Rita Karakas has more than 20 years of global experience in both the government and non-government sector. An expert in international development and humanitarian service delivery, Ms. Karakas is the former CEO of Save the Children Canada (2003-2007), and has worked extensively with global organizations such as the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies, the Australian Government’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Council, Oxfam International, the federation of Oxfam Affiliates. She has demonstrated her ability to bring about continual and recognizable transformation at the United Way/Centraide Canada, YWCA of/du Canada, TVOntario, and Oxfam Great Britain.

Ms. Karakas has senior level experience in programme and policy design with specialisation in human-rights based programming, including extensive experience in international development and humanitarian service delivery, change management, performance management and innovation systems, learning and development (primarily focused on adult learning). She has specialist professional expertise in the development of performance management systems which promote accountable, effective and collaborative cultures in complex organizations.
*Biography from the CIHC Wiki.

Andrea is a recent graduate of the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC). In 2007, she completed her Hons. B.A. with Specialization in Kinesiology at the University of Western Ontario. During her time at CMCC she had been a member of the Interprofessional Council of the Student Canadian Chiropractic Association, a chiropractic representative for the Canadian Interprofessional Students Network (CISN), the junior chiropractic representative of the IPE Council on the Interprofessional Health Students Association (IPHSA) at the University of Toronto and the Vice-President of the IPE Council. Andrea also participated as an executive member of the World Congress of Chiropractic Students at CMCC, an international student forum that represents the chiropractic profession.

Andrea’s involvement with NaHSSA began by attending NaHSSA conferences several years ago at Queen’s University and McMaster University. She served as the Vice President of Chapter Development, played an active role on the conference planning committee and organized the first National Health Care Team Challenge at the last NaHSSA conference held in Toronto. She has represented NaHSSA at the Student Interprofessional Games at the Ontario Interprofessional Health Collaborative Conference and on the Collaboration Across Borders III, held this past November in Arizona. She has worked diligently to increase student participation and collaboration in the health care community, and looks forward to representing the student voice throughout Canada to increase student education and collaboration.

Dr. Brian Little is an internationally acclaimed scholar and speaker in the field of personality and motivational psychology. His pioneering research on how everyday personal projects and ‘free traits’ influence the course of our lives has become an important way of explaining and enhancing human flourishing.

Professor Little is currently at Cambridge University where he is a Distinguished Scholar and Director of the Social Ecology Research Group in the Department of Social and Development Psychology and a Distinguished Associate of the world renowned Cambridge Psychometrics Centre.

Previously, he taught at McGill, Oxford, and Harvard Universities. His course on personality in Harvard’s Department of Psychology was immensely popular, and he was elected as a ‘Favourite Professor’ by the graduating classes of Harvard for three consecutive years.

Dividing his time between Canada and the UK, Brian is also a Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus at Carleton University in Ottawa and he lectures world-wide on personality, motivation and well-being.

Highly successful corporations and professionals understand the profound effect that personality has on performance, and they use this knowledge to their advantage. In his presentations – which are both deeply informative and outrageously funny – Dr. Little helps his audiences learn how to make effective use of these personality differences. “A cross between Robin Williams and Einstein” is how one client described him.

Brian’s unique approach to the science of personality is the focus of his current book project on Third Natures: The Happiness of Pursuit, which will be published by PublicAffairs Books in the USA and HarperCollins in Canada and France.
*Biography and more information at www.brianrlittle.com

Linda has over 20 years experience working in a variety of positions as a Perioperative nurse including Manager, Clinical Nurse Educator, Registered Nurse First Assistant and staff nurse. Currently she is working as a Nurse Consultant for a company that provides third party reprocessing and sterilization of medical devices, which is a key component for quality surgical care patient care. Linda has worked in several operating rooms across Canada and the U.S. and has also accumulated 10 plus years volunteering at the provincial, national and international levels with Perioperative Nursing organizations. In addition, she has obtained her Perioperative Nursing Certification, Registered Nurse First Assistant Certification, Tissue Bank Specialist Certification, and Eye Bank Technician Certification.

ABSTRACT: Olympic Medicalists: Providing Medical Services from 30,000 feet! From the start, the mission at Vancouver 2010 was to touch the soul of Canada and inspire the world by creating and delivering an extraordinary Olympic and Paralympics experience with lasting legacies. Teamwork was essential to deliver this vision of success. The Mobile Medical Unit (MMU) and the Polyclinic teams provided health care services throughout the games. This presentation will take you through the journey from the planning, coordination, recruitment of personnel, training and daily routines to the operational deployment of the Mobile Medical Unit. The Olympic and Paralympics Games fostered a culture that fostered a culture that promoted the value of trust, team, creativity, sustainability and excellence… exactly the same values that should be promoted and adopted in our respected healthcare professions!

Mark completed his undergraduate Honours Biology at Mount Allison University on the East Coast, followed by his medical degree at the University of Toronto, his 5 year residency in radiology at the University of Toronto, and his fellowship in Vascular and Interventional Radiology at the University of California in San Diego. He has spent time at the University of British Columbia, Dalhousie University, Stanford, Harvard and at The Lancet’s head office in the United Kingdom. He is currently an Interventional Radiologist at the Royal Victorian Hospital in Barrie, Ontario as well as affiliated with the University of California at San Diego. He has published over 130 peer-reviewed indexed papers, 11 book chapters, and numerous other articles non-peer reviewed. He is currently involved in the development of new medical devices and medications.

Sean Cranbury is an online community builder and social media consultant with extensive experience in the publishing and communications industry. He is the host and curator of "Books on the Radio", a Vancouver-based radio show focusing on people and new technologies in publishing and communications. Sean recently curated the W2 Real Vancouver Writers' & Culture Series and is the current Director of Creative Awareness for the Vancouver Biennale 2009-2011. Sean is on faculty at Simon Fraser University's 2010 Summer Book Publishing Immersion and was an organizer of the very successful Bookcamp Vancouver 2009.

The first people to arrive on the scene, emergency services personnel witness traumatic events with every shift. Yet they continue to perform their essential duty of saving lives- often in the face of unspeakable tragedy. So unspeakable, in fact, that many of these heroic individuals struggle quietly with the physical, psychological and emotional effects of their jobs.

The Tema Conter Memorial Trust was established to end the silence and ease the suffering. The charity was founded by Mr. Vince Savoia, an attending paramedic at the murder scene of Ms. Tema Conter in 1988. Upon coping with post-traumatic stress as a result of this horrible episode, Mr. Savoia created the Tema Conter Memorial Trust.

The trust's purpose is two-fold: to honour the memory of Ms. Tema Conter and call attention to the acute trauma encountered by emergency services workers. These courageous and compassionate individuals are haunted by the scenes they encounter on a regular basis, and they need our help. Because heroes are human.

Robin is the coordinator of the Conestoga College Paramedic Program. He has an M.A. in Adult Education from Central Michigan University and an Honours B. Sc. in Health Studies from the University of Waterloo. Robin is an A-EMCA and formerly worked with Toronto EMS.