Forum 2024 Speakers & Panelists

Dr. Jude Kong, Canadian Research Chair in Community-Oriented Artificial Intelligence and Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Disease

Dr. Jude Kong is a Canadian Research Chair in Community-Oriented Artificial Intelligence and Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Disease. He is also a professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health; Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (budgetary cross-appointed) and Mathematics Department (cross-appointed), University of Toronto, where he serves as the director of the  Artificial Intelligence  and Mathematical Modeling lab (AIMM lab)(www.aimmlab.org). Additionally, he is the Director of the Africa-Canada Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Innovation Consortium (ACADIC) (www.acadic.org) and the Global South Artificial Intelligence for Pandemic and Epidemic Preparedness and Response Network (AI4PEP) (www.ai4pep.org). He is also the Regional Node Liaison to the steering committee of the Canadian Black Scientists Network (www.blackscientists.ca).

Dr. Kong obtained his Ph.D. in Mathematics with a certificate in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Alberta, his MSc in Mathematical Modelling  (https://www.mathmods.eu/) from the University of Hamburg, Germany, and the University of L'Aquila, Italy. His B.Sc. in Mathematics (major) and Computer Science (minor) was acquired at the University of Buea, Cameroon, and his B.Ed.  in Mathematics was earned at University of Yaounde I, Cameroon. He did a 2-years of postdoc at Princeton University. Dr. Kong is an expert in AI, data science, mathematical modelling, and mathematics education. His principal research program focuses on developing and deploying innovative artificial intelligence, mathematical and data science methodologies and technologies for decisionmakers in communities, public health, government and industry in order to provide important insights into local and global-scale socio-ecological challenges. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Kong led a team of 52+ researchers across nine African countries, using AI to help contain and manage the virus. In 2022, he founded the AI4PEP network, overseeing 160+ researchers from 16 countries. The network focuses on leveraging Southern-led responsible AI solutions to enhance public health systems for better prevention, preparedness, and response to disease outbreaks. Dr. Kong’s many research contributions and exceptional leadership have earned him several prestigious awards and recognitions. These include the York University (YU)  Research Leader Award in 2020; recognition as one of Canada’s Innovation Research Leaders in 2021; recognition as a Black Hero of Operational Research by the Operational Research Society in 2021; recognition as a YU Community Change Maker in 2022; recognition from YU Magazine for enumerating positive change by inspiring Black students to aspire in 2022; nomination for the 2022 Postdoc Supervisor of the Year Award; 2022 Faculty of Science, YU  Early Career Researcher Award; YU 2023 Research Leader Award and the 2023 YU President’s Emerging Research Leadership Award. He is an Editor for Data & Policy Journal; Royal Society Science; Scientific Reports, and Big Data and Information Analytics.

Dr. Doris Leung, Canadian Animal Health Surveillance System (CAHSS) Division Director, a division of Animal Health Canada

Doris Leung has been a part of the Canadian Animal Health Surveillance System (CAHSS) since 2020. She received her DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) from the Ontario Veterinary College and MPH (Master of Public Health) from the University of British Columbia. Doris is excited to utilize her knowledge in health communication, veterinary epidemiology, and disease surveillance to create knowledge translation pieces to engage with CAHSS members, foster collaboration, and to promote evidence-based decision making to advance animal health and surveillance in Canada. She currently resides in Vancouver, BC.

Erica Charlton, Emergency Management Division Director, a division of Animal Health Canada

Erica holds a Bachelor of Science, Biology from the University of Guelph and spent the first portion of her career in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical manufacturing in various quality assurance roles. In 2006, Erica became the Technical Director for the Canadian Poultry & Egg Processors Council (CPEPC), where she was responsible for technical files namely in areas of food safety, animal welfare and animal health. She was the members’ liaison point of contact with CFIA and Health Canada on technical matters and represented the interests of CPEPC on multiple domestic joint industry/government initiatives and also internationally. With 17 years of experience in the poultry industry, Erica brings knowledge and experience gained through multiple outbreaks of Avian Influenza. Erica is based in Brockville, Ontario where she shares her home with a dog and two cats.

