CMA Health Summit 2025 Speakers

Pre-conference – Wednesday, March 26

HOST
Dr. Shazma Mithani
Physician Leadership Institute faculty

Shazma Mithani is an emergency physician at the Royal Alexandra and Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton. She has worked as an adult and paediatric ER physician since 2014, after completing her residency at the University of Alberta. She finished medical school in 2009 at Western University in London, Ontario.Shazma has been involved in health advocacy for years and works with vulnerable patient populations everyday while on shift. Her advocacy includes working with all levels of government during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that the public and hospital capacity were protected. Shazmacontinues to advocate for system-wide change in areas such as emergency department overcrowding, EMS capacity, the drug poisoning crisis, and physician burnout.Outside of the hospital, she advocates for public health education through her social media platforms, as well as community initiatives, such as naloxone kit training.Shazma serves on the boards of the Alberta Medical Association and the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton.

HOST 
Dr. Carl White Ulysse
CMA Member

Carl White Ulysse is an anesthesiologist at the Hospital for Sick Children, where he completed his fellowship in pediatric anesthesia. He is a graduate of the MDCM program at McGill University and the anesthesia residency program at the University of Toronto. Carl is a medical leader, having served as the first Black president of Resident Doctors of Canada, as well as president of the Professional Association of Residents of Ontario (PARO) and executive vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Medical Students. Currently, he chairs the governance committee of the Canadian Resident Matching Service. In addition to his medical training, Carl completed a Master of Business Administration at Stanford University, in addition to a certificate in Public Management and Social Innovation. As a queer man of colour, Carl is passionate about Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). After being involved with EDI workshops for business students at Stanford, he oversaw the initial phase of implementation of an EDI framework at PARO.

ELDER
Jenny Tenasco
Kokom, Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg

Jenny Tenasco is a proud Anishinabe Algonquin Kokom (grandmother) from the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg community north of Ottawa. She is a residential school survivor and a retired child and youth worker who has dedicated her life to working with Anishinabe children and youth. In her career, Jenny focused on teaching special needs children and sharing her knowledge of Anishinabe Algonquin culture, teachings and language. She firmly believes in the strength and resiliency of First Nations, Métis and Inuit people.

KEYNOTE
Brittlestar
Content creator

Brittlestar, known to some as Stewart Reynolds (mainly his mum when he’s in trouble), has taken the digital world by storm with his sharp wit, family-friendly humor, and relatable commentary. With hundreds of thousands tuning in weekly and over 650 million views across platforms, Brittlestar’s videos make people laugh and think — a powerful combination that has captured a global fanbase. His creative collaborations range from household brands like Disney, Subway, and Walmart to celebrities such as Ryan Reynolds, Gordon Ramsay, and The Property Brothers. His videos even earned him an invite to the White House from the Obamas, a meeting with Prime Minister Trudeau, and speaking engagements across North America. In 2017, Brittlestar’s KFC campaign video “Explaining Canada Day to Americans” became the top branded video content on Facebook, and his many other viral campaigns have showcased his creativity, humour, and influence.

KEYNOTE
Dan Breznitz
Munk Chair of Innovation Studies, University of Toronto

Dan Breznitz brings a unique voice into questions about innovation, globalization, economic growth, local prosperity and inequality. His experiences in multiple countries and roles make him one of the world’s most dynamic thinkers, speakers and policy developers. Dan is a professor at the University of Toronto, where he also holds the Munk Chair of Innovation Studies and is co-director of the Innovation Policy Lab. He is known worldwide as an expert on rapid-innovation-based industries and their globalization, as well as for his pioneering research on the distributional impact of innovation policies. In addition, Dan is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research where he co-directs the program on innovation, equity and the future of prosperity. His most recent book, Innovation in Real Places: Strategies for Prosperity in an Unforgiving World, offers pragmatic advice while debunking dangerous myths on innovation, growth and prosperity. In 2021, it won the Balsillie Prize for Public Policy and was chosen one of the best business books by the Financial Times.

SPEAKER
Ambe Chenemu
CMA Patient Voice

Ambe Chenemu is a member of the CMA Patient Voice and is based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories (NWT). He is a husband, father, community organizer and advocate from Cameroon who is passionate about building strong and empowered communities. He is the founder and president of the Black Advocacy Coalition, founding president of the Global Shapers Hub in Yellowknife, founding member of Black CAN, and until recently, held the position of government advisor with the Tłı̨chǫ Government. Ambe is an advocate for the health care needs of people in the NWT and understands the gaps inservices in the North due to his own lived experience.

