Dr. Pouya Azar is the Head of the Complex Pain and Addiction Service (CPAS), a consult service under the Department of Psychiatry at Vancouver Coastal Health, which provides management of pain, mental health disorders, and substance use disorders across all clinical services at Vancouver General Hospital, UBC Hospital, and GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre. He is also the Addiction Lead at Foundry Vancouver Granville, a consulting physician for adolescent addiction medicine at BC Children’s Hospital, a consulting physician for psychiatry and addiction medicine at British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, a consulting physician for the VGH Transitional Pain Clinic and a clinical instructor at the UBC Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Azar’s clinical and translational research focuses on the development of novel opioid agonist therapy initiation protocols.

Lisa Baroldi is an award-winning business and community leader. She is currently President and CEO of Building Owners and Managers Association of Edmonton and North (BOMA Edmonton and North). Prior to joining BOMA, Lisa was a senior advisor to the Canada-UAE Business Council in Toronto and Dubai, and executive director of an economic development authority in Northern Alberta. Other previous roles include associate editor of Diplomat & International Magazine in Ottawa and CEO of Progress Unlimited, a global consulting firm that has been involved in many ground-breaking initiatives such as Canada’s first New in Town Indigenous Welcome Service and Kahkiyaw, which is the first collaborative service delivery for urban Indigenous children, youth and families in Alberta. Through Progress, Lisa has provided economic, community, and business development services since 2007 in Canada, France, Sierra Leone, and the United Arab Emirates. She has obtained $100 million dollars for projects since 2011 and has brought attention to and action on various issues. In 2009, Lisa co-founded the national intercity exchange, Designing Downtown, which she conceived of while marketing commercial real estate in Western Canada, and continues to be passionate about city building. Lisa holds a master’s degree from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, and degrees from L’institute d’études politiques de Lyon and the University of Alberta, where she was awarded the Dr John MacDonald Medal in Arts for overall superior academic achievement in the BA Honours Program. In 2022, Lisa received an Indigenous Economic Partnership award, and, in 2024, an Edmonton CREW (women in real estate) Impact Award for fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion in the industry. In 2015, Lisa was selected for the prestigious Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference. In 2012/13, she was named one of Edmonton’s Top 40 under 40, Top 100 Women in Business, and Alberta Venture Magazine’s Ten Rising Stars. Lisa was born and raised in a remote rural community in northern Canada. She considers herself a global city builder with rural roots in Treaty 8 First Nations Territory and Métis Region 5. In everything she does, Lisa helps people and organizations reach their potential.

Amelia Birch, MSc(A), BSc, RN (C) received her Masters of Science (Applied) in Nursing from McGill University in 2012. As a Registered Nurse with Certified Practice, she has worked in Urban low-barrier Primary Care outreach, crises response for priority populations, and offered acute and community-based substance use education for health care providers. She currently is the Lead for Primary Care and Substance Use at Foundry Central office, supporting centres across the Province to optimize integration both theses area of care into their service models.

Dr. Bordman has achieved credentials in both addiction and pain from international societies. He has lectured on these topics throughout Canada and Internationally. Joel has mentored other Canadian health care providers on addiction and pain. He has experience in Emergency Medicine, Palliative Care, Family Practice and Long Term Care. Joel's main interest is in treating Opioid Addiction and assessing Chronic Pain treatment in the complex patient.

Dr. Alexander Caudarella is a bilingual family physician with specialty training in substance use health issues. As a leader and clinician, he brings years of collaborative substance use healthcare experience to CCSA from his work across the country. Previously, Alexander served as the medical director of substance use services (SUS) at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, and lead SUS physician with Inner City Health Associates. He has developed innovative clinical programs to decrease barriers to care and improve access to a better standard of care in hospitals, clinics and the community. In his work as a researcher and clinician he frequently advised public health officials on issues related to substance use health. As one of the key leaders of the Toronto Opioid Overdose Action Network, Alexander coordinated the implementation of in-hospital substance use components and developed a regional system to access rapid expert support. He has served as a substance use consultant and clinician for the Government of Nunavut. For more than a decade, Alexander worked on Indigenous-lead programs in Canada and abroad aimed at building capacity, decreasing stigma and building local workforces. He joined CCSA as Chief Executive Officer in August 2022. Alexander believes his experiences help him understand and appreciate the diversity of substance use health services, challenges and opportunities that exist in our country. The organization’s national mandate to empower people in Canada and government to focus on substance use issues, and its work to centre the voices of people who use substances and their families, drew him to CCSA. Through CCSA’s work with national and international partners, Alexander wants people in Canada to understand the scope of substance use health and the solutions they can put in place in their communities. He passionately believes that collaboration across sectors is essential in improving the health and well-being of people who use drugs and alcohol. This is a difficult time for people who use drugs and alcohol, as well as the families and health workers who care for them. Alexander is proud to work with the amazing team at CCSA to build hope, and continue to build Canada as an international leader in this area.