Dr. Egan Brockhoff; Veterinary Counselor, Canadian Pork Council

Dr. Egan Brockhoff is an experienced swine veterinarian, policy advisor and university lecturer. Currently he serves as the Veterinary Counselor for the Canadian Pork Council. Throughout his career, his work in swine veterinary medicine has afforded him the opportunity to consult extensively within the pork value chains throughout Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Americas. In 2020 he was the recipient of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association's Merck Veterinary Award for Food Animal Veterinarian of the Year. In September of 2021 he was honoured to have received the Allen D. Leman Science in Practice Award.

Cindy Trask; Vice President, African Swine Fever Planning and Preparedness, Maple Leaf Foods

Cindy Trask is the Vice President of Blueprint Execution and Enterprise Risk Management at Maple Leaf Foods. A company veteran of 19 years, she has held a variety of leadership positions within manufacturing and commercial functions. Currently, she is accountable for the planning and execution of strategic initiatives and championing business simplification processes. She has direct responsibility for ensuring the organization has clear crisis response strategies, enabling rapid response and minimizing business disruption. Cindy is a member of the ASF Executive Management Board and engages with Canadian Government and Industry groups in multiple forums to advance overall readiness, risk awareness and mitigation in the event ASF ever hits Canada. Outside of the office, Cindy enjoys spending time with her family and is an avid golfer who enjoys the mental challenge of the game, the friendly competition amongst friends and the beauty of being outdoors.

Colleen Barnes; past Vice President Policy and Programs, Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Colleen Barnes is a regulatory expert with 33 years of service in the federal public service, most of which was spent working in fields related to food safety, plant and animal health, and financial institutions in Canada. Colleen retired from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as the  Vice President (ADM) of Policy and Programs in 2021. Most notably, Colleen spearheaded the development of the Safe Food for Canadians Act and regulations as well as the establishment of the African Swine Fever Executive Management Board. In doing so, Colleen worked closely and effectively with stakeholders including industry and consumer groups. Colleen also has experience as a Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Audit Executive at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Today Colleen is a part-time regulatory consultant with Period 3 Food and Drug Experts Inc.

Robert Ianiro, Vice-President, Policy and Programs, Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Mr. Ianiro was appointed Vice-President of the Policy and Programs Branch at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in October 2023. Prior to this he was the Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of Enterprise IT Procurement and Corporate Services Branch at Shared Services Canada from January 2022 and the Vice President of Human Resources at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) from December 2019 to December 2022. Before joining CFIA he worked at Health Canada for over 20 years assuming a wide-range of executive roles in various branches, his final role being the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch.

Robert is a skilled leader with significant experience in science-based legislative and regulatory development and implementation; strategic and operational policy development and execution; leadership of national compliance and enforcement programs; enterprise-wide human resources management; stakeholder engagement and international collaboration.

Robert was born and raised in Ottawa and obtained a Bachelor of Science (Honours, Biochemistry) from the University of Ottawa. He is a proud husband and father of two children. In his free time he likes to travel, bike, cook, and spend quality time with his family – including being their biggest fan at their ringette and hockey games.

Tom Rosser, Assistant Deputy Minister, Market and Industry Services, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Tom has been part of the senior management team at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada since 2017 and became Assistant Deputy Minister of the Market and Industry Services Branch in 2021. His responsibilities include trade negotiations, agriculture and agri-food sectoral competitiveness, emergency management and departmental regional offices. Previously, Tom had served as the department’s Assistant Deputy Minister of Strategic Policy.

Before joining AAFC, Tom held senior positions at Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Natural Resources Canada.

Earlier in his career, Tom held a number of positions in both the public and private sectors related to economic and public policy analysis in natural resource sectors. This included assignments at NRCan, Industry Canada and the Forest Products Association of Canada.

