SPEAKING
Two Steps Forward is all about connecting, communicating and collaborating with people. I love doing this through either the written word or through speaking
Please reach out to me if you can think of a good blog topic, would like a writer or a speaker for your event. I would love to connect. Contact me here or view my Speaker Kit.
You can also view all my media contributions here
Below is a list of all my upcoming or previous speaking events.
Conferences and Events 2025
January 2025
The Patient Experience & Digital Health: BCIT: Digital Health Advanced Certificate
Presentation to students in the BCIT Digital Health Advanced Certificate on the importance of including the voices of those with lived experience, the why, how and when.
March 2025
Health Quality BC Quality Forum, Vancouver
- Health Talks (presenter)
27th Annual Victoria International Privacy & Security Summit (VIPSS)
- Health data: Perils and potential Panel (panelist)
10th Annual Forum: Pathways to Access & Reimbursement, Toronto
- Pinpointing missed opportunities to engage patients and enhance decision making about drugs (presenter)
- Physician gathering and What Matters to You (facilitator)
- The “What Matters to You” Movement: Fostering Sustainable Change in Healthcare (co-presenter)
June 2025
- Optimizing health data design and use in British Columbia through a patient-led interprofessional collective approach (co-presenter)
- Empowering Connected Care: A Patient-Led, Interprofessional Consensus Approach in British Columbia
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Conferences and Events 2024
April 2024
International Forum on Quality & Safety in Healthcare (London)
- Lived experience co-production workshop (participant/presenter)
- What Matters To You (WMTY): Creating change within our healthcare system one conversation at a time (presenter)
September 2024
The Patient Experience & Digital Health: BCIT: Digital Health Advanced Certificate
Presentation to students in the BCIT Digital Health Advanced Certificate on the importance of including the voices of those with lived experience, the why, how and when.
October 2024
North America Conference on Integrated Care
Poster presentation on What Matters to You (WMTY): Creating change within our healthcare system one conversation at a time
November 2024
Skunkworks: Hacking Chronic Disease (Providence Research)
Presentation on my patient journey with regards chronic disease, challenges in the healthcare system and areas of growth
November 2024
Infoway Partnership Conference
December 2024
Co-presenter in workshop on: Using WMTY to Create Change One Conversation at a Time for Patients, Family and Healthcare Staff
Conferences and Events 2023
November 2023
Amplifying the Voices of those with Lived Experience: The Key to Transforming HealthCare
Presentation of the importance and value of the voices of people with lived experience, how best to engage them and how to drive impact for both the organization and the people giving input.
November 2023
Patient perspective
October 2023
BC Medical Quality Initiative (BC MQI)
Panelist: A panel of perspectives on the challenges and value of gaining/giving feedback toward practitioner improvement—using the MCC360 and otherwise.
October 2023
CAR (Canadian Association of Radiologists) Board presentation – patient perspective
Presentation to the board describing my patient story accessing imaging across my patient journey, its importance, impact and timely access to imaging.
September 2023
BCIT – Digital Health Advanced Certificate – Patient Perspective
Presentation to students demonstrating the importance and value of patient, family, and caregiver voices in digital health projects
June 2023
Poster presentation: Co-creating Resources to Support Mental Health Challenges in individuals affected by Brain Tumours
June 2023
Canadian College of Health Leaders Conference
Panelist: What got us here won’t get us there. Getting unstuck: The leaders’ guide to leaning into the future of healthcare
May 2023
Vancouver Coastal Health Medical Staff Forum
Panelist
February 2023
Healthcare Excellence Canada: Understanding Trauma-Informed Practice and Engagement
Moderator
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February 2023
Providence Health
Speaker: My patient journey with Endometriosis
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Conferences and Events 2022
December 2022
Canadian Medical Association (CMA): Bold Choices in Health Care, a panel discussing the issue at the heart of the an effective and effective health care system: How we deliver care to our patients
Panelist
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November 2022
Canadian Medical Association (CMA) Twitters Spaces: Patients Before Politics
Speaker
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October 2022
Health eMatters Conference 2022
Presenter: You are our own brand
June 2022
Presenter: Supporting mental health challenges in individuals affected by brain tumours
May 2022
Technologies in Emergency Care (TEC Vancouver 2022)
Presenter & Panelist: Patient and Community Experience: Impact of Health Innovations
Feb 2022
University of Ottawa: Medical School Students
Speaker: Resiliency in Patients
Feb 2022
Providence Health
Speaker: My patient journey with Endometriosis
Conferences and Events 2020/2021
Oct 2021
Who Knows? Essential Care Partners do (Healthcare Excellence Canada)
Panelist
May 2021
Technologies in Emergency Care (TEC Vancouver 2021)
Panelist: Department-level COVID-19 Innovations
April 2021
Globe & Mail: Virtual Health Care for the Long Term (Moderator André Picard)
Panelist: : Virtual Health Care: Where do we go from here?
