRO, DABAM
Chief Medical Director, Ontario Addiction Treatment Centres
Fellow, American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Certificant, American Society of Addiction Medicine
Fellow, American Society of Addiction Medicine
Certificant, Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine
Medical Review Officer
Diplomat, American board of Addiction Medicine
Dr. Daiter graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 1991 and completed his Residency in Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. He subsequently went on to specialize in Sleep Disorders Medicine, receiving a Fellowship from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. A few years later, he added Addiction medicine to his focused practice area, achieving certification by the American Board of Addiction Medicine, the Canadian and American Societies of Addiction Medicine as well as a Fellowship from the latter. He currently acts as the Chief Medical Director for the Ontario Addiction Treatment Centers, a group of 41 methadone clinics in the province. In partnership with more than 40 other physicians, the Ontario Addiction Treatment Centers currently offers addiction treatment to over 9,000 patients. Dr. Daiter also sits on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine.
Hiltrud Dawson
Health Promotion Consultant, Best Start Resource Centre, Health Nexus
Hiltrud has extensive experience in the maternal newborn field as a nurse, midwife, and lactation consultant. Hiltrud has taught workshops on breastfeeding, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, and other reproductive health topics to audiences from various health and social service disciplines including physicians and medical students. She is currently expanding her portfolio into child health and development. Her passions include breastfeeding, the adjustment of mothers and families after the birth of their baby, and the impact of mother's physical, social, and mental issues on infants and children.
Hannele Dionisi, R.N., BScN
Public Health Nurse, Algoma Public Health
Hannele has worked in public health for over 20 years. For the past ten years her focus has been reproductive health, breastfeeding promotion, and social determinants of health. She is a member of the Ontario Public Health Association (OPHA) Reproductive Health work group and the Ontario Breastfeeding Committee. She has contributed to many projects that have been led by the Best Start Resource Centre. Hannele was the Baby-Friendly Initiative (BFI) program lead as Algoma Public Health worked toward receiving BFI designation in January 2010.
Claire Kerr-Zlobin
Executive Director, Healthy Start, Healthy Future
Founder, Life With a Baby Program
Claire Kerr-Zlobin is the Executive Director of Healthy Start, Healthy Future and founder of the Life With a Baby (LWAB) program. LWAB is a three-tiered peer support system for parents. It offers local, community-based social events to build relationships, online support, and multi-lingual parenting programs with a focus on peer support.
Dr. Joseph A. Kim
Assistant Professor, Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University
Dr. Joe Kim is actively involved in all aspects of the scholarship of teaching and learning. He directs the innovative McMaster IntroPsych program which combines traditional face-to-face instruction with enhanced on-line resources and has been prominently featured in Maclean’s, Globe and Mail, and CHCH News. He also directs the Pedagogy and Applied Cognition Lab which focuses on teaching, learning, and technology.
Stephanie MacDonald
Mohawk, Community Breastfeeding Coordinator, Six Nations of the Grand River Territory
IBCLC Candidate 2011
Aboriginal Midwife, Tsi Non:we Ionnkeratstha Ona:grahsta’
Stephanie has her Honours Bachelor of Arts from Trent University in Native Studies/History. She breastfed her four children for three years each. Stephanie is also a Postpartum Depression Support Person (PPPSS) and Certified Red Cross Instructor.
Betsy Mann, M.A., CCFE
Parent Educator
Betsy Mann, a Certified Canadian Family Educator, facilitates workshops for parents, early childhood educators and family resource practitioners. She is editor of the newsletter of the Canadian Association of Family Resource Programs and author of other publications, including a training program for home child care providers and a handbook for facilitators of parenting groups.
Betsy Mann, M.A., ÉFAC
Éducatrice familiale
Betsy Mann, Éducatrice familiale agréée du Canada, anime des ateliers à l’intention de parents, d’éducatrices et d’intervenantes en soutien à la famille. Elle est rédactrice du bulletin de l’Association canadienne des programmes de ressources pour la famille et auteure d’autres publications, notamment un programme de formation à l’intention des responsables de garde en milieu familial et un guide à l’animation des groupes de parents.