A British Chevening Scholar, Tom holds a Master of Science in Environmental and Resource Economics from the University of London as well as Masters and Bachelor’s degrees in Public Administration from Carleton University in Ottawa.

Dr. Donald Sheppard, Vice-President, Infectious Diseases and Vaccination Programs Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada

Dr. Sheppard currently serves as the Vice President of the Infectious Diseases and Vaccination Programs branch of the Public Health Agency of Canada.  Prior to this position, he was the Executive Scientific Director of the Antimicrobial Resistance Task Force at the Agency. A professor in Medicine and Microbiology & Immunology at McGill University, he practices medical microbiology and infectious diseases at the McGill University Health Centre where for the last 20 years he has led a research program focused on understanding how bacteria and fungi resist killing by antimicrobials. He has served in a variety of academic leadership positions at McGill University, including Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Chair of the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, and Founding Director of the McGill Interdisciplinary Initiative in Infection and Immunity (MI4).

Dr. Tina Widowski; professor of Animal Biosciences at the University of Guelph

Tina M. Widowski, PhD (University of Illinois-UC) is Professor of Animal Biosciences at the University of Guelph, Canada. She has spent over 35 years investigating how housing and management practices affect the behaviour, health and welfare of farm animals, with an emphasis on pigs and poultry. Over her career, research topics have ranged from more fundamental ethology, including studying motivation for nesting and dustbathing and effects of early life experience on behavioural and physical development to identifying humane methods and best practices for transporting pigs to slaughter and euthanizing compromised animals on farms. From 2007 to 2020, she was Director of the Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare (CCSAW) at Guelph. Widowski has supervised/co-supervised) over 80 graduate students and published hundreds of papers and book chapters. She serves(d) on a number of committees that develop guidelines for the care of farm animals including National Farm Animal Care Council (Canada) Scientific Committees for Pigs, for Turkeys, Broilers and Breeders and for Laying Hens (Chair), and the Code of Practice Development Committee for Laying Hens and Pullets. She also serves on the United Egg Producers Scientists Committee on Animal Welfare in the USA. These scientific advisory positions with industry provide opportunities for Widowski to directly transfer research results to industry practice and to identify the most relevant and pressing research needs of the industry.

Jackie Wepruk, National Farm Animal Care Council Division Director, a division of Animal Health Canada

Jackie Wepruk has been the General Manager of the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) since its inception in 2005. In this capacity she facilitates a partnership on NFACC between governments, farmed animal industries, the veterinary community, the humane movement, food companies, and other allied groups. She assists NFACC’s partners in achieving practical solutions to farm animal welfare concerns that address the interests of farmers, domestic and export markets, governments and the Canadian public. Jackie obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Winnipeg, and a Master of Environmental Design from the University of Calgary.

Dr. Katherine Koralesky; Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Animal Welfare Program at the University of British Columbia

Dr. Katherine Koralesky is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Animal Welfare Program at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Before coming to UBC, she worked as an agricultural extension agent in the Peace Corps and in the community service sector. She uses diverse research methodologies to understand the human dimensions of animal welfare on farms and in companion animal settings. Her research explores the role of policy in animal care practices, on-farm interventions to improve animal health and welfare, links between animal and human welfare, and views on biotechnology in animal agriculture. Dr. Koralesky's broad aim is to improve animal welfare through relationship building and collaboration with people who care for or about animals.

Dr. Caroline Ritter; Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair at the Atlantic Veterinary College in Prince Edward Island

DVM, PhD, currently holds a position as an Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair at the Atlantic Veterinary College in Prince Edward Island. Her work focuses on understanding the decision-making and behaviour of diverse stakeholder groups that affect animal health and welfare including farmers, equestrians, and members of the public. Furthermore, she has expertise in veterinarian mental well-being and the dynamics of veterinarian-client interactions. Dr. Ritter’s overarching goal is to contribute to the sustainability of animal industry sectors through novel research methodologies and knowledge mobilization.

