ERIN BECKWELL, BSW MSW RSW(SK) | she/her

LECTURES: Graphic Medicine for Challenging Stigma with Pain & Substance Use (October 20 @ 9:00 AM ET)

FACILITATED COMMUNITY DIALOGUE: Innovation & Creative Means of Knowledge Mobilization to Build an Inclusive & Diverse Integrative Healthcare Team (October 20 @ 11:00 AM ET)

Erin is a social worker, educator, and consultant who has spent her career working in the areas of health, education, and community development. Her work focuses on promoting accessible, inclusive, and trauma-informed approaches to care and support. Erin will present on the innovative Graphic Medicine Research Project and lead a workshop focused on the art of storytelling for knowledge translation and exchange.

Originally from Treaty 4 Territory in Southwest Saskatchewan, she and her wife have called Treaty 6 Territory & Homeland of the Métis Nation (Saskatoon, SK) home for over 25 years.

LEISA BELLMORE, MSc

PANEL DISCUSSION: Traditions, Transitions & Tipping Points: Exploring the Relevance & Impact of Integrative Health Research on Individuals, Communities, and the Planet (October 20 @ 10:15 AM ET)

Leisa is a shiatsu therapist, international lecturer and researcher. She has been practicing since 2001 and has been part of University Health Network’s Artists’ Health Centre, a unique integrative clinic, since 2010. She is the first shiatsu therapist to work for the hospital network. Leisa is a Past President of Natural Health Practitioners of Canada (NHPC) and currently serves on the Board of Directors of INCAM. She has an MSc in Advanced Complementary Medicine Research and Practice and has a number of studies published in peer-reviewed journals, several of which have been awarded funding grants. She has also been awarded NHPC’s Lifetime Membership Award. Leisa’s professional interests include neurological conditions, trauma recovery, chronic pain, and self-management.

HEATHER BOON, BScPhm PhD

PANEL DISCUSSION: Traditions, Transitions & Tipping Points: Exploring the Relevance & Impact of Integrative Health Research on Individuals, Communities, and the Planet (October 20 @ 10:15 AM ET)

Dr. Heather Boon is a Professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, where she served as Dean from 2014 to 2018. Currently, she holds the position of Vice-Provost, Faculty & Academic Life at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on the safety, efficacy, and regulation of traditional, complementary, and integrative health practices and products. With over $10 million in competitive research funding, she has published more than 175 peer-reviewed papers, including several on naturopathic medicine in Canada.

Dr. Boon chaired the Expert Advisory Committee of the Natural Health Products Directorate for Health Canada from 2006 to 2009 and is now an expert advisor for the Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine Unit at the World Health Organization, where she is leading the development of a guidance document on integrating traditional and complementary medicine into health systems.

LINDA E CARLSON, PhD RPsych FABMR FSBM FMLI

LECTURE: Integrative Oncology Clinical Practice Guidelines: Summary of Recommendations and a View from the Inside (October 19 @ 11:30 AM ET)

Over the past two years, important integrative oncology guidelines have been published by SIO and ASCO, with significant contributions from Dr. Linda Carlson. These guidelines offer evidence-based recommendations for managing cancer-related symptoms with integrative therapies. Join Dr. Carlson as she explores these guidelines, highlighting effective therapies such as acupuncture, mindfulness-based interventions, and yoga, demonstrating how these integrative approaches can significantly improve patient outcomes and quality of life.

Dr. Linda E Carlson holds a PhD in Psychology from McGill University and is a Professor in the Department of Oncology at the Cumming School of Medicine, as well as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Calgary. She is the Enbridge Research Chair in Psychosocial Oncology, CIHR SPOR Mentorship Chair in Innovative Clinical Trials (TRACTION Program), and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Psychosocial Oncology Research and Practice. Additionally, she is a Past-President of the Society of Integrative Oncology.

TIM COOK, MD FRCPC MPH LCol(Retired) CD

PANEL DISCUSSION: Traditions, Transitions & Tipping Points: Exploring the Relevance & Impact of Integrative Health Research on Individuals, Communities, and the Planet (October 20 @ 10:15 AM ET)

Dr. Tim Cook graduated from Queen's University medical school in 1986 and completed a General Internal Medicine specialty fellowship at the University of Toronto in 1995. He also holds a Master's degree in Public Health from the University of London, obtained in 2006. Dr. Cook served in the Canadian Forces Medical Services for 20 years, specializing in occupational, environmental health, and tropical medicine, and was the personal physician to two Governors General of Canada, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2003.

Since then, he has focused on executive and corporate health, serving as the Medical Director of three executive health clinics in Toronto. In the past decade, he has concentrated on health promotion, disease prevention, and longevity medicine using Integrative and Functional health principles, emphasizing the identification and management of root causes of illness with advanced technology such as genomics and metabolomics.