Dr. Michelle F. Mottola, PhD, FACSM
Professor, School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Health Sciences and the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry
Director, R. Samuel McLaughlin Foundation – Exercise and Pregnancy Laboratory, The University of Western Ontario
Dr. Michelle F. Mottola is a Professor with a Joint position in the School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Health Sciences and the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. She is the Director of the R. Samuel McLaughlin Foundation – Exercise and Pregnancy Laboratory, at The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada, which is the only lab in North America that specializes in the area of exercising pregnant and postpartum women. Website: www.uwo.ca/fhs/EPL
Brian Russell
Chair, the Father Involvement Initiative - Ontario Network
Brian is the Provincial Coordinator of FII-ON. He also provides workshops and parenting programs through the LAMP Early Years Centre, where he runs Dads Today for dads in the GTA.
Marie-Anne Saucier, RECE, BA
Directrice générale, Trent Child Care Inc.
Marie-Anne Saucier œuvre dans le domaine de la petite enfance depuis plus de 25 ans. Elle a travaillé dans plusieurs communautés et a tenu les rôles d’éducatrice, de directrice et de coordonnatrice de recherche. Elle est présentement Directrice générale d’un service de garde éducative à Peterborough.
Dr. Stuart Shanker
Distinguished Research Professor of Philosophy and Psychology, York University
Director, the Milton and Ethel Harris Research Initiative, York University
Director, EPIC
Dr. Stuart Shanker is Distinguished Research Professor of Philosophy and Psychology at York University and Director of the Milton and Ethel Harris Research Initiative. He was educated at Oxford. He has received many awards, including a $7,000,000 grant from the Harris Steel Foundation to establish MEHRI. Among his monographs are The First Idea (with Stanley Greenspan, 2004), Early Years Study II (with J. Fraser Mustard and Margaret McCain, 2007), and Human Development in the 21st Century (with Alan Fogel and Barbara King, 2008). Dr. Shanker has just been appointed the Director of EPIC, an international initiative created to promote children's educational potential.
Networking Session Facilitators
Jennifer Antler
Cap-C Trainer, Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship Centres
Jennifer Antler is Pottawatomi/Ojibway and Mohawk from Wasauksing First Nation. Jennifer currently works for the Ontario Federation of Friendship Centres as a Field Support Trainer for the Child and Youth initiative. Jennifer has worked in the Toronto Aboriginal community for 13 years with an extensive background in arts and culture.
Jennifer Menominee
Cap-C Field Support Trainer, Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship Centres
Jennifer Menominee is Pottawatomi/Ojibway and Mohawk from Wasauksing First Nation. Jennifer currently works for the Ontario Federation of Friendship Centres as a Field Support Trainer for the Child and Youth initiative. Jennifer has worked in the Toronto Aboriginal community for 13 years with an extensive background in arts and culture.
Marie Brisson
Bilingual Health Promotion Consultant, Best Start Resource Centre, Health Nexus
Marie Brisson is a Bilingual Health Promotion Consultant. She graduated from the University of Ottawa in nursing; she then completed a second cycle diploma in Andragogy and a diploma in Health and Safety in the workplace. She worked in Public Health in numerous health programs and worked a few years in the private sector which makes her field of expertise very wide. She is committed to find strategies, approaches, and activities to respond to individuals, families or communities’ needs/requirements. She is proficient in training development and delivery, facilitation and presentations.
Louise Choquette
Bilingual Health Promotion Consultant, Best Start Resource Centre, Health Nexus
Louise Choquette is a Bilingual Health Promotion Consultant for the Best Start Resource Centre. Before joining the Best Start team, she was involved in a variety of health promotion initiatives in public health and for not-for-profit organizations. Her work with the Best Start Resource Centre includes initiatives in physical activity, prenatal education, Francophones and newcomer families.
