NORTHERN MEDTALKS
Save the date!
April 25, 2024
2024 PROGRAMMING
Science North and the Science Communication Program at Laurentian University are excited to collaborate with Eastlink to bring you Northern MedTalks 2024!
A fast-paced speakers event featuring 10 presentations by Northern Ontario healthcare providers. Each 10-minute talk will inspire audiences through engaging stories about human health.
You’ll connect with powerful narratives from physicians, nurse practitioners, researchers and more!
WAYS TO WATCH
- Live in-person presentation in the Vale Cavern
- Enjoy Northern MedTalks at home! A livestream will be available on this webpage on April 25 beginning at 7pm (no ticket required)
This event will be presented in English with ASL interpretation. Accessible seating for visitors using mobility aids will be available in the Vale Cavern. If you require interpreter-proximity seating, please indicate this when you request your ticket.
Maximum 2 tickets per person.
SOCIAL HOURS
6pm to 7pm; 10pm to 11pm
For those attending Northern MedTalks 2024 on-site at Science North, doors will open at 6pm. Join us before the event to grab some refreshments. The event starts promptly at 7pm in the Vale Cavern. After the presentations, meet us for a social hour to discuss the night's stories with speakers and fellow guests.
Refreshments will be available for purchase
SPEAKERS
Patrick Bélec
Patrick is a registered nurse at Health Sciences North in the ICU. He graduated in 2017 from the French Bachelor's in Nursing Sciences and started working on cardiology at HSN, Patrick stayed there for 5 years and then transferred to the ICU in May 2022. In the past few years he’s also gotten more involved at NOSM, initially as a standardized patient, and last spring as a tutor for a few labs teaching the medical students techniques and procedures that fall within his scope of practice. Patrick has also been involved as the conveyor of the Sudbury Brain Tumour Support Group, involved on the executive of the Northeastern Ontario Canadian Vascular Access Association (NEOCVAA) chapter and started his own first aid and CPR business on the side.
Dr. Pablo Cano
Dr. Cano graduated with an MD in Lima, Peru in 1972. Throughout his years in practice, he has studied rheumatology, immunology and oncology. Dr. Cano established Rheumatology and Oncology Clinics in Sudbury as well as a Palliative Care Unit. He is currently an associate Medical Professor at NOSM University.
Alicia Chenier
Alicia Grace Chenier is a college graduate now pursuing a university degree in Disability Studies and has lived through more lifetimes than the average 24-year-old. She is a brain tumour survivor, chronic illness warrior, and disability advocate. She lives her life to raise awareness and share her story. Alicia at a very young age lost most of her vision because of a brain tumour but that never stops her. Her life motto is “Blind girl in a sighted world” and she has learnt to live and navigate the world with sight loss. She may have lost her sight at a young age, but she will never lose her vision to create change in this world.
Ginette Demers
Ginette Demers (she/her/elle) joined Public Health Sudbury & Districts as Manager, Health Equity Foundations in September after spending the last five years in the Northwest Territories. Ginette was born and raised in the traditional territory of the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek in Northern Ontario. As a Social Worker, Ginette has spent two decades immersed in numerous leadership roles aimed at reducing the impact of gender-based violence, inter-generational family violence and child/youth maltreatment. She’s also championed projects and initiatives that foster human rights, inclusivity, and equity. In her current role she leads the ongoing development and implementation of health equity philosophy, goals, and activities.
Dr. Thomas Edwards
Thomas Edwards is a second-year medical student at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Before attending NOSM, Thomas completed his PhD in Exercise Physiology at the University of Ottawa, where his research focused on how exercise can be adapted and used to improve the health of those with disabilities. As a medical student and future physician, Thomas hopes to leverage his research experiences and promote the benefits of exercise for his patients, particularly those with disabilities.
Dr. Naana Jumah
Naana Afua Jumah is an Obstetrician Gynaecologist at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and a researcher at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Dr. Jumah’s research and clinical practice focuses on Indigenous women's health and substance use in pregnancy in Northwestern Ontario. Through a series of integrated research studies, Dr. Jumah seeks to determine how to organize a model of care that addresses the needs of substance involved pregnant women living in rural and remote areas in order to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes.
Dr Jumah holds a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toronto and a DPhil in Medical Engineering from the University of Oxford, which she completed as a Rhodes Scholar. Following her doctorate, she graduated from Harvard Medical School and then completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynaecology with a specialization in Addiction Medicine at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Andreas Kumar
Dr. Andreas Kumar is a cardiologist and Associate Professor of Medicine at NOSM University. He's the previous chief of cardiology at HSN Sudbury and the President of the Canadian Society of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging. His research evolves around myocardial infarction, commonly known as heart attacks. Dr. Kumar developed an imaging method for hemorrhagic myocardial infarction, a type of heart attack that is complicated by a bleeding into the heart muscle. This led to a new classification of heart attacks into four stages, endorsed by the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. This opens up new horizons for diagnoses and treatments of heart attacks.
Dr. Tara Leary
Dr. Tara Leary is the Regional Medical Lead for addictions services at Health Sciences North in Sudbury. She also has a community addictions practice and is an assistant professor at NOSM U where she also acts as Medical Director of Continuing Medical Education. Dr. Leary has been in practice in Sudbury for over 20 years, with a focus in mental health and addictions for more than a decade. Her work has supported various agencies over the years, ranging from the Canadian Mental Health Association to Shkagamik Kwe Health Centre and the Sudbury Jail, but ultimately, she has focused her efforts in helping to build a more responsive addictions approach with HSN. She is a published author in several peer-reviewed journals; has helped develop accredited addictions learning simulations for clinicians; presents at provincial and national addictions conferences; and sits on several advisory committees, including the Ontario Health Centre of Excellence in Mental Health and Addictions Task Group on Bed Based Services.
Dr. August Pierik
Dr. Pierik is an anesthesia resident at NOSM U, in her 3rd year of the program. She’s originally from British Columbia, and came to Northern Ontario for her residency 3 years ago. When she’s not in the hospital learning to be an anesthetist, you can find her at home with her husband and 2 kids. They are a household that loves playing sports and camping. A couple of her favourite things about anesthesiology are connecting with patients and their families before their surgery as well as doing epidurals for women in labour.
Nicole Sage & Kaylie Voutier
Having spent most of her professional career in the healthcare sector, Nicole has developed various partnerships and organized many community events. She was co-host of the TV show Ageing in Action and was awarded the Business Professional Women’s Intrapreneur award for being recognized for her influences on innovation and creativity. Her educational background in theater has allowed me to take my creativity and dynamic personality with her in her work pursuits.
As a results-driven professional, she remains committed to working for an organization dedicated to helping others and striving to make a difference. As Development and Community Engagement Coordinator for Ontario North, she assists the organization with building relationships, awareness, and education in Northern Ontario as they strive to improve the lives of people affected by Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis – at all stages of life, from every corner of the country.
Kaylie is the Sudbury Chapter President for Crohn's and Colitis Canada as well as the Sudbury Gutsy Walk Chair. She has been living with Ulcerative Colitis for over 10 years and has been volunteering with Crohn's and Colitis Canada for over 5 years.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
PLEASE CONSIDER SUPPORTING NORTHERN MEDTALKS!
When you reserve your free ticket, you will see the option of supporting our Science for All fund. The Science for All fund provides financial support to increase the number of individuals, groups, and communities who can access Science North facilities and experiences, creating equitable access for all. This innovative fund ensures programs related to STEM are accessible to anyone living in Sudbury and across Northern Ontario.
Missed Northern MedTalks 2023? Watch the presentations here!
Presented in English and ASL interpretation
