Keynote Speaker - Dr. Andrea Gonzalez


​Dr. Andrea Gonzalez is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences and is a core member of the Offord Centre for Child Studies. She holds a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Family Health and Preventive Interventions. Dr. Gonzalez is the principal investigator on several studies investigating: 1) the intergenerational transmission of risk; 2) the impact of early adversity on later outcomes and physiology; 3) preventive interventions and the role of biological mechanisms; and 4) evaluation of preventive parenting interventions. Dr. Gonzalez adopts a multi-levelled, multi-method approach, collecting behavioural, cognitive, and biological measures from mothers and their children (ages 0-6 years) within the context of evidence-based interventions.

Workshop Leader - Dr. Sofia Strömmer


​Sofia is a chartered Psychologist and a Senior Lecturer in Behavioural Science at the University of Southampton, UK. Her current work focuses on adolescent health and how we might better align health agendas with existing adolescent values to foster autonomous forms of motivation and maximize engagement in interventions and with health behaviours. She also leads the research work of the UK Teenager’s Experiences of COVID-19 (TeC-19) project.

Social Media: @sofia_strommer @each_b

Workshop Leader - Dr. Polly Hardy-Johnson

​Polly is a Health Psychologist Research Fellow at the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, UK. Her main role is on the Transforming Adolescent Lives through Nutrition (TALENT) project. TALENT aims to investigate adolescent diet and physical activity across sub-Saharan Africa and India. Polly is interested in using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies to explore and improve the health behaviours of adolescents across the world. Polly leads the research work of the global collaboration of the Teenager’s Experiences of COVID-19 (TeC-19) project.



Social Media: @PollyHJ @GCRF_TALENT​

Workshop Leader - Dr. Hasina Samji


​Dr. Hasina Samji an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University and a Senior Scientist at the BC Centre for Disease Control. She completed a PhD in infectious disease epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She studies how synergistic epidemics, or “syndemics,” of illnesses like HIV, HCV, and mental illness and substance use disorder interact with contextual factors like poverty and early life trauma to create mutually reinforcing clusters of epidemics among populations, resulting in poorer access to healthcare and outcomes. Dr. Samji leads the Youth Development Instrument (YDI), an interdisciplinary study measuring predictors of positive youth development in adolescents. She is the co-PI of a study measuring the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Workshop Leader - Dr. Mackenzie Salt

Mackenzie Salt is a PhD in Cognitive Science of Language and is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University, and a member of the McMaster Autism Research Team (MacART). As a member of MacART, he has worked as a consultant for Autism Ontario, Autism Speaks Canada and the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorder Alliance (CASDA) on various research projects affecting the autism community. His program of research is focused on autistic adults, especially designing research methods to study issues affecting autistic adults.

Workshop Leader - Stephanie Côté


​Stephanie is the Policy Initiatives Manager at CASDA. Stephanie’s work at CASDA has been informed by her academic focus on anti-oppressive practice during her child and youth care master’s, as well as her interest on the social model of disability as it relates to services for young Autistic people. Currently, her research looks at government employment programs, and she is supporting and managing various projects at CASDA on COVID-19, employment, advocacy, and equity. On a personal note, Stephanie’s experiences being raised in a neurodivergent family have contributed to her passion for her chosen field.

Workshop Leader - Dr. Christine Schwartz

Dr. Christine Schwartz is an Adjunct Professor with the Children’s Health Policy Centre at Simon Fraser University. She is the lead writer for the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly, an electronic publication designed to inform policymakers, practitioners and the public about new research in children’s mental health. She has also co-authored government-commissioned reports on the prevalence of childhood mental disorders and effective interventions for preventing and treating these disorders. Dr. Schwartz’s clinical psychology practice focuses on providing evidence-based mental health services to adolescents in conflict with the law.