MICHAEL EPSTEIN, PhD

WORKSHOP: Change Leadership in the Integrative Health Sector: A Competency-Building Workshop & Training Needs Assessment (October 20 @ 1:00 PM ET)

Michael Epstein is a co-founder of the Centre for Integrative Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, and has been Managing Director since 2002.

Dr. Epstein holds a PhD from the MIT Sloan School of Management, with concentrations in Organizational Behavior, Decision Science, and Management Information Systems. Together with several colleagues, he has been conducting workshops, seminars, and presentations on change leadership in the integrative health sector for 30 years. Michael has also authored commissioned reports on integrative medicine and the future of healthcare for several clients, including Health Canada; Human Resources Canada; BC Children’s Hospital; and Saskatoon Health Region.

NADINE IJAZ, MSc PhD

PANEL DISCUSSION: Shaping the Future of Integrative Healthcare Research: New Directions & Strategies (October 20 @ 10:15 AM ET)

Dr. Nadine Ijaz is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Law and Legal Studies, and Director of the Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) Lab at Carleton University. She is also President of the International Society for TCIM Research. Her multidisciplinary TCIM research program draws on the disciplines of medical sociology and anthropology, postcolonial feminist science and technology studies, and critical policy studies. She is currently co-leading a World Health Organization (WHO)-commissioned review focused on TCIM research methodologies. The study emphasizes issues of 'paradigmatic alignment' between the TCIM knowledges and practices being studied, and the research methods used to study them, as well as enablers and barriers to TCIM research. Dr. Ijaz is a current member of the WHO's Expert Editorial Committee for its ongoing Traditional Medicine Global Research Priority Setting Exercise. She was recently Co-Rapporteur and one of fifteen global experts to consult at WHO headquarters in Geneva on the WHO's draft Traditional Medicine Strategy (2025-2034). Her ongoing research projects, supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and others, include: multiple studies investigating TCIM policy and practice in Canada and the United States; development of a global analytic framework for TCIM governance (being tested with datasets from the Americas, sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia); and advancing parameters for evidence-informed decision making in TCIM.

TRISH MACAULAY, RP BMT MTA FAMI

PLENARY: Music Therapy (October 19 @ 4:45 PM ET)

INTERACTIVE SESSION: Symposium Song-Crafting (October 19 @ 5:15 PM ET)

Trish is a Certified Music Therapist and Registered Psychotherapist, practicing in Ontario since 2006. She has extensive experience working in adult mental health, dementia care, palliative care, and Veterans' care. Trish is certified in The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music - a music-centered, consciousness-expanding therapy. Therapists trained in the Bonny Method choose classical music sequences that stimulate journeys of the imagination.

JEREMY Y NG, MSc PhD

LECTURE: The Value of Open Science & Meta-Research in the Context of Traditional, Complementary & Integrative Medicine Research (October 19 @ 1:30 PM ET)

WORKSHOP: Enhancing TCIM Research Quality Through Open Science & Meta-Research (October 20 @ 1:00 PM ET)

Dr. Jeremy Y. Ng is a healthcare researcher and has co-authored over 90 peer-reviewed studies to date. He is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Journalology at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in Ottawa, as well as a Research Associate at the University Hospital Tübingen and Bosch Health Campus in Stuttgart, Germany. Prior to holding these roles, Dr. Ng completed his PhD training at the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University.

Dr. Ng has been passionate about the field of traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine since childhood stemming from personal illness, and has since been an academic researcher in the field for over a decade. More recently, he has also conducted research relating to meta-research and open science, and currently leads a series of studies in this context with the aim of assessing, evaluating, and ultimately, improving the quality of TCIM research globally.

ANDRA MARIE SMITH, PhD

LECTURE: Exploring Mindfulness Through Neuroscience (October 19 @ 9:00 AM ET)

WORKSHOP: Ideas to Action: Bridging the Gap Between Academia & Community (October 19 @ 3:15 PM ET)

Dr. Andra Smith is a Full Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa, where she has taught for 20 years. She holds a BSc and MSc from Carleton University and a PhD from the University of British Columbia. As a neuroscientist with a deep passion for the brain, her research focuses on using fMRI to understand executive dysfunction in various vulnerable populations, including cancer patients, youth using cannabis, individuals with Multiple Sclerosis, and those who have experienced childhood sexual abuse, among others.

A highlight of her research has been the neurophysiological impact of mindfulness, providing empirical evidence on its effectiveness and mechanisms. Dr. Smith has received multiple awards for her teaching and graduate student supervision. Her interest in writing stems from her dedication to equipping everyone with tools to manage everyday stressors. She is particularly grateful to her students from her first "Neuroscience of Mindfulness: Neurons to Wellness" course, whose experiences and knowledge inspired her book. Dr. Smith is committed to empowering others with knowledge about brain function, the power of thought control, and the importance of brain health for overall wellness.