May 12-13, 2022

A Day In Addictions Conference


A Day In Addictions/Trauma Informed Training Conference

May 12, 2022 from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST

May 13, 2022 from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. EST


To view the recorded sessions please sign in to your account and make your way to the "Agenda & Resources" page

Day 1 - A Day In Addictions:

This conference provides an opportunity to develop knowledge about new research and programs to address addictions issues impacting Northern Ontario. Sessions will be relevant to physicians, psychiatrists, allied healthcare professionals, care workers, Residents and Learners.

Day 2: Trauma Informed Care Training:

Trauma is an underlying reality for many people seeking help for addictions/mental health issues. This session will address approaches to supporting patients through trauma from cultural roots and current trends in trauma. Sessions will be relevant to physicians, psychiatrists, allied healthcare professionals, care workers, Residents and Learners.

Event Agenda (Draft)

Please download a copy of our draft agenda below for review!

Get to know our upcoming speakers!

Please view biographies of our upcoming speakers below! Additional biographies will be uploaded once received.

  • Tony P. George, M.D., FRCPC

    Tony P. George, M.D., FRCPC

    Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto. Senior Clinician-Scientist, Addictions Division and Scientific Lead for Addictions Research, Centre for Complex Interventions Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)

    Dr. Tony George is Professor of Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto (U of T), where he directs a program of research focused on understanding the biological basis of addiction co-morbidity (e.g. tobacco and cannabis) in serious mental illness, with a focus on schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. He served as Chief of the Schizophrenia Division (2008-2016), Medical Director of the Complex Mental Illness Program (2012-2016) and Chief of Addictions (2016-2019) at CAMH. He was also the inaugural holder of the Chair in Addiction Psychiatry at the University of Toronto (2006-2012). His research is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the CAMH Foundation and the National Institutes of Drug Abuse (NIDA).

    He completed his undergraduate and medical school training at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada graduating with his M.D. degree in 1992. Dr. George then completed psychiatry residency training (1992-96) and a fellowship in Translational Neuroscience (1996-98) at the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, USA, joining the psychiatry faculty at Yale in 1998. He was an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University before coming to the University of Toronto as a Full Professor in 2006.

    Dr. George has over 290 peer-reviewed publications, and is a Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP). Since 2013, he has served as Deputy Editor of the ACNP’s journal Neuropsychopharmacology (NPP). In 2023, he will become Co-Principal Editor of NPP. Dr. George wrote the chapter on Nicotine and Tobacco in Cecil Textbook of Medicine in 2011, 2015, 2019 as well as for the newest edition scheduled for 2023. He is Vice-Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Canadian Council on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA), co-editing its report on Cannabis and Youth in 2015.

  • Louisa Marion-Bellemare

    Louisa Marion-Bellemare

    Dr. Louisa Marion-Bellemare completed her B.Sc. Kin. in 2000 from LU. She worked as a Kinesiologist but needed a career change and attended UofT and completed her M.Sc. PT in 2004. She worked as a Physiotherapist and needed a career change and attended NOSM to complete her MD in 2013 and Family Medicine Residency in 2015. She also had a very short teaching career (6 months in 2002) that almost killed her. Her next career will be hairdressing during her semi retirement.

    She works at the Timmins and District Hospital Emergency Department, the primary care clinic at the homeless shelter and the addiction clinics in communities along the James Bay Coast. Dr Marion-Bellemare can also be found working at the Indigenous Health Care Centre and the local provincial jail. She is the co-lead and works with the addiction medicine program at the hospital which includes the acute withdrawal management unit, addiction medicine consult service and the community withdrawal management service. She is actively involved in her community by promoting barrier free access to addiction treatment with the ultimate goal to save lives and improve quality of life.

  • Julie Samson

    Julie Samson

    Dr Julie Samson graduated from Ottawa University Medical School in 1995 and completed her family medicine residency in Northern Ontario (NOSM) and her EM certification in 1998.

    She began her practice in Timmins, Ontario in 1999. She also works in the emergency department and as a hospitalist. She recently started working at the local shelter primary care clinic. She is actively involved with the opiate crisis in her city advocating for better access and improved care for people living with addictions. She is Co-lead of the addiction program at her hospital which includes acute medical withdrawal management beds, addiction medicine consult team and community withdrawal management service. She also works in outreach addiction clinics in communities along the James Bay Coast.

    On her down time, she likes to train with friends for running races and triathlons and loves to spend time at her cottage with friends and family.