SPEAKER
William Gagnon
Health care systems decarbonization expert

William Gagnon is an expert in health care systems decarbonization and sustainable medicine. As the Director of Implementation at the Centre for Sustainable Medicine at the National University of Singapore, he supports health care leaders in decarbonizing their practices. A former Energy Transition Advisor at Doctors Without Borders, William spearheaded initiatives to decarbonize facilities, electrical systems, and vehicles in Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Uganda, where he learned firsthand the challenges of balancing sustainability with safety, security and critical health care needs. A French Canadian from Quebec, William holds a Bachelor of Building Engineering from Concordia University, a Master of Bioresource Engineering from McGill University, and two LEED professional accreditations. He has studied climate and leadership at both Harvard and Cornell Universities. In August 2023, William was among 25,000 residents evacuated from Yellowknife due to catastrophic wildfires. Named a Top 30 Under 30 sustainability leader by Corporate Knights, he often speaks about climate on global stages.

SPEAKER
Dr. Elisa Levi
Rural family physician

Elisa Levi practises family medicine on the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation. With a distinguished and focused career in Indigenous health, she recently completed medical school and rural family medicine training at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University. She holds a Master of Public Health from Lakehead University and a Bachelor of Applied Science from Toronto Metropolitan University with dual designation as a registered dietitian. Elisa is proudly Anishinaabe, a mother and a member of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation in Ontario. She values reciprocity in her professional practice, contributing to multiple advisory committees, including serving as vice-chair of the Anishnawbe Health Foundation. Elisa is committed to advancing the health and well-being of her clients by integrating place-based principles to enhance patient care.

SPEAKER
Dr. Ashley Miller
Chief Medical Information Officer, Nova Scotia Health

Ashley Miller is an academic general internist, virtual care advocate and passionate champion for digitally enabled health care transformation. After graduating from the faculty of medicine at the University of Ottawa, she completed her residency in internal medicine and general internal medicine at Memorial University. She holds a Master of Science in Health Policy, Planning and Financing from the London School of Economics and Political Science and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Ashley is an associate professor with Dalhousie University's department of medicine and enjoys a part-time clinical practice in diverse care settings in addition to her role as chief medical information officer (CMIO) for IWK Health and Nova Scotia Health. As CMIO, she is championing digital transformation across Nova Scotia, including as a leader of the One Person One Record initiative.

PANELLIST
Treena Wasonti:io Delormier
Tahatikonhsontóntie’ Quebec Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research

Treena Wasonti:io Delormier is Kanien’kehà:ka (Mohawk) from the Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Territory where she was raised and currently resides. She is an associate professor in the School of Human Nutrition and associate director of the Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and Environment at McGill University. Her research focuses on Indigenous peoples’ food and nutrition, food sovereignty and health promotion. It addresses the social determinants of health that underlie health inequities in Indigenous populations, primarily in the context of colonialism. Treena is also strongly committed to enhancing the capacity of researchers and institutions to do research that respects the self-determination and knowledge systems of Indigenous peoples. As principal investigator at Tahatikonhsontóntie’ Quebec Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research (NEIHR), Treena draws on the collective talent of their team in a spirit of respect and cooperation, guided and informed by the communities and institutions with whom they work.

PANELLIST
Dr. Michael Dumont
LU’MA medical centre

Michael Dumont is an Anishinaabe family physician and member of Shawanaga First Nation, now making his home on the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Peoples. He helped establish Lu'ma Medical Centre in 2016 and serves as medical director for this team-based Indigenous primary care centre that integrates traditional Indigenous and Western medical approaches to health and healing. Michael is also a regular family physician for the Musqueam First Nation and serves as the inaugural chairperson for the First Nations and Aboriginal Primary Care Network, a partnership of eight Indigenous owned-and-operated clinics across Vancouver and Coast Salish territory. He is also a pastvice-president and board member for the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada.

PANELLIST
Dr. Brent Young
Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre

Brent Young is Anishinaabe and a member of Sandy Bay First Nation. His mother is a Sixties Scoop Survivor, and his grandmother was a survivor of Sandy Bay Indian Residential School. He was born and raised in Unama’ki. He is a family physician at Sipekne’katik Health Centre, academic director for Indigenous health at Dalhousie Medical School, and founding clinical lead of Wije’winen Health Centre. He played a key role in supporting the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre in establishing this service for the urban Indigenous community of Halifax in 2022. Through his leadership, Dalhousie Medical School has seen a substantial increase in the number of Indigenous medical students being admitted through a new Indigenous Admissions Pathway. This pathway is poised to become a key driver of the Indigenous physician workforce in the region and across Canada. His primary area of interest is dismantling anti-Indigenous racism in health care systems using rights-based frameworks.

