Speakers
Benefit from diverse speakers to help further your professional knowledge.
Please note: The 2023 Audiology Event program will be delivered entirely in English.
Brian Goldman, MD
Dr. Goldman is the Keynote speaker at SAC’s 2023 Audiology Event. He is a Canadian emergency physician, best-selling author, public speaker, and radio personality. His published works include The Power of Teamwork, The Power of Kindness, The Night Shift, Real Life in the ER and The Secret Language of Doctors. He is the host of CBC Radio’s White Coat, Black Art and The Dose.
Session(s)
Friday 05/12
8:15 a.m – 9:00 a.m.
Thea Gilks, MD, FRCPC
Dr. Thea Gilks is a keynote speaker at SAC’s 2023 Audiology Event. She is a psychiatrist to the ENT and Audiology Clinics at St Paul’s Hospital, in Vancouver. She specializes in the treatment of tinnitus, hyperacusis and somatization disorders. Her other areas of interest include psychoanalytic theory and neuromodulation. Prior to entering medical school, she studied French literature and philosophy.
Session(s)
Saturday 05/13
8:00 a.m – 8:45 a.m.
Marlene Bagatto, AuD, PhD, Reg. CASLPO, Aud(C)
Marlene Bagatto is an Assistant Professor in the school of communication sciences and disorders and the National Centre for Audiology at Western University. The research in her Pediatric Audiology Strategies and Systems Laboratory focusses on policy and practice integration for infant and child hearing. Dr. Bagatto is Chair of the Canadian Infant Hearing Task Force which advocates for equitable infant hearing health care across Canada.
Session(s)
Friday 05/12
1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Rex Banks, AuD, Reg. CASLPO
Rex Banks is the Director of Hearing Health, Quality, Global Partnerships, and Infection Control Officer at Canadian Hearing Services. He has held multiple advocacy roles including being a former President of OSLA, CAA, and ANAC (Acoustic Neuroma Association of Canada) and has received several industry awards including OSLA’s Audiologist of the Year, CAA’s Moneca Price Humanitarian Award and A. T. Still University’s Professional Leadership Award in Audiology. His experience spans private practice, ENT physician offices, hospitals, universities, the non-profit sector, and is often called upon by the media to comment on a range of hearing health issues that affect Canadians.
Session(s)
Saturday 05/13
2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Beth Brooks, M.Sc., RAUD, Aud(C)
Beth Brooks is a clinical audiologist at British Columbia’s Children’s Hospital (BCCH). Since the 1980’s, she has had a special interest in the Oncology/Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplant service. Beth is delighted that nowadays so many more children are surviving their cancer in comparison to earlier in her career. Beth is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the school of audiology and speech sciences at the University of British Columbia. Working with the BCCH Research Institute, she consults to the Pharmacogenomics Program and Canadian Pharmacogenomic Network for Drug Safety. She has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed scientific papers in the field of ototoxicity and pharmacogenomics. She is a member of the International Ototoxicity Monitoring Group and Paediatric Working Group.
Session(s)
Friday 05/12
9:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Brad Caves, H. BCom, CPA (Sonova Canada)
Brad Caves is the Managing Director for Sonova Canada Inc. (Phonak Canada) and a graduate from the University of Windsor with a H. BCom degree. He holds a CPA professional designation and has spent 25 years in the Hearing Healthcare industry. Brad has held several positions within the Sonova group since he started in 1998 and has gained a tremendous amount of insight, knowledge and understanding of the industry during this time. He leads and amazing team and during his time out of the office, Brad participates on the on the coaching staff for youth sports teams such as Ringette and Hockey.
Session(s)
Saturday 05/13
2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sharon Cushing, MD, M.Sc., FRCSC
Dr. Sharon Cushing is a full time paediatric otolaryngologist and the Director of the Cochlear Implant Program at The Hospital for Sick Children and an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. Dr. Cushing has a clinical and surgical interest in disorders of the external, middle and inner ear, including hearing loss and vestibular dysfunction. Her research interest include vestibular and balance function and dysfunction in children, and its association with hearing loss and cochlear implantation.
Session(s)
Saturday 05/13
10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Diana C. Emanuel, PhD, CCC-A
Diana Emanuel is a professor in the department of speech-language pathology & audiology at Towson University in Maryland. She has 30 years of teaching experience and 25 years of academic leadership experience. Her scholarship is eclectic in topic and format including a textbook, book chapters, journal articles, on-line editorials and tutorials, webinars, and an open-access video training series (Pure Tone Hearing Screening in Schools). Her current research focus is the Lived Experience of the Audiologist project, which is a multi-year exploration of the rich perspectives of audiologists, including a focus on stress and burnout in audiologists.