  • David Crockford, MD, FRCPC, DABPN, CCSAM, DFAPA, FCPA

    David Crockford, MD, FRCPC, DABPN, CCSAM, DFAPA, FCPA

    Clinical Professor - University of Calgary

    Dr. Crockford is a Clinical Professor with the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Calgary. He has been a consulting psychiatrist to the Foothills Medical Centre Addiction Program, Early Psychosis Intervention Program, and Adult Psychosis Program, treating patients with concurrent disorders for the past 24 years. He is certified in Addiction Medicine by the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine and on their Board of Directors.

    His published work focuses on concurrent psychiatric and substance use disorders, education in addiction, gambling disorder, and functional brain neuroimaging. He is the past Chair of the Addictions Section for the Canadian Psychiatric Association as well as prior International Area Director and International Member-at-Large for the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry. He is a prior Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada examiner in psychiatry for 18 years. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and Fellow of the Canadian Psychiatric Association.

  • Cynthia Olsen

    Cynthia Olsen

    Born and raised in Thunder Bay, Cynthia has worked for 20 years in the areas of Child & Youth Mental Health, Adult Mental Health & Addiction, with 9 of those coordinating the Thunder Bay Drug Strategy. The Drug Strategy is the City’s official plan to reduce the harms associated with substance use, and is a multi-sector collaboration of over 35 organizations and community members, including individuals with lived experience.

    Cynthia co-chairs the Thunder Bay Housing & Homelessness Coalition, is the Vice Chair of the Thunder Bay Drug Awareness Committee, Co-Chairs the Opioid Surveillance & Response Task Force, and chairs the Vulnerable Populations COVID-19 Planning Table. Currently, Cynthia is serving as the Manager of Community Strategies for the City of Thunder Bay, overseeing the Community Safety & Well-Being and Drug Strategy portfolios, as well as playing a leadership role to support City-Community responses to ongoing and emerging social development needs.

    Cynthia has a Diploma in Child & Youth Work from Confederation College, and a Bachelor of Arts, Psychology Degree from Carleton University. Cynthia is a recipient of the 2016 Northern Ontario Visionary Awards for the top 20 young professionals under 40.

  • Tina Skjonsby-McKinnon

    Tina Skjonsby-McKinnon

    Tina McKinnon has lived on the ancestral, traditional and Unceded territory of the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek, in the Robinson Huron Treaty territory for 22 years but she grew up further north in Treaty 9 Territory, the traditional lands of the Omàmìwininìwag (Algonquin), Abitibiwinni Aki, Cree, Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ.

    She is a Public Health Nurse with Public Health Sudbury and Districts. Her current assignment is on the Mental Health and Substance Use team but her COVID experience involved various reassignments from contact tracing to vaccination. As a result of these experiences, Tina is an advocate for rural and northern health.

  • Greg Carfagnini

    Greg Carfagnini

    Greg is a family medicine trained physician with specialty training in emergency medicine and addiction medicine. He completed medical school at University of Manitoba in 2006, Family Medicine residency through McMaster in Thunder Bay in 2008, Emergency Medicine training through NOSM in 2009, and received the CCFP Addiction Medicine certification in 2019. Greg has been practicing addiction medicine for 10 years.

    He has been heavily involved in the development of addiction medicine services in Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario. Greg has held the position of RAAM lead physician and has been involved in RAAM clinic development throughout Northwestern Ontario. Greg is passionate about increasing access to high quality addiction medicine services and training future providers to take on the work of caring for those struggling with substance abuse.

    Currently Greg is the Medical Director for Concurrent Disorders at St. Joseph’s Care Group in Thunder Bay and provides addiction medicine and mental health care to Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario.

  • Sumeet Dama

    Sumeet Dama

    Dr. Sumeet Dama, is an addiction psychiatrist. He completed his medical training at Manipal University, India, Psychiatry residency at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), Thunder Bay, and an Addiction Fellowship at the University of Toronto and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto.

    He is presently working at St. Joseph’s Care Group in Thunder Bay in both the outpatient Concurrent Disorders Program and Psychiatry Consultation Program. He is a member of the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine Program and sits on the policy committee, which is responsible for writing and distributing position papers on all aspects of substance use disorders. Most recently working with SOGC to publish a paper on Cannabis use throughout a women’s lifespan.

  • Sharon Cirone

    Sharon Cirone

    Dr. Sharon Cirone is Family Physician who practices with a focus in Mental Health and Addiction Medicine. She provides care in both Toronto and Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug and Weagomow First Nations, in the Sioux Lookout region. She is involved in inpatient and community based patient care, and in policy, education, and program development at a community, organizational and national level. She is particularly excited about innovation through professional mentorship. She looks forward to discussing innovation in Addiction Medicine in northern Ontario.