Dr. Briana Hagen; Chief Executive Officer and Lead Scientist for the Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing

Dr. Briana Hagen is the Chief Executive Officer and Lead Scientist for the Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing. After completing her Master’s of Science in Community Health and Epidemiology, Dr. Hagen completed a PhD in the department of Population Medicine at the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph. Using both survey and qualitative data, she examined how farmers and their farms are impacted by mental health outcomes, with a focus on perceived stress and the barriers and facilitators of help-seeking for farmers. Dr. Hagen is passionate about collaborative research approaches and building strong partnerships with the agriculture community to co-design research projects and mental health programming. After completing her PhD in July 2020, she completed a two-year Mitacs Elevate Post-Doctoral Fellowship to continue her investigations around farmer mental health in Canada and expand access to ‘In the Know’: mental health literacy training for Canadian agriculture, which she co-developed. Dr. Hagen has won several awards for this work, including the 2020 Brigid Rivoire Award for Champions of Agricultural Mental Health, the 2021 Research Achievement Award from the International Society of Agricultural Safety and Health, and the 2022 University of Guelph Innovation of the Year award for the development of ’In the Know’.

Josiahs Cook; Senior Science Policy Advisor, Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Josiahs Cook is the Senior Indigenous Science Policy Advisor in the Indigenous Science Office (ISO) at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Josiahs has various experiences working for the Government of Canada between the CFIA and Indigenous Services Canada including: Risk Analytics, Risk Intelligence, Operations, Policy, Indigenous Procurement, and Emergency Management/Response. Prior to working for the Government of Canada, Josiahs worked as the National Education Resource Consultant for GoodMinds.com (largest Indigenous wholesale distributor of validated Indigenous educational resources worldwide), where he held the responsibility of engaging with Indigenous communities across Canada for over 10 years. Josiahs specializes on the intersectionality, communication, and relationship between distinct Indigenous worldviews and Government of Canada policy and programs. Josiahs is Oneida from Six Nations (Haudenosaunee) currently living on the traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg (Rockland, ON), he’s an adopted generational residential school survivor, and a proud father to his three year old son Maverick and stepsons Jacob and Mikael.

Jeffery Wichtel, Deans Council - Agriculture, Food and Veterinary Medicine, and Dean of the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph

Jeff Wichtel has been Dean of the Ontario Veterinary College, at the University of Guelph, since 2015. He obtained his BVSc and PhD degrees from Massey University in New Zealand and is board-certified by the American College of Theriogenologists. He has previously taught at Iowa State University, North Carolina State University, Massey University, and University of Prince Edward Island. Jeff served as Department Chair, Director of Animal Resources, Chair of the Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre, and Associate Dean Graduate Studies and Research at the Atlantic Veterinary College before taking up his role as Dean at OVC. Wichtel is a well-known researcher and author in food animal nutrition, disease, production and reproduction. He has publications that span animal nutrition, reproduction and disease, livestock production, veterinary communication, and veterinary education. He has contributed to development projects related to livestock agriculture and food security in Kenya and Haiti and engaged with educational initiatives in Colombia and Cameroon. Jeff is passionate about veterinary education and One Health, and the roles they can play in improving the health of people, animals, and the planet. Currently Jeff’s research focuses on the health and effectiveness of the veterinary healthcare teams, employing a relationship-centered approach. He seeks solutions leading to better health outcomes, enhanced wellbeing of veterinary team members, and more equitable access to veterinary services through business and technology innovation. He is interested in supporting research that tackles these difficult questions, applying results particularly in the educational sector and clinical practice. His intention is that veterinary graduates throughout the world are optimally prepared for successful, impactful careers, and the healthcare needs of animals are better served.

Ian Alexander, Co-Director, National Issues, Canadian Veterinary Medical Association

Ian is a graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College and obtained both a Master's and Doctorate in Veterinary Pharmacology/Toxicology at Guelph.

