Caring for the Caregiver Conference

Mary Jane Dykeman is a partner and co-founder at INQ Law (formerly INQ Data Law &  DDO Health Law) in Toronto. She has acted as in-house/general counsel to two Toronto teaching hospitals. In her health law work, she regularly assists hospitals, long-term care homes, retirement homes and community health care organizations (including mental health and addiction agencies) to find practical solutions to legal, clinical, risk and privacy matters - including mental health, consent, capacity and substitute decision-making and difficult family issues. Since 2004, she has taught the mental health law course in the Osgoode Professional Development Health Law LL.M. (now with CAMH’s Michele Warner). She has authored multiple sector reports including on mental health and addictions, seniors, and did work for The Change Foundation on privacy and barriers faced by family caregivers navigating the health system. She partnered with the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly to write two Law Commission papers on health care consent and advance care planning. Her data practice includes privacy, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence in the health space, helping global companies innovate with trust. Mary Jane is past Chair of the Board of the Alzheimer Society of Toronto and Deputy Chair of the research ethics board at Canadian Blood Services; and is on the Advisory Committee for the Temerty Centre for Artificial Intelligence, Research and Education in Medicine (T-CAIREM) at the University of Toronto. 

Angie Hamilton is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Families for Addiction Recovery (FAR). She graduated from McGill University in 1984 with a Bachelor of Civil Law (B.C.L.) and a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B).  After being called to the Ontario Bar in 1986, she practiced law in the area of Tax and Estate Planning for 18 years.  She represents FAR on the Toronto Drug Strategy Panel of Toronto Public Health. Angie is a Board Member of The Ontario Family Caregivers’ Advisory Network and a member of the Public Policy Committee of the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine. She was a member of the National Board of MADD Canada from 2014 to 2020 and the Chair of their Public Policy Committee. Angie is or has been a member of various advisory committees for organizations such as The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, The Mental Health Commission of Canada, Children’s Mental Health Ontario and The Change Foundation.

Through lived experience with one of her son’s struggles with addiction, Angie has developed a passion for supporting other families struggling with addiction, compassion for those in active addiction and an immense respect for those living in recovery. She gives presentations to the medical community, law enforcement, religious organizations and other community groups to break down stigma and raise understanding of addiction as a preventable and treatable illness.

Dr. Zinnia Ali is a 4th year Psychiatry resident. She is completing her training with Schulich School of Medicine through the University of Western Ontario. Dr. Ali has participated in diverse research projects including mood and anxiety disorders with comorbid medical conditions. She has a keen interest in child and adolescent mental health, especially pertaining to mood disorders and eating disorders. Outside of medicine, Dr. Ali is an avid reader and loves to travel.

Sean Prabhu is a Psychiatrist with experience in both emergency/inpatient and outpatient settings. He has experience in treating a variety of mental illnesses including neurocognitive disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders and personality disorders. His patients have included those in geriatric, acquired brain injury and intellectual disability populations. More recently he has taken an interest in the treatment of substance use disorders as he has seen this affliction take hold of his local community. 

He obtained an undergraduate degree in Human Behavioural Biology at the University of Toronto and a medical degree from St. George’s University.  He completed his residency in Psychiatry at Wayne State University and a fellowship in Consult Psychiatry Medicine at George Washington University.

Dr. Ashan Veerakumar is a third year psychiatry resident of the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry.  He completed his undergrad and medical school in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, with additional research fellowship training in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. During medical school, he was involved in a harm reduction initiative to train bystanders to administer naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses.  Experiences such as this taught him the value of community participation and how instrumental caregiver support can be for meaningful mental health recovery.  Dr. Veerakumar’s interests outside of psychiatry include exploring restaurants, traveling, reading and occasionally cooking.

Dr. Anne McLachlan, C.Psych., is a psychologist registered to provide services to adults and seniors in neuropsychology, & clinical and rehabilitation psychology.  She completed her B.A. at Western University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Queen’s University at Kingston.  Over the past 27 years, she has provided neuropsychological and psychological assessments and interventions to a variety of programs (adult mental health and rehabilitation) at the HDGH Western campus.  Currently, she brings her expertise in diagnosis of neurocognitive and psychological disorders as well as psychological interventions to outpatients in the Acquired Brain Injury Program and inpatients on the  Rehabilitation and Complex Medical Care units.  Supervising clinical neuropsychology doctoral students from the University of Windsor, she is mentoring the next generation of neuropsychologists.