  • Kristal Carlson

    Kristal Carlson

    Kris Carlson is the Supervisor of Child and Youth Programs at Thunder Bay Counselling and has provided service directly to those impacted by sexual based violence and Human Trafficking.

    As part of her role, she provides education targeted at preventing the trafficking of youth leaving care, as well as providing guidance and life skills to reintegrate survivors of human trafficking. Kris was previously employed in child welfare and mental health programming supporting Indigenous families for 12 years before moving to her current position. Kris sits as the Co-Chair of the Thunder Bay Coalition to End Human trafficking, and as a advisor to the Kenora Coalition to End Human Trafficking.

    Kris has a degree in Child and Youth Counselling with a specialization in Child Welfare from the University of Victoria. She is a certified sexual health educator promoting sex positive strategies and engagements for young people and their families. Kris also provides consultation and training through her company Flourish Education and Consulting around Human trafficking and sex positive education and support for young adults and families.

  • Elder Julie Ozawagosh

    Elder Julie Ozawagosh

    Atikameksheng Anishnawbek (Whitefish Lake First Nation)

    Elder Julie Ozawagosh is from the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek (Whitefish Lake First Nation) In her community, Elder Julie is recognized as a Spiritual Healer. Elder Julie provided step-by-step guidance during the formation of the trauma informed care training. She made sure that all pertinent traditional protocols were followed. Elder Julie guided the traditional and Spiritual healing practices of all my research and modelled what it meant to be respectful, honest, strong, humble, and patient.

  • Teresa Naseba Marsh, PhD, MA, RN, RP, SEP

    Teresa Naseba Marsh, PhD, MA, RN, RP, SEP

    Assistant Professor, Clinical Sciences, NOSM

    Teresa Naseba Marsh immigrated to Canada from South Africa in 1992 and continued to contribute to Healing approaches to overcome suffering, trauma, addiction, historical trauma, and the aftermath of oppression.

    In her books, "Enlightenment is Letting Go!, Healing from Trauma, Addiction and Multiple Loss" and the recently released, "The Courage of a Nation; Healing from Intergenerational Trauma, Addiction and Multiple Loss, and Healing from the Loss of a Loved One," Teresa continues her dedication to this field by teaching people how to heal through participatory action, ancient spiritual methods, poetry and the telling of stories.

    Teresa's work is grounded in treating humanity holistically and embracing social accountability. Her recent work over the last 20 years in Vancouver and the North continues to expose her passion, dedication and compassion for this work. She is an inspiration to health care.

    Connect with Teresa: www.teresamarshauthor.ca

Registration & Cancellation Fees

Interested participants will be able to register for the Conference & Trauma Training, or you can select which particular day you would like to attend.

Registration Fees

Conference/Trauma Training (Full Event)

  • Physicians: $200
  • Allied Healthcare Professionals: $150
  • Students/Residents: $100
  • Psychiatry LEG Members: $150

Conference - May 12 (Day 1 only)

  • Physicians: $150
  • Allied Healthcare Professionals: $100
  • Students/Residents: $75
  • Psychiatry LEG Members: $115

Trauma Training - May 13 (Day 2 only)

  • Physicians: $150
  • Allied Healthcare Professionals: $100
  • Students/Residents: $75
  • Psychiatry LEG Members: $115

Cancellation Policy

Registration fees for courses cancelled by NOSM CEPD office will be refunded; however NOSM CEPD will not be liable for any loss, damage or other expenses that such cancellation may cause.

In the event that a participant needs to withdraw from the program after registering, a cancellation administration fee will be applied. Please see below for cancellation deadlines and associated fees:

Cancellation Fees

up-to April 22nd: $35.00

April 23rd to May 6th: $50.00

May 7th to May 12: No Refund

*Please submit your cancellation request in writing to the CEPD office at cepd@nosm.ca

Accreditation/Certification Statement

This one-credit-per-hour Group Learning program meets the certification criteria of the College of Family Physicians of Canada and has been certified by the Continuing Education and Professional Development Office at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine for up to 12 Mainpro+ credit(s).

This event is an Accredited Group Learning Activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and approved by the Continuing Education and Professional Development Office at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. You may claim a maximum of
12 hour(s) (credits are automatically calculated).

  • CEPD
  • NOSM

Location

Online event

Registration period

March 23, 2022 - 08:30 until May 13, 2022 - 08:30

Contact us

If you have any questions, please contact mrye@nosm.ca .

Powered by