Dr. Marlon Danilewitz is an assistant professor at the University Toronto, department of psychiatry and the associate medical director of general psychiatry at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences. He is the conference chair for the Canadian Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting and co-chair of the Canadian Psychiatric Association’s section on addiction psychiatry. Dr. Danilewitz completed his psychiatry residency and fellowship in addiction medicine at the University of British Columbia. His clinical and research interests include addiction psychiatry and treatment resistant schizophrenia.

Dr. Nathaniel Day is the Chief Scientific Officer at the Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence, providing expert guidance on program evaluation and development. Dr. Day is an addiction medicine specialist with a medical degree from the University of Alberta, serving as the Medical Director of Addiction with Recovery Alberta. He also served as the medical director for the Centennial Centre for Mental Health and Brain Injury, and Alberta’s Virtual Opioid Dependency Program (VOPD). With his team at Alberta Health Services, he conceptualized and developed the innovative Virtual Opioid Dependency Program. Dr. Day also served on the Minister’s Opioid Emergency Response Commission and co-chaired the Recovery Expert Advisory Panel. His work has been recognized by provincial and national bodies.

Dr. Julius Elefante is a psychiatrist and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia. He completed his medical degree and residency in psychiatry at UBC, followed by an addiction medicine fellowship at St. Paul’s Hospital and a postdoctoral research fellowship at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. He works at St. Paul’s Hospital as a consultant for the Addiction Medicine Consult Team and the Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry service. Additionally, he serves as the Co-Head of the Consultation-Liaison Program for the UBC Department of Psychiatry. Before pursuing medicine, Dr. Elefante worked as a registered nurse for several years.

Dr. Paul Farnan has over thirty years of experience in the fields of addiction medicine and occupational medicine, with a focus on shifting the narrative from managing addiction deficits to building strengths that support sustainable recovery. Board-certified in both Addiction Medicine and Family Medicine, he is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Family Practice at the University of British Columbia and an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. Dr. Farnan is particularly interested in advancing recovery-oriented approaches that prioritize connection, hope, meaning and empowerment rather than pathology. Over the past several years, his focus has increasingly turned to understanding and supporting natural recovery, emphasizing the critical role that workplaces can play in either facilitating or hindering an individual’s recovery journey.

As a Doctor of Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine, Dr.Ghosh specializes in patient advocacy and community capacity building for vulnerable populations in Alberta. He splits his time between Calgary and Edmonton working with various groups to support marginalized populations. He is a researcher as well with both the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta.

Lerena Greig has worked in the non-profit sector for over 18 years in the field of addictions and mental health. She has presented all over Alberta with her lived experience and advocates for change. In 2019, she joined as a Director of the Board for Our House Addiction Recovery Centre. As Executive Director of Parents Empowering Parents (PEP) Society, Lerena oversees programming and development, resources, partnerships and staffing. PEP is a registered charity that supports, educates and provides hope to families who have a loved one struggling with addiction. Lerena is passionate about empowering families and individuals to take that step into recovery and break the cycle of addiction.

Angie Hamilton is a retired lawyer, the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Families for Addiction Recovery (FAR) and the parent of a child who struggles with addiction. Angie is a member of the Policy Committee of the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine and a Board Member of The Ontario Family Caregivers’ Advisory Network. She was a member of the National Board of MADD Canada from 2014 to 2020 and the Chair of their Public Policy Committee.

Dr. Jessica Hann has a split practice in Addiction Medicine and Emergency Medicine based in Vancouver. She completed the BC Centre on Substance use (BCCSU) Addiction Medicine fellowship and FRCPC training in Emergency Medicine. She is the Virtual Health Lead for Providence Health Care Substance Use Program, which oversees the Lighthouse Virtual Substance Use Clinic and Access Central virtual detox triage.

Wiplove Lamba, MD, FRCPC, is an addiction psychiatrist trained in several therapy modalities including motivational interviewing, dialectical behaviour therapy, and pain reprocessing therapy. He believes working with people who use drugs should be a general medical skills, and led several education initiatives over the last decade including Project ECHO Addiction Medicine and Psychosocial Interventions at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, as well as workshops at the local, provincial and national level. His current clinical work involves concurrent disorders, hospital based addiction care, addiction medicine and psychotherapy.

Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia​ Addiction and Forensic Psychiatrist, Psychiatry Consultation Liaison Services​ Vancouver General Hospital.

Dr. Nick Mathew completed an addiction psychiatry fellowship at Yale University and a forensic psychiatry fellowship at the University of British Columbia. He is board certified in addiction psychiatry, addiction medicine and forensic psychiatry. He is a clinical associate professor at the University of British Columbia and has won awards for teaching and research. He is currently serving as the medical director of complex mental health and substance use services at the Provincial Health Services Authority.

Practicing addiction medicine for over 20 years with expertise in women’s health, concurrent psychiatric disorders and pain management. She is a Fellow of the Australasian Chapter of Addiction Medicine, a diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine and Clinical Assistant Professor, UBC. Dr. Mead has worked in many community, inpatient and outpatient treatment settings in Vancouver. These include the Addiction Medicine Consult Service at St Paul’s Hospital and New Dawn Recovery House. She holds the positions of Senior Medical Director, Mental Health and Substance Use, BC Women’s Hospital; Medical Director for BC Correctional Health Services and is the medical lead for the BC Provincial Perinatal Substance Use program.

Dr. Mohammed Mosli comes from a long line of physicians. Although he initially planned to become a surgeon like his father, his career path took an unexpected turn that led him to specialize in public health and preventive medicine with a special interest in addiction health. His focus has increasingly been on caring for vulnerable populations.

Dr. Sheila Peters is a Métis woman. Her mother, Shirley Fiddler, was a Treaty woman for Cowessess Nation Treaty 4. Her father, Peter Nychuk, who is a Ukrainian settler. She is a niece to eighteen, aunty to sixteen, great aunty to eight, a sister to five, and a mother of three (as well as a mother to three fur babies). She was born and raised in the small farming community of Shoal Lake, Manitoba. Professionally, Dr. Peters is a proud graduate of the ACCESS. Program through the University of Manitoba. She graduated from the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Medicine in 1993 and completed her Family Medicine Residency with a specialty in Emergency Medicine in 1997. She was awarded CFPC Fellowship in 2024. Dr. Peters finished a 25-year career at the Health Sciences Centre Emergency in April 2022, where she was an Attending Trauma and Academic Emergency Room physician, very involved in all levels of teaching. Dr. Peters practiced Family Medicine at Access Centre Downtown, 2016-2024 with a focus on maternal-fetal health and pediatric care. There, she serves her community, many of whom are unhoused, experiencing poverty, mental health issues, and addictions. She has recently transitioned her practice to Northern Connections Medical Clinic. Additionally, she has provided emergency care at the Thompson General Emergency intermittently, for the past 25 years, Concordia Urgent Care, The Pas E.R., Kenora Emergency, and with VECTRs. On top of this, she has started her own cosmetic practice – Luminology. In June 2022-October 2023, Dr. Peters’ leadership skills flourished at Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin (KIM) as a Primary Care Advisor. Her main areas of focus included working on reinventing current EMS systems and providing housing and care for Thompson’s unhoused, as well as portfolios on Cancer Care, HIV, maternal-fetal health, and mentorship. Bimaashi Migizi Mashkiki Gikinoo’ Amaagewinan: Soaring Eagle Medical Teachings (SEMT) is a consultation business Dr. Peters established in 2023 with work in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES), wellness, mentorship and Indigenous Health Curriculum (IHC). Dr. Peters assumed the role of Medical Director of Stoney Mountain Institution in September 2024. Dr. Peters is a gifted teacher, involved in many levels of academia throughout her career. In June 2024, she accepted the role of Assistant Director of Admissions at the Max Rady College of Medicine at University of Manitoba. Dr. Peters’ love for both her personal and her work families, as well the many communities she serves, is made evident by her tireless passion, energy, innovative creative, and her ability to connect.

Asif was born to refugee parents in the United Kingdom, and emigrated to Canada later in life, where he completed post-secondary at the University of Calgary, achieving an Honours undergraduate degree in Sociology and Criminology, followed by a Certificate in Professional Management also from the U of C. Asif has been with the Calgary Police Service since 2001, and is currently the Deputy Chief responsible for the Bureau of Investigative Support at the CPS. Much of the strategic work that Asif has led centers around the CPS’ commitments towards anti-racism and equitable service delivery. It is accepted that not all encounters between police and racialized/newcomer communities result in positive outcomes, particularly when community members are experiencing a mental health or addictions related crisis. As part of his work, Asif also leads the Service’s crisis response transformation which is a program of work that sees police partnering with local community organizations to assist in the triage, intake, assessment and response to calls for service where mental health or addictions related crisis are present. The philosophy behind this work is about connecting the right resource to the right person and at the right time.