Patricia Thomas is the Integrated Manager of Mental Health Services for the Canadian Mental Health Association and Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare.  Prior to this, she was the Program Manager for a Children’s Mental Health Centre. She received her undergraduate and graduate degree in education from the University of Windsor. Patricia’s key interest is in innovative Healthcare Systems change, which supports the reduction in health inequalities. 

Patricia is proud to be a member of both HDGH and CMHA, whose focus is on providing services to those who are vulnerable and struggling with their mental health. Patricia oversees the Wellness Program and Coordinated Access at the Crisis and Mental Wellness Centre, located at 744 Ouellette Avenue and is actively involved in mental health and addictions access related programming. Outside of work, Patricia is active in family and wellness activities.

Colleen Bruner-Pelletier is the Operations Manager of the Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare’s Community Crisis Centre, which is physically located at 744 Ouellette Avenue in the Crisis and Mental Wellness Centre.  Prior to this, she worked as a mental health crisis worker for over 13 years.  She received her BSW from University of Windsor in 2005 and her MSW from Wayne State University in 2007.  Colleen’s key interest is in crisis work and suicide prevention and she feels fortunate to be working with such a dedicated and compassionate staff who share her same passion! Colleen is actively involved in access related Mental Health and Addictions programming. Outside of work, she is the proud grandmother to two grandsons, Fulton and Dominic.

Judy has had a full career as a Registered Nurse in both the United States and Canada. She has experience working in a RAAM clinic and has a passion for addiction medicine, with a desire to partner with people where they are. Judy has worked at the bedside, in the Operating Room, the ICU, managing and growing programs. She has been a parish nurse and licensed minister. Judy is currently managing the addictions programs at Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, including: Addiction Assessment and Referral, which is located at 744 Ouellette Avenue in the Crisis and Mental Wellness Centre, as well as Community and Residential Withdrawal Management Services which are based at the Tayfour Campus of HDGH. Judy is actively involved with access related mental health and addictions programming.

Luciana Rosu-Sieza is the Executive Director at the Bulimia Anorexia Nervosa Association (BANA). For 8 years she held the position of Health Promotion Manager prior to being appointed as the Executive Director in 2012. Luciana  graduated from the University of Windsor in Psychology with a minor in French. She is an alumni of Leadership Windsor Essex class of 2008. She is involved in many aspects of prevention, education and advocacy for those who are directly and indirectly affected by Eating Disorders. Luciana was instrumental in the development of the centralized intake for eating disorders in Windsor-Essex. She has delivered hundreds of workshops on topics of self-esteem, body image, media literacy, nutrition, advocacy and leadership. She has had the privilege of wearing many hats in her career from volunteer management, fundraising, community engagement, leadership, advocacy and more. Her proudest accomplishment in life is being the mom of Gabriela, Antonio and wife to Tony.

John T. Clark is a Senior Counsel with Miller Canfield in Windsor. John has extensive experience in business, business succession and estate planning for small- and medium-sized business enterprises and their principals. He also provides corporate governance, organizational and commercial advice and services to businesses, as well as nonprofit and charitable government-funded agencies and organizations. Complementing John's estate planning advice and service is his expertise in estate and trust administration, including probate, asset realization, income tax, estate accounting and dispute settlement. John's commercial advice and service extends to commercial and residential real estate, particularly retirement development and housing, where he is considered the leading legal authority on life lease housing.

John is a frequent speaker on subjects related to his practice and is very committed to legal education and professional competence. He co-chairs an annual Law Society of Ontario continuing legal education program on probate practice, and he is a sessional instructor in Estate Planning and Administration at the Faculty of Law, University of Windsor. He is also a charter member and has served since 2007 on the Law Society of Ontario's Solicitors' Advisory Committee, which is charged with setting the annual Law Society licensing examinations and establishing competency standards for applicants to the Bar of Ontario.

John is recognized for his contributions to the community, having served and chaired the boards of directors and committees of several local and provincial social, health care and business organizations throughout his career.