4th Annual national divert meeting – Meet our speakers! – Copy for Aarin

Dr. Pillai Riddell is the Tier 1 York Research Chair in Pain and Mental Health and Director of the Opportunities to Understand Childhood Hurt Laboratory (OUCH Lab) in the Department of Psychology of York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is also a registered clinical psychologist, licensed to work with children and adults in clinical and health psychology. As both a basic-behavioural scientist and a clinician-scientist, Dr. Pillai Riddell currently leads a multi-national, multi-million dollar research program that studies preterm infants and their parents in Neonatal Intensive Care Units. Her research programs ultimately seek to advance a transdimensional understanding of infant pain (cortical, cardiac, behavioural, and social) and support applications of this understanding for real clinical practice. Her research is funded by all three national Canadian research councils (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council). She has also been involved extensively in supporting EDI initiatives in research contexts at both the institutional and federal levels. She is the founding director of the POLARIS training collaboration to teach academics how to adjudicate faculty for awards and jobs inclusively and is the Nominated Principal Investigator for DIVERT Mental Health.

Beverly Keeshig-Soonias is anishinaabekwe. Her community of origin is Neyaashiinigmiing. She is a registered psychologist in Alberta. She has a Law Degree from the University of Saskatchewan and a Master’s Degree in Family Therapy from Loma Linda University. Indigenous principles with kindness and humour are her gifts when serving Indigenous children, adolescents, and families.

Beverly is currently serving as an elder with the Indigenous People’s Section of the Canadian Psychological Association.

Dr. Christopher Mushquash is a registered clinical psychologist (Ontario), Full Professor in the Department of Psychology at Lakehead University and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine University, Clinical Psychologist at Dilico Anishinabek Family Care, Vice President Research at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, and Chief Scientist and Chief Operating Officer at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute. He is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Mental Health and Addiction, with expertise in rural and northern clinical practice and the development of culturally appropriate interventions for mental health and addiction difficulties in First Nations children, adolescents, and adults. He is Anishinawbe (Ojibway) and a member of Pawgwasheeng (Pays Plat First Nation).

Dr. Mushquash’s has published more than 125 peer-reviewed articles, as well as 7 peer-reviewed book chapters, and 68 other reports, letters, and non-peer reviewed publications. His research involves large team collaborations and partnerships with multiple research stakeholders, including community-based, government, and academic partners. He  has collaborated on  projects with $65 million of funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). His research brings together mainstream and Indigenous methods, and he is a generous volunteer who frequently meets with First Nations communities, organizations, and students to discuss mental health and addiction. As a frequently invited speaker locally and nationally, he has given 345 presentations and workshops to a wide variety of groups in areas of Indigenous mental health and addiction

Maureen is a Cree/Métis doctoral candidate, born and raised in a small Cree/Métis community in Alberta. She is in the Counselling Psychology program at the University of Alberta, and her primary research focuses on eating disorders, disordered eating, and body image among Indigenous women. She completed her Bachelor of Arts (honours in psychology) at MacEwan University and her Master of Science in counselling psychology at the University of Calgary. Her Master’s work explored Indigenous therapists perspectives on eating disorders. Her doctoral work explores the facilitators of healing and barriers that Cree and Métis women and girls experienced with eating disorders and disordered eating. She has been involved in projects involving emerging adults with eating disorders, including care transition and policy research on eating disorders, and has worked extensively with a local non-profit organization in community participatory research.

Maureen Abbott is a Master’s-educated Director and Certified Health Executive (Canadian College of Health Leaders) with the Innovation team at the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC). Her work focuses on policy and research and e-mental health. She bridges people, systems, and technology to develop and implement evidence-informed tools, resources and strategies to improve mental health and substance use health outcomes across Canada. Maureen works closely with the lived experience councils at the MHCC and is the Chair of the MHCC’s E-Mental Health Collaborative. Maureen has extensive experience with the not-for-profit health sector and has a background in standards and accreditation. Maureen led the development of national and international networks and is experienced with operations, strategic planning, and quality improvement. Maureen is a CHIEF Executive member with Digital Health Canada.

Michael Cooper is an experienced charity executive with over 16 years of experience in fund development, project management and government relations. He began his career working with senior political leaders in Ottawa before transitioning into the charitable world, which led to successful roles at Futurepreneur, Operation Springboard, The Learning Partnership, Omega Foundation and Diabetes Canada. He spent several years working in management consulting; at one firm he led numerous projects involving First Nations communities across Canada. 

Michael advocates for improving our understanding in detecting, treating and managing mental health issues. He has a strong focus on the utilization of data to inform policy and advance mental health care in Canada and currently oversees MHRC’s large scale data project tracking the ongoing mental health of Canadians.

Dr. Amy Porath (PhD, CHE) is the Director of Research and Knowledge Mobilization. She also serves as an Adjunct Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa and as an Investigator at the CHEO Research Institute. 

An alumna of the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, Amy is an internationally recognized expert in substance use health research and knowledge mobilization. With more than 22 years of experience, government officials, NGOs, top-tier media, and communities regularly seek her expertise. Her strategic leadership in providing evidence to help Canadians make informed decisions about cannabis earned her a spot on Canada’s Top 100 Health Influencers list in 2019 and 2020. Committed to advancing high-quality care, Amy advises on system transformation across child and youth mental health, addictions, and substance use health services.

Nicholas holds bachelor degrees in Political Science and Communication Studies from the University of Windsor, a Master of Business Administration from the Australian Institute of Business, and a Certified Health Executive designation from the Canadian College of Health Leaders.

In 2022, Nicholas received eMHIC’s Lifetime Achievement Award for e-mental health development, implementation, and forward-thinking leadership. In 2018, he won the Great Canadian Healthcare debate, moderated by André Picard at the Canadian College of Health Leaders Conference. His winning topic was universal mental health care for all.