Dr. Rieb is a family physician and Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Family Practice at the University of British Columbia. She is certified in Addiction Medicine in the US and Canada. She was the co-creator and initial physician director of BC’s first Addiction Medicine Fellowship. Dr. Rieb has over 35 publications in the areas of pain and addiction. She is on staff at St. Paul’s Hospital and works clinically at ActumHealth where she is a consultant within an interprofessional team that treats injured workers with concurrent pain, addiction, and mental health issues. Dr. Rieb is the recipient of the BC College of Family Physicians Exceptional Teacher Honour.

A former police officer with a degree in Criminology, Micki’s career transitioned from policing to human resources where she held executive HR positions at several companies. After a 20-year career, she was appointed to the Halifax Board of police Commissioners in 2011 and served as Chair 2013-2014. Following this, she joined the Edmonton Police Commission serving for 6 years including 2 years as Vice Chair and 2 years as Chair. Since joining police boards, Micki has been involved with the Canadian Association of Police Governance (CAPG), serving as a committee member, board member, and president. She was recently reappointed to the CAPG board on July 19, 2023. In Kelowna, Micki has served on a city action committee tasked with addressing one of the components of Kelowna's Public Safety Plan focusing on an alternative response model for police calls for service. Micki is also currently on the Mayor’s Task Force for Crime Reduction. Micki has been actively involved in public safety since 2010 through police governance and the police study and implementation of new models of response and public safety.

Dr. Vijay Seethapathy is the chief medical officer at BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services (BCMHSUS) as part of the dyad leadership team with chief operating officer, Jennifer Duff. He provides strategic and operational oversight for medical services across BCMHSUS programs and services including the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital, Red Fish Centre for Mental Health and Addiction, Heartwood Centre for Women, Correctional Health Services, Forensic Regional Clinics and provincial specialized mental-health and substance-use programs. He is also a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of British Columbia, where he oversees the psychiatry residents’ addiction program. He is one of very few psychiatrists in B.C. who specializes in treating patients with a combination of complex mental health and substance use disorders, known in the mental health community as concurrent disorders. He has a special interest in clinical systems redesign. Vijay has bachelor’s degrees in medicine and surgery from India, and an executive master’s degree in business administration from Keele University in the UK. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Addiction Medicine, a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the UK, and a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada.

Dr. Anyssa Shakeri is a Consultation-Liaison Psychiatrist based out of the Royal Columbian Hospital. She completed her medical school in Calgary and her residency training in Psychiatry at UBC. She serves as the Regional Medical Lead for Consultation Liaison Psychiatry in the Fraser Health Authority since 2020. Dr. Shakeri also serves as the Associate Program Director - Fraser Track for UBC Department of Psychiatry. In addition, she is a member of the UBC Psychiatry Postgraduate Education Committee as the Co-Director of the Consultation Liaison Psychiatry Program. She is a dedicated clinical instructor and has been awarded several teaching awards over the years.

Dr. Tanguay is a psychiatrist who completed two fellowships, one in Addiction Medicine and Pain Medicine. He is a clinical assistant professor with the departments of Psychiatry and Surgery at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. Dr. Tanguay is the Senior Medical Lead for the Compassionate Intervention division of Recovery Alberta. He is the co-founder and co-developer of the Community Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) clinic for Recovery Alberta where he works clinically. Dr. Tanguay is member of the Calgary Police Commission, legislated to manage the annual budget (~$600 million) as well as to establish policies providing for efficient and effective policing. He is the Co-Chair of the Western Canadian Addiction Forum and Chair of the Canadian Addiction Counsel. He is a founding director of the Canadian Academy of Addiction Psychiatry and Co-Chair of the conference. Dr. Tanguay has been heavily involved in health policy including helping to lead the Alberta Psychedelic Legislative Committee and the Alberta Safe Supply Legislative Committee. He was a member of the Alberta Recovery Expert Advisory Panel directly advising the Alberta Minister of Addiction and Mental Health. He was a member of the Public Health Emergencies Governance Review Panel for the Government of Alberta and was a member of the Supervised Consumption Review Committee. Dr. Tanguay has been recognized for his work and is the 2021 Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada recipient of the Early Career Leadership Award, was inducted into the University of Lethbridge Alumni Honour Society, is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, and is a recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal. Dr. Tanguay has presented over 150 invited, plenary, and keynote lectures on three continents speaking on policy, addiction, pain, and mental health. He has received $9,327,494 in operational and research grants. Academically, he is involved in research in trauma, addiction, chronic pain, opioids, cannabis, and psychedelics and is a member of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute and the Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education at the University of Calgary.