Session(s)
Friday 05/12
9:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Adam Fitzsimmons (Oticon)
Adam Fitzsimmons started his career with IBM where he worked in operations prior to transitioning to sales & marketing within their software group. After 8 years with IBM the opportunity to join the hearing industry was a welcome change. Adam considers the opportunity to work with life changing products an absolute privilege and has enjoyed doing so for the past fifteen years in a variety of roles. Now the VP of Sales & Marketing for Oticon Canada, he is extremely committed to hearing care professionals as well as the people they serve.
Session(s)
Saturday 05/13
2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Philippe Fournier, PhD, M.Sc.S., FAAA
Philippe Fournier has been an audiologist since October 2009 and an assistant professor of audiology in the Department of Rehabilitation at the Faculty of Medicine of Laval University since September 2021. He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences from the Université de Montréal (2006), a Master’s degree in Audiology from the University of Ottawa (2009) and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences, Audiology option, from the Université de Montréal (2015). Over the years, he has acquired a strong expertise in the functioning of the auditory system and its disorders (deafness, tinnitus, hyperacusis). He subsequently pursued postdoctoral studies between 2015 and 2021 in the Neural Dynamics and Hearing team, directed by Dr. Arnaud Noreña, at the Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory (LNC) of the University of Aix-Marseille in France. His research has focused on the development of reliable and robust diagnostic measures for various auditory pathologies such as tinnitus, hyperacusis and acoustic shock symptoms. More importantly, the development of these measures has also led to a better understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying these disorders. He also obtained, in 2019, a state diploma as a Hearing instrument practitioner from the Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 and, in the same year, a graduate certificate from the microprogram in public administration research orientation from the École nationale d’administration publique (ENAP), in Montreal.
Session(s)
Friday 05/12
3:30 pm – 5:00 p.m.
Susan Flynn, M.Sc., RAUD, RHIP
Susan Flynn is an audiologist and an independent digital marketing specialist. After working in private practice and as a Field Trainer for GN ReSound Canada, Susan’s passion for communication, and content creation drove her to complete various certifications in digital marketing. Leveraging her expertise in audiology and digital marketing, Susan offers digital marketing consulting services and works with clients such as Pacific Audiology Group and Diatec Canada. Susan graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2012 and is currently the Manager of Clinical Operations and Training Manager for the Wavefront Centre for Communication and Accessibility.
Session(s)
Saturday 05/13
12:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
George Harris Jr., BA
George Harris Jr. (Wholwolet’za) of Stz’uminus First Nation is a youth and family worker who is proud to lend his hands in his home Nation. George is deeply connected to his cultural teachings and believes strongly that all children need access to culture, whether they reside in community or are living away from home. George strives to live and work in such a way that honours his Ancestors.
Session(s)
Saturday 05/13
12:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Nafeesa Jalal, Hons BA, M.Sc., PhD
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) are much more than words to Dr. Nafeesa Jalal. She believes they are the key to creating long-lasting change in the world. Over the years, Dr. Jalal has worked passionately to embed these concepts into organizations of all sizes and sectors. She is the Founder and CEO of N. Jalal Global Consulting (NJGC Inc.), a boutique firm which was established with the intention of helping build understanding, competence and capacity around DEI, anti-racism and ally-ship. Dr. Jalal brings over 14 years of experience and a deep passion for this work. NJGC Inc. is proud to support a client base from the public, private, non-profit and academic sectors, in Canada, the US and globally. Dr. Jalal is also a lecturer with Seneca College in Toronto, in their school of health sciences.
Dr. Jalal earned her PhD in public health from the University of Western Cape, South Africa. Health-related organizations are an important part of her firm’s portfolio, and the firm’s current clients include two of the largest community hospitals in Canada – Trillium Health Partners and William Osler Health System. It also includes a host of health regulatory colleges in Ontario.
On a personal note, Dr. Jalal is of Bangladeshi-Canadian, Muslim background and has traveled to 79 countries. She has lived in 11 countries and speaks 4 languages fluently. Her global life experiences have led her to realize the importance of this work both locally and globally.
