March 22, 2025
Caesars Windsor
Dr. Kendall Soucie shared her lived-experience as a person with PCOS and researcher.
Three diverse invited speakers shared about their research
Over $2,000 was given to top presenters in the Poster Session and Rapid Fire session!
PhD
Zayna is the in-house health futurist with Deloitte Canada's Healthcare and Life Sciences practice. She is adjunct faculty in the Health Sector Strategy stream at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto where she instructs course sin healthcare innovation and partnerships in the health MBA program. Zayna is a Growth Advisor at Teladoc Health in Canada, and advises a few emerging health startups. Zayna previously led the Futures team with national home healthcare and aging social enterprise, SE Health, as their Future Strategist. Dr. Khayat was previously the lead of health system innovation at MaRS Discovery District, a health innovation hub in Toronto, Canada. In 2017 she was seconded to the REshape Innovation Centre at Radboud university medical centre in the Netherlands. Zayna completed her Ph.D. in diabetes research from the University of Toronto (2001), followed by a career in strategy consulting, including as a Principal in the healthcare practice of The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). She currently resides in Toronto with her husband and three children and is proficient in French and Arabic languages (and a bit of Dutch!).
MD, PhD
Dr. Paul Kurdyak is a psychiatrist and Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee at CAMH. He is also a Core Senior Scientist and Lead of the Mental Health and Addiction Program at ICES. He holds the position of Vice President (Clinical), Mental Health and Addictions at Ontario Health. He is Professor and Chair, Addictions and Mental Health Policy Research in the Department of Psychiatry and Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto.
PhD
Dr. Rama Khokha is a Senior Scientist, and Professor in the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. She received her MSc from Delhi University (India), PhD from Western University, and was awarded von Humboldt Fellowship for postdoctoral training at EMBL (Germany). She began her independent program at the London Regional Cancer Centre, moved to Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, was the Vice Chair Biology for MBP and Interim Director of PMCC. Her lab studies tissue homeostasis and adult stem cell niches. Her work was recognized by the Robert L Noble Prize from the Canadian Cancer Society in 2014. She is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and currently holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair.
Dr. Kendall Soucie is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Windsor, in Ontario Canada. She studies the psychosocial impacts of living with chronic health conditions that primarily affect women, with a focus on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Dr. Soucie’s research is co-designed with patient, advisory, and community partners, and amplifies strength-based, resilience, and lifespan approaches to explore pathways to improved psychological health and quality of life. She has also received funding by the Social Sciences and Humanities and Council of Canada (SSHRC) to conduct this work, along with her research lab, the Heal Lab (Health Experiences and Longevity Lab) at the UW. Dr. Soucie also works within multidisciplinary teams at that focus broadly on understanding the complex intersections between individual, social, institutional, and community-level barriers and facilitators of health equity, health care, psychological support and wellness.
Kemi S. Anazodo, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the Odette School of Business at the University of Windsor. Raised in Cambridge, Ontario, Kemi comes from a diverse heritage, with roots in Nigeria and Jamaica. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resource Management and a minor in French studies from Brock University. Kemi furthered her education with a Master's in Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management from the University of Toronto's Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources, followed by a Ph.D. in Human Resource Management from York University.
Since joining the Odette School of Business in July 2021, Dr. Anazodo has focused her research on amplifying the voices of marginalized and stigmatized individuals navigating the workforce. Her work, which has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and WE-SPARK, employs mixed methodologies to investigate social phenomena such as identity, equity, and stigma in employment contexts.
Dr. Anazodo takes a holistic approach to studying diversity, particularly the employment experiences of justice-involved individuals. Her research captures the complexities of employment reintegration for justice-involved individuals and explores employers' perspectives on integrating them into the workforce. Through her innovative research, Dr. Anazodo aims to foster greater understanding and support for marginalized communities in the workplace.
Dr. Dajan O’Donnell holds a PhD in neurology and neurosurgery, with over 20 years of experience in preclinical R&D and precision oncology. He spent 18 years at AstraZeneca, where his research and expertise contributed to groundbreaking developments in the neuroscience field, followed by five years with a not-for-profit Network Centre of Excellence focused on Precision Oncology. In 2020, Dajan joined the Cancer Research Society (CRS) as the Director of Scientific Affairs and Partnerships. Since then, he has been instrumental in forging strategic partnerships and launching new funding programs, broadening both the scope and geographic reach of cancer research supported by CRS. In addition to his role at CRS, Dajan serves as the Chair of the Advisory Board for the Canadian Cancer Research Alliance (CCRA).
Dr. Hamm is an Associate Professor in the Department of Oncology at Western University. She is the Chair of the Windsor Division Oncology at Schulich School of Medicine and the Chair of Windsor Regional Hospital Academic and Research Committee, fostering academic excellence in the Windsor Essex region. She founded and leads the Clinical Trials Navigator program since inception, working with national partners to improve patient access to clinical trials. Her research interests include triple negative breast cancer and clinical trials accrual.
RN MN PhD (Student)
Sara Williams is an Anishinaabe Kwe from the Aamjiwnaang First Nation. She currently serves as a sessional instructor at the University of Windsor and holds the position of Indigenous Curriculum and Pedagogy Advisor for the Faculty of Nursing. A proud double alumna of the University of Windsor, she has recently embarked on her PhD journey. With over a decade of experience in Indigenous Health, Sara's recent projects have focused on significant initiatives, such as adapting the Kairos Blanket Exercise to emphasize health care, establishing the first off-reserve COVID vaccination clinic that received Federal recognition, and developing an exclusive Indigenous Health course for the Faculty of Nursing, which she currently teaches.
We are grateful to our sponsors for their support and commitment to advancing health research. Their contributions help make the WE-SPARK Health Conference an amazing event for all attendees.
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