Dr. David Tano is currently working as the Clinical Department Head for Addictions and Mental Health for the Calgary Zone of Recovery Alberta and as a forensic psychiatrist at the Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre. He is also working as the Clinical Medical Director for the Community Extension Team, the Police Community Treatment Order Team and the Police and Crisis Team. He consults regularly to the Provincial Courts of Alberta. He has historically also consulted to a non-profit organization known as Keys to Recovery, which was a housing first program aimed at housing people with addiction issues and classified as “hard to house”. For 6 years he worked as the Clinical Medical Director of a general inpatient psychiatric unit and also consulted for 8 years to the federal halfway houses and federal institutions for Corrections Services Canada. He has been teaching residents and medical students for over 20 years and is currently a Royal College Examiner for the specialty of Psychiatry, Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Calgary and has recently has moved on from the position of Resident Program Director for the subspecialty of Forensic Psychiatry. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Calgary and his Doctor of Medicine at the University of Alberta. He has a special interest in the vulnerable marginalized chronically and persistently ill populations.

Vancouver Police Department Superintendent Howard Tran has 27 years of police service. He currently oversees Investigative Support Services which encompasses the General Investigation Section, Tactical Support Section, Forensic Services Section and Youth Services Section. He is the VPD’s executive lead on its Body-Worn Camera implementation and the Artificial Intelligence Committee. He is regarded as the VPD’s subject matter expert on mental health issues impacting public safety. In this role, he established the Mental Health Unit, improved the department’s ability to collect and analyze mental health data and secured an important Information Sharing Agreement with Vancouver Coastal Health and Providence Health Care. He currently chairs the BC Association of Chiefs of Police (BCACP) Mental Health and Addictions Committee and serves on the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) Crime Prevention, Community Safety & Well Being Committee, as well as the Information, Communication and Technology Committee. He is a member of the Douglas College Youth Justice Program Advisory Committee, the Vancouver Restorative Justice Collective and the Steering Committee for Vancouver Downtown Community Court. He volunteers as a director on the boards of the Boys and Girls Club of South Coast British Columbia and the Pulling Together Canoe Society.

Dr. Vigo is a psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, and public health specialist, originally from Argentina. He is an Associate Professor at UBC and the Chair of the Services and Policy Workgroup of the WHO-World Mental Health Surveys Initiative. He has worked in a variety of clinical, research, teaching, and leadership positions across both the public and private sector. In these roles, he has published peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and reports on public health, health systems, global mental health, psychiatric epidemiology, psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, and e-mental health. Dr. Vigo also leads several projects in BC and globally, including on E-Mental Health for University Students, and Needs-Based Planning for Mental and Substance Use Disorder Services. Dr. Vigo serves as Provincial Medical Lead for the Advanced Practice of Assertive Community Treatment in BC, providing leadership and support to 34 ACT teams across the province, as Medical Lead for Tertiary Care in the Regional Mental Health and Substance Use Program at Vancouver Coastal Health, and as a psychiatrist at the Richmond ACT team, at UBC Hospital, and at Vancouver General Hospital. In June 2024 he became the inaugural Chief Scientific Advisor for Psychiatry for the Province of British Columbia, with a focus on improving services for people with concurrent disorders in the context of the toxic drug crisis.

Dr. Sharon Vipler completed her medical degree at the University of British Columbia and her family medicine residency at the University of Alberta. She is a diplomat in the American Board of Addiction Medicine and a diplomat with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. She is currently the Program Medical Director and Regional Department Head of Addiction Medicine and Substance Use Services at Fraser Health Authority in British Columbia. She is an Clinical Associate Professor at University of British Columbia. Clinically, she works in a wide spectrum of addiction medicine settings in BC’s lower mainland.

Megan Worley is the Executive Director of VisionQuest Recovery Society, a non-profit supportive recovery society. She earned her MBA with a specialty stream in Social Enterprise. Megan was a member of the action committee tasked with liaising with the Assisted Living Registry in developing new regulations and provincial standards. She is a member of the BC Addictions Recovery Association and the Kamloops Community Action Committee. Megan is also a parent of a child who has struggled with opiate addiction.