PLENARY SPEAKERS
SUNDAY, JUNE 7
09:15 - 10:15
Advocating Now: Why, How, and... If?
Dr. Alan Drummond
Dr. Alan Drummond is a family and emergency physician in Perth, Ontario. He is a Past President of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians and a former Chair of the Ontario Medical Association’s Section on Emergency Medicine. A longtime advocate for emergency and rural health care, he has served as medical director at Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital and received the Canadian Medical Association’s Sir Charles Tupper Award for Political Action.
Dr. Blair Bigham
Dr. Blair Bigham is an award-winning journalist, scientist and physician who trained in emergency and critical care medicine at McMaster and Stanford Universities. He was a Global Journalism Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Associate Scientist at St Michael’s Hospital. His work has appeared in newspapers, magazines, newscasts, podcasts and medical journals. He is now an assistant professor at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health, where he studies public trust and science communications.
13:45 - 14:45
ED Bouncebacks!: Remember that Patient You Saw Last Night?
Dr. Michael Weinstock
Dr. Michael Weinstock is an emergency medicine physician as well as Director of Graduate Medical Education, Director of Research and Scholarly activity, Stroke Medical Director and Chair hospital Peer review, Adena Medical Center. He is also Professor of Emergency Medicine, Adjunct, at the Wexner Medical Center at The Ohio State University. He is the risk management section editor for EM RAP, and the executive editor for the new podcast UC MAX (part of the EM RAP family of products) and has been the principal investigator for original research published in JAMA and Annals of Emergency Medicine and is the risk management section editor for CorePendium. He is the author of the Bouncebacks! series of books. Michael has practiced medicine nationally and internationally including volunteer work in Papua New Guinea, Nepal, and the West Indies. Research interests include ED evaluation and management of chest pain, patient safety, EM medical education, and of course, Bouncebacks!
MONDAY, JUNE 8
11:00 - 11:30
When Work Feels Like Death by 1000 Paper Cuts:
Strategies for Recovery
11:30 - 12:00
ED Docs are Natural Leaders: Evidence and Experience
14:15 - 14:45
Combat Culture, Clinical Chaos: What Military Mindset Can Teach Emergency Medicine
Dr. Sara Gray
Dr. Sara Gray is cross-trained in Emergency Medicine and Critical Care and works at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. Her academic interests include optimizing resuscitation performance, knowledge translation of best practices, and resilience. She is also an ICF-certified professional coach, and works with clients around goal-setting, communication, career transitions, and well-being.
Dr. Connie Leblanc
Dr. Constance Leblanc is a Canadian emergency physician, educator, and national leader in medical education. Based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, she is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at Dalhousie University and currently serves as President and CEO of the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada. Her work focuses on leadership, equity and inclusion, and advancing excellence in medical education. ”I love work, life, and laughter. We are good leaders, come hear why we rock at it- see you in Winnipeg!” - Dr. LeBlanc
Dr. Trevor Jain
Dr. Trevor Jain, originally from Canada’s East Coast, is a driving force in emergency and disaster medicine. He earned his BSc from Acadia and his MD from Dalhousie before completing an MSc and PhD work in Disaster Medicine. A Lieutenant Colonel in the Canadian Armed Forces with multiple combat and humanitarian deployments, he brings unparalleled frontline insight to damage‑control resuscitation in austere environments and UAV innovation in disaster response. As Director of Paramedicine at UPEI, he is reshaping the future of EM education with energy, authenticity, and real‑world experience that inspires clinicians across the country.
TUESDAY, JUNE 9
11:00 - 12:00
New Frontiers in Emergency Medicine Research: Top 4 Abstracts
Dr. Waleed Alqurashi
The Pediatric Risk Evaluation for Predicting Anaphylaxis Recurrence in Emergency Department (PREPARED) Score: Derivation and Validation Dr. Alqurashi is an Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa and a Scientist at the CHEO Research Institute. He completed his pediatric residency at the Montreal Children's Hospital, followed by a fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine at CHEO. He obtained a master's degree in clinical epidemiology from the University of Ottawa and postgraduate diploma in allergy from Imperial College London, UK. Dr. Alqurashi has led federally funded research on pediatric allergy and anaphylaxis at, focusing on improving recognition and management of anaphylaxis in emergency settings. He is an anaphylaxis content advisor and editorial committee member for the TREKK network.
Dr. Jean-Paul Azzi
Validation of the high-risk echocardiogram score for TIA and nondisabling stroke patients Jean-Paul Azzi is an undergraduate student in the Honours Translational and Molecular Medicine program at the University of Ottawa. He conducts emergency medicine research with Dr. Jeffrey J. Perry at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, focusing on clinical decision rules and risk stratification for transient ischemic attack patients using multi-centre emergency department datasets. He is a recipient of the NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award and aims to pursue a career in emergency medicine and clinical research.
Dr. Julia Sawatzky
First Nations status and 72-hour return to the emergency department: A retrospective cohort study Julia Sawatzky is in her second year of Emergency Medicine residency at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, where she also completing medical school. She is passionate about addressing the health and social impacts of the climate crisis and is a board member and Alberta Co-Chair of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment.
Dr. Ian Stiell
Multicentre validation of the HEARTRISK6 scale for acute heart failure Dr. Ian Stiell is a Distinguished Professor of Emergency Medicine and Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Ottawa, and Senior Scientist in The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. His research has focused on clinical decision rules and risk scales, as well as clinical trials in cardiac arrest and acute atrial fibrillation. Dr. Stiell has had more than 490 peer-reviewed publications and directs the international U Ottawa EM Research Fellowship. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine.
15:15 - 16:15
The Passion that Sustains Us
Dr. Brian Goldman
Dr. Brian Goldman is not your typical physician. He is an ER veteran and the voice behind CBC Radio’s White Coat, Black Art. For decades, he has been pulling back the curtain on the culture of medicine. In The Casino Shift, he goes deeper than ever before. He exposes the frustration, the burnout, and the raw passion of colleagues who stand on the line between life and death.