Session(s)
Friday 05/12
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Jeff Malpass, BBA, MPA (WS Audiology)
Jeff Malpass is the President and Chief Executive Officer of WS Audiology Canada Inc., which is the manufacturer and distributor of the Widex, Signia and Rexton hearing aid brands in Canada. Jeff also serves as a member of the global leadership team of WS Audiology Group based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Jeff has been a leader in the Canadian hearing industry for the past 15 years.
Session(s)
Saturday 05/13
2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Laura Middleton, PhD
Laura Middleton is an Associate Professor and the Associate Chair of Applied Research, Partnerships and Outreach in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo. Dr. Middleton’s research aims to identify strategies to promote health and wellness, inclusion and participation of people living with dementia. She engages people living with dementia, their care partners, health care professionals, and community service providers to create effective and accessible supports for people living with dementia. She is the co-lead of the Canadian Dementia Learning and Resource Network.
Session(s)
Friday 05/12
1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
John Pumford, AuD, Aud(C), Reg. CASLPO
John Pumford is the Director of Audiology and Education at Audioscan. Previously, John held senior audiology, clinical research, and management positions for some of the industry’s leading hearing instrument companies. He has also held clinical audiology positions in hospital and private practice settings and worked as a research audiologist at the National Centre for Audiology at Western University where he investigated compression processing, directional microphones, and contributed to the development of DSL v5. John has presented extensively internationally on hearing instrument technology and best-practice verification procedures and has authored numerous articles, peer reviewed papers, and book chapters on these topics.
Session(s)
Saturday 05/13
12:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Gurjit Singh, PhD, Reg. CASLPO
Dr. Gurjit Singh works as a Senior Research Audiologist at Sonova AG. In addition to being a clinical audiologist, he completed degrees in social psychology focused on medical decision-making and a PhD in cognitive psychology. His research interests focus on factors that lead to success with hearing rehabilitation.
Session(s)
Friday 05/12
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Kari Smilsky, M.Cl.Sc.
Kari Smilsky is an audiologist who has been employed at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto for the past twenty-two years. She has worked with the Cochlear Implant Program since 2006. Kari holds a Masters of Clinical Science Degree from the University of Western Ontario in Communication Disorders and a Bachelor of Science Degree from McMaster University. In additional to working clinically with cochlear implant patients, Kari’s research interests include bilateral cochlear implants, single-sided deafness, auditory brainstem implants, hearing preservation, and the expansion of cochlear implant candidacy. Through her involvement in the Canadian Cochlear Implant Centres Group, Kari has been involved in the development of national clinical standards for bilateral cochlear implant candidacy and provision of cochlear implants for single-sided deafness.
Session(s)
Saturday 05/13
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Glynnis Tidball, MSc, RAUD
Glynnis is a registered clinical audiologist at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver and Lakeside Hearing in Kelowna, and a clinical instructor at the school of audiology and speech sciences in the UBC faculty of medicine. Her primary professional focus has been management of tinnitus and decreased sound tolerance for over two decades. Glynnis is also a sponsored speaker on tinnitus and hyperacusis to consumers, hearing healthcare providers, and physicians across Canada. She co-authored the chapter “Audiological assessment of decreased sound tolerance” in Hyperacusis and Disorders of Sound Intolerance: Clinical and Research Perspectives and has contributed several articles to the e-journal Canadian Audiologist.
Session(s)
Saturday 05/13
9:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Gail M. Whitelaw, PhD
Dr. Whitelaw is an audiologist who is a Clinical Associate Professor and Clinic Director at The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH. Dr. Whitelaw is also the audiology faculty member on the LEND grant, a Maternal and Child Health training grant, and has been for the past two decades. She has a broad range of clinical interests including paediatrics, tinnitus assessment and management, and suprathreshold auditory disorders. She provides direct patient care and also precepts AuD students in clinical rotations. Dr. Whitelaw teaches courses on tinnitus and hyperacusis, paediatric audiology, ethics and evidence, and professional issues in audiology.
Session(s)
Friday 05/12
3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday 05/13
9:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Erica Zaia, MSc, RAUD
Erica Zaia is a registered audiologist with 25 years of experience in vestibular assessment and management. She is the owner of the Audio-Vestibular Clinic in Vancouver, where she performs vestibular assessments and rehabilitation. She is also a mentor to audiologists pursuing certification in vestibular assessment and management. She’s worked at St. Paul’s Hospital, in Vancouver, BC, at the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital in England and in several public and private clinics in Brazil. She is Clinical Faculty at the school of audiology and speech sciences at UBC and President of Balance and Dizziness Canada.
Session(s)
Friday 05/12
9:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Friday 05/12
1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