March 2021
Canadian College of Health Leaders (Hamilton)
Presenter & Panelist: Evolving post pandemic virtual care to meet patient and system needs
Feb 2021
Co-presenter: Re-Integration of Family Caregivers as #EssentialCarePartners During the Pandemic & Beyond
Jan 2021
University of Ottawa: Medical School Students
Speaker: Resiliency in Patients
Dec 2020
SPORcast: Podcast
Participant: The Patient Story Experience: Cost or Benefit?
Dec 2020
Providence Health
Speaker: My patient journey with Endometriosis
May 2020
Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement (CFHI): Virtual
Co-Host: Maintaining & Strengthening Patient/Family/Caregiver Partnerships
February 2020
Canadian Critical Care Conference: Whistler, Canada
Co-Presenter: Experience Across the Continuum
February 2020
Quality Forum 2020: Vancouver, Canada
Co-Presenter: Debate: “be it resolved that… people should have full and real-time access to their electronic medical record.”
Conferences and Events 2019/2018
October 2019
Canadian Conference for Physician Health (CCPH): St Johns, Canada
Co-Presenter: The Other Side of the Gurney: Patient perspectives on physician wellness
September 2019
Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) Leaders Conference: Vancouver, Canada
Presenter: The patient’s perspective on the “Joy at work” in health care
September 2019
Surgical Patient Optimization Collaborative (SPOC): Vancouver, Canada
Presenter: Patients as Partners in Surgical Optimization
Working Group Contributor: SPOC Change Package (Patient Activation section)
August 2019
CMA Health Summit 2019: Toronto, Canada
Presenter: The T.E.A.M. Approach © for Empowering Patients, Grand Central – CMA Health Summit
May 2019
The Patient Experience Symposium: Harvard Medical School, Boston
Presenter: Activating Patients for Better Outcomes: Using a T.E.A.M Approach to Engage and Empower Patients and their Health Care Providers.
Patient Experience Symposium Agenda 2019
February 2019
Surgical Quality Action Network: Advancing the Surgical Quality Agenda in BC
Presenter: Patients as Partners in Pre-Optimization (Discover methods that help activate patients improve their own outcomes)
November 2018:
Attendee
November 2018:
Fraser Health Patient Experience Conference 2018
Topic: How to advocate for Oneself in Our Healthcare system
October 2018:
2018 Brain Tumour National Conference
Topic: Your Health Is in Your Hands (Watch here)
BTFC Interview: Watch here
October 2018: BC Patient Safety & Quality Council Topic: Exploring Patient Activation, Engagement and Experience
September 2018: Health 2.0 12th Annual Fall Conference, California Topic: Innovations transforming the Patient Care (panelist)
September 2018:
North Shore Seniors Health Expo 2018
Topic: How to Advocate for Oneself in Our Healthcare System
August 2018:
Attending as Patient sponsored delegate
May 2018: Women’s Preventative Health Conference 2018 Topic: How to advocate for Oneself in Our Healthcare system
May 2018: Telus Agency Summit 2018 Topic: Put Your Health in Your Own Hands
March 2018: TEDxStanleyPark 2018 Topic: Put your health in your own hands (Watch here)
February 2018: Quality Forum 2018 Topic: Workshop participation: Activating patients to improve care
Previous Conferences and Events
October 2017: Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada National Conference Keynote Speaker, Topic: The Power of the Volunteer
June 2017: Department of California Health Services Key speaker, Topic: Empowered patients
May 2017: Vancouver Health Care Professional’s Symposium, Royal Columbian Hospital, Vancouver Topic: Personal Story
April 2017: Medicine X – Stanford University, USA. Topic: Patient and health care professional collaborations – shaping the future Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBx-HMYV4Qw&list=PL5sJU6QTvAeG_JAmMBdOtyUj1Phu3hwtp&index=2
July 2016: American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) National Patient & Family Conference Chicago 2016 Keynote Speaker, Topic: Stepping Forward: Embracing Life after a Brain Tumor Diagnosis