Speakers
Tina Varughese is an Indo-Canadian daughter of first generation East Indian parents, which allows her to find ‘the best of both worlds’ and shed light, knowledge and most importantly universal humour into the intercultural workplace. Her experience as a mother, daughter, wife, sister and friend impacts her keynote delivery on work-life balance and generational differences. Her key message is to “Strive for progress rather than perfection.” For fifteen years, Tina Varughese, B.A.; B.Comm, worked with immigrants in her roles with the Province of Alberta’s immigration office as well as running her own successful relocation and settlement firm. She is a contributing writer for the Human Resource Institute of Alberta’s Network magazine, Calgary Real Estate News, Home to Home magazine and nationally syndicated Mompreneur Magazine.
In the late eighties, Dr. Orbinski was one of few doctors working on the ground in Africa to characterize the signs and symptoms of HIV/AIDS in children. It was a time when very little was known about the epidemic. He taught local health care providers so that when he left the region, the children could still find relief. After extensive field experience with Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Dr. Orbinski was elected MSF’s international president from 1998 to 2001. Today, Dr. Orbinski is the CIGI Chair in Global Health Governance at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, and a professor at Wilfrid Laurier University. He is also a professor at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Dr. Orbinski believes in humanitarianism, in citizenship and in actively engaging and shaping the world in which we live, so that it is more humane, fair and just. His tireless work has spawned numerous health initiatives which have helped improve the lives of countless people around the world. Dr. Orbinski believes that access to health care and to essential health technologies is critical to global health issues today, and most especially for the less fortunate. He is an inspired and passionate speaker who delivers thought-provoking presentations. Dr. Orbinski shares stories from the frontlines of humanitarian crisis around the world and emphasizes the relevance and key learnings for his audiences. He will challenge audiences to use their unique positions to respond to the needs of those less fortunate. Dr. Orbinski’s award-winning and internationally acclaimed documentary film on medical humanitarianism, titled “Triage” was screened at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, and won the 2008 Amnesty International Gold Medal Award. His bestselling book, An Imperfect Offering: Humanitarianism in the 21st Century, won the 2009 Writer’s Trust Shaunessy-Cohen Prize for best political writing in Canada.
Terry began his career in radio and then went on to become an award-winning copywriter for a number of Toronto advertising agencies. He created campaigns for many of the top brands in the country, including Labatt, Molson, Bell and The Hudson's Bay Company. In 1990, Terry co-founded Pirate Radio & Television with a staff of 50, with 8 recording studios in Toronto and New York City.In demand as a keynote speaker, Terry talks about key marketing issues to companies and organizations in all sectors. When Terry's not creating advertising, he’s talking about it as the host of the award-winning CBC Radio One/Sirius Satellite/WBEZ Chicago radio show, “Under The Influence,” which was the follow-up to the hit series, “The Age of Persuasion.”He has been given Lifetime Achievement Awards by the Advertising & Design Club of Canada, The Television Bureau of Canada, and the American Marketing Association. He has also been granted an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from McMaster University in 2012, an Honorary Bachelor of Applied Arts Degree from Humber College in 2014, and an Honorary Doctor of Civil Law Degree from St. Mary's University in Halifax in 2015. Terry has co-written a best-selling book called The Age of Persuasion: How Marketing Ate Our Culture, published by Knopf. His latest best-selling book, titled "This I Know: Marketing Lessons From Under The Influence", also published by Knopf in Canada and Chicago Review Press in the U.S., is available now in book stores. He has a wonderful wife and three lovely daughters. Who like some of this work.
Dr. Aline D. Khatchikian is a McGill radiology resident that has put leadership and innovation at the forefront of her medical career right from the start.Described as a citizen of the world, she has developed extensive international experience by giving training sessions in Switzerland, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, and Macedonia, amongst other countries, to encourage the next generation of medical students to become health advocates. In 2015, she was appointed the Regional Coordinator for public health in the Americas’ region for the International Federation of Medical Students’ Association, leading projects in over fifteen countries.In May 2017, she organized the Youth Pre-World Health Assembly in Geneva, where she had the opportunity to collaborate with the World Health Organization on human ressources for health. That same year, she became the youngest member elected to the Board of Directors of the Quebec Medical Association. Throughout her extracurricular activities, she has aimed to promote the importance of social accountability in medicine. In August 2018, she received the Canadian Medical Association Award for Young Leaders for her advances in global health and medical education.
Anna MacLeod is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at Dalhousie University. A Member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, she is known for her innovative approaches to exploring medical education. Her insights are sought by colleagues nationally and internationally, demonstrated by her visiting scholar appointments and speaking engagements. MacLeod's award-winning contributions are enriching the discourse of medical education, incorporating critical social science perspectives and broadening theory, while making a significant practical contribution to the design and delivery of medical education locally, nationally and around the world.
Anthony Seto works as a Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine physician, chairs “Intro to Clinical Practice” for University of Calgary medical students, and runs a simulation program that he created for Internal Medicine clinical clerks. With experiences in movie-making, designing escape games, and DJing, he channels creative energy from these outlets to fuel innovation in medical education. As educational tactics, Anthony utilizes non-traditional simulations, in-class technology, and physical movement to engage learners through active learning. His non-traditional simulations include multi-patient simulations using standardized patients, coached low-fidelity simulations, and teamwork simulations in the form of an escape game. Anthony deploys technology in the classroom by incorporating videos, music, and electronic polling. He gets students to hold body poses or walk to different physical locations as a way for them to answer multiple-choice questions. Anthony is always interested in discovering new methods of elevating the student experience and is excited to learn from and exchange ideas with other educators.
Dr. Jeremy Rezmovitz is a Father of 3.5 and Husband to 1. Family Physician at Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, Education and Innovation Lead, Quality and Innovation Program, Department of Family and Community Medicine, and Assistant Professor at University of Toronto. He is also Chair of the Scientific planning committee for Pri-Med - Ontario's largest interprofessional conference. He has been pioneering medical improv in Canada for over 5 years. His academic interests include creating tools of engagement in medical education. He is a big proponent of wellness and strives to weave humour and play into his daily work life. He also thinks he's hilarious.
Teresa Chan (@TChanMD) is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Emergency Medicine within the Department of Medicine at McMaster University. She is the specialty committee chair for the RCPSC Clinician Educator Area of Focused Competence. In 2017, she was awarded the AFMC Young Educator's award for her innovative work in medical education. Dr. Chan's contributions to medical education are wide ranging - from creating a serious board game about emergency department flow (www.gridlockedgame.com) to helping to start an international Faculty Incubator program (www.aliem.com/faculty-incubator), she seeks to find opportunities to connect people around ideas using innovative methods. An eclectic scholar and researcher, her other scholarly work includes research on social media in medical education and knowledge translation and modernizing assessment practices in the era of competency-based medical education.