He worked for the Veterinary Drugs Directorate at Health Canada for many years in increasingly responsible roles associated with review and approval of new drugs for use in animals. During his time there he worked towards increasing the awareness of the VDD both domestically and internationally. He was instrumental in Canada engaging at the international level in the harmonization of standards for drug and vaccine approvals (VICH) and Canada's cooperation with the US, EU, Japan, and Australia on drug approvals.

Ian then moved to the CFIA as the Executive lead for Animal Health Policy and Programs for several years before moving to the Executive lead for Animal Health Science. He was the Chief Veterinary Officer for Canada from 2012-2013. He has extensive experience in working in animal health both domestically and internationally. He was a founding member of the National Farmed Animal Health and Welfare Council (now Animal Health Canada) and the original sponsor and lead for the Canadian Animal Health Surveillance System (CAHSS).

Following his retirement from the federal government in 2023, Ian joined the CVMA staff as Co-Director National Issues.

Jim Montgomery, CEO & President, Canadian Disaster Response Organization

Jim Montgomery has 32 years of service with Ottawa Police Service, as a member and the Officer in Charge of the Explosives Unit for 19 years and a Supervisor or Training Coordinator of the Tactical Unit for 22 years. For the final five years of his career, Jim was the Emergency Management Program Coordinator for the Police Service and was a sitting member of the City of Ottawa, Emergency Management Program Working Group.

Jim ended his career with the Ottawa Police on a secondment to the City of Ottawa Office of Emergency Management as the Response and Development Coordinator responsible to research, develop and implement a comprehensive and inter-agency training and exercise program.

Jim retired in 2009 and became the Deputy Chief for the City of Ottawa’s Office of Emergency Management. Over ten years with the City, till 2019, Jim played a critical role in the design, development and implementation of a comprehensive and integrated emergency management program. The Program included the seventeen business lines of municipal services, and included partners and stakeholders from utility services, non-governmental organizations and provincial/federal ministries.

Under Jim’s leadership in 2014 the City of Ottawa Emergency Management Program was awarded the internationally recognized Emergency Management Accreditation Program’s recognition. EMAP is an independent non-profit organization, that fosters excellence and accountability in emergency management programs, by establishing credible standards applied in a peer review accreditation process.

Jim currently holds the Disaster Recovery Institute designation of Associate Business Continuity Planner, and with the Emergency Management Accreditation Program is an Accreditation Manager and an Assessor for the EM Programs.

As a Master Exercise Program Practitioner, he has facilitated, planned, hosted and evaluated international, national, municipal and agency specific exercises. He has used those skills as an Instructor with Canadian Emergency Management College, Canadian Police College, George Brown College and National Incident Commanders Working Group. Jim also is a member of the Emergency Management Ontario’s Incident Management System Steering Committee and Training Working Group. Jim is certified to instruct for Emergency Management Ontario’s Basic Emergency Management and Incident Management Courses and for ICS Canada’s Incident Command System Courses.

He has served as a board member on the Canadian Risk and Hazards Network, International Association of Emergency Managers – Canada Council, Ontario Association of Emergency Managers and as a working group member on the International Public Safety Association.

Jim is happily married with three grown children and two grand-children, who are his true accomplishments in life.

Shawna Bruce, M.D. Bruce & Associates, Risk and Crisis Communications, Emergency Public Information & Media Training

Shawna Bruce brings over 40 years of communications experience with expertise in risk, crisis and emergency communications, strategic communication, and public information. Her career began in the Canadian Armed Forces, where she served as an Army Public Affairs Officer for over 25 years.

After retiring from military service, Shawna transitioned to the petrochemical industry as the National Public Affairs Manager for a global Fortune 500 company. For eight years, she led internal and external communications, executive communications, community outreach and investment, and devised and executed community-centric risk education programs.

Since 2018, Shawna has provided services such as emergency and crisis communications workshops, media training for emergency management personnel and first responders, community engagement facilitation, and communications plan reviews

As an educator, Shawna has developed and led the Disaster and Crisis Communications course at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT). She also supported the development (and now instructs) a Crisis Communications micro-credential course at the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC). Additionally, she co-instructs the