CELEBRITY KEYNOTE 
Anthony Morgan
Co-host, The Nature of Things

Anthony Morgan is an award-winning science communicator, Ph.D. researcher, startup founder and game designer who has hosted dozens of TV programs. He’s also the new host of The Nature of Things on CBC Television. He's obsessed with changing how people see, think and talk about science in their everyday lives. He's spent close to 20 years finding ways to do just that. He's worked at the Ontario Science Centre with Asap SCIENCE, written for newspapers, hosted CBC Radio, collaborated with municipal governments and serves on the steering committee of the misinformation-tackling Science Up First. This work and more has earned him multiple distinctions and award nominations, including a Falling Walls nomination for a breakthrough science engagement initiative and being named one of CBC's top 20 millennial change-makers.

Day two – Friday, March 28

SPEAKER
Eddie Guo 
Medical student 

Eddie Guo is a medical student at the University of Calgary whose work focuses on applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care. He is the co-creator of OSCEai, a generative AI tool for simulated patient and physician interactions integrated into Canadian medical and nursing curricula, with users in more than 80 countries. Eddie's research explores applications of AI in medical education and neurosurgery, with a focus on language models for clinical decision support and personalized learning. Additionally, he serves as president of the Calgary Medical Students’ Association, representing the interests of more than 400 medical students.   

SPEAKER
Carolyn McGregor 
Dean of the Faculty of Business & IT, Ontario Tech University 

Carolyn McGregor AM is dean of the Faculty of Business and IT at Ontario Tech University and founding co-director of the Joint Research Centre in AI for Health and Wellness between Ontario Tech University and the University of Technology Sydney, Australia. Carolyn leads pioneering research in big data analytics, AI, edge computing and data mesh infrastructures. She applies this leading-edge research in her international award-winning Artemis and Athena AI platforms for health, wellness, resilience and adaptation in critical care, astronaut health, firefighter training and tactical officer resilience assessment and development. Carolyn has more than 200 refereed publications, more than $18 million in research funding and three patents in multiple jurisdictions. The media regularly call upon her to provide insight on the latest technology trends.

SPEAKER
Angus Pratt
CMA Patient Voice

Angus Pratt is a member of the CMA Patient Voice and a health activist, social media influencer, blogger, researcher, public speaker and writer. He is passionate about raising awareness of lung cancer, and is a regular presenter at the World Conference on Lung Cancer. He is also an advocate for breast cancer in men and broader health care issues. Angus has published several pieces on the emerging issue of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care from the patient perspective. He has also served as a reviewer of research grants for the Canadian Cancer Society and for the CMA’s Health Care Unburdened Grant program, which received many applications related to AI.

SPEAKER
Dr. Caley Shukalek
Chief Medical Officer, PurposeMed

Caley Shukalek is a Clinical Associate Professor in the departments of Medicine and Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary, where he also completed medical school and his General Internal Medicine residency/fellowship training. Caley completed additional clinical and research training at Johns Hopkins University and The Johns Hopkins Hospital. His clinical research focuses on sexually transmitted and blood borne infection treatment and prevention with multiple active clinical trials. Caley is a physician administrator with Alberta Health Services and the Chief Medical Officer for PurposeMed, a technology-enabled health service company that strives to improve access to health services for underserved populations with complex health issues through its brands Freddie, Frida, and Foria.

KEYNOTE
LaToia Jones
Senior VP of Government Affairs & Political Partners, Hustle

LaToia A. Jones is an accomplished political strategist, respected community leader and seasoned organizer with more than 20 years of experience. Her career spans a broad range of global initiatives, including presidential campaigns, gubernatorial races and movement-building efforts, particularly those aimed at empowering marginalized communities. Currently, LaToia serves as Senior Vice President of Government Affairs & Political Partners at Hustle, a progressive digital communications company. In this capacity, she is responsible for crafting and executing strategies to enhance Hustle's visibility, influence and engagement in the labour, political and legislative arenas. In addition to her role at Hustle, LaToia is the principal of her own firm, LAJ, LLC, and a partner at LiLaCo, a project management consulting firm that operates both domestically and internationally. LaToia also serves on the boards of several political and non-profit organizations.