Workshop Leader & Panelist - Kelsey Beson

Kelsey Beson (she/her) is a natural and talented advocate with over 17 years of experience in serving young people, their families, and the systems they interact with, including the child welfare, residential, mental health, education, and criminal justice systems. Kelsey is the Manager of Programs for Children First Canada (CFC), a national advocacy agency with a bold and ambitious vision that together we can make Canada the best place in the world for kids to grow up!  We are an alliance of Canada’s leading children’s charities and hospitals, research institutes, corporations that invest in kids, teachers, parents and kids themselves.  Kelsey’s previous work experience has included engaging in community development, managing residential care homes, licensing group and foster care homes for the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services, and working as a child and youth advocate at the Ontario Child Advocate’s office. Within residential care, Kelsey co-lead a program revitalization grounded in recent research about effective ways to treat relational trauma in adolescents and was unique in Toronto residential programs. At the Ontario Child Advocate’s office, she partnered with young people in individual advocacy projects, while challenging systems that oppressed their rights under a variety of provincial and federal acts, and international conventions and declarations. Kelsey has an Honours Bachelor from the University of Guelph in Applied Science with a major in Child, Youth and Family Studies, and is currently pursuing her Masters of Social Work with the University of Windsor.

Workshop Leader - Azaad Gill

Azaad Gill (he/him) is 17 years old from Calgary, Alberta. He is a passionate youth who dedicates his time to his multiple roles within the community. He is on multiple youth councils and is the president of two provincial nonprofit organizations, which are both aimed at increasing youth opportunities. Azaad has used his past experiences to guide him and to fuel his love for community and youth empowerment. When Azaad is not volunteering or helping his community he enjoys spending time with friends and family. Azaad hopes to help build a world where all youth are able to express themselves and to find the areas in which they shine through strong communities and increased opportunities.

Workshop Leader & Panelist - Dr. Mohammad Zubairi


​Dr. Mohammad Zubairi is a Developmental Pediatrician, Educator and Assistant Professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. He completed his Master of Education (in Health Professions) through the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), and his medical training through McMaster University and the University of Toronto. He is engaged locally, provincially and nationally in a variety of community and advocacy initiatives for children and youth with disabilities and their families.

Workshop Leader - Cathy Haan

Cathy Haan is the Executive Director of Food4Kids Hamilton, a local charity dedicated to providing packages of healthy food to kids aged 4-17 years with limited or no access to food each weekend. Working directly with the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board and the Hamilton Wentworth Catholic District School Board, Food4Kids Hamilton supports 1300 students in 69 schools.  Cathy and the team at Food4Kids Hamilton partner with members of the community to raise funds for program costs and to promote awareness of childhood hunger in Hamilton.

Panelist - Dr. Ripudaman Minhas


​Dr. Ripudaman Minhas is a Developmental Paediatrician with the Inner City Health Program at St. Michael’s Hospital and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto. His research interests are in the development, behaviour, disability and rehabilitation of children in urban settings and in newcomer and refugee families. He is currently working to develop interventions to support the developmental potential of children in the unique context of their social determinants of health. This is particularly through using Community-Based Participatory Research principles to guide the design and implementation of family-based interventions and the evolution of health systems. Dr. Minhas has conducted research on populations in Kenya, Uganda, and India, examining various aspects of early childhood development, injury and disability, and the developmental care of immigrant, refugee, and internationally adopted children in Toronto.

Panelist - Dr. Sarah Neil-Sztramko

Sarah Neil-Sztramko is an Assistant Professor (part-time) in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact (HEI) at McMaster University and Knowledge Translation Advisor with the National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools. Sarah’s research is informed by her academic training in Population and Public Health, Knowledge Translation and Implementation Science. Her research focuses on understanding effective strategies to disseminate research findings and collaborating with stakeholders to design scalable implementation interventions in the public health sector. Sarah is also passionate about building capacity for knowledge translation and evidence-informed decision making. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Sarah has acted as the Scientific Lead of the National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools’ Rapid Evidence Service, which includes a living review of the role of schools and daycares in COVID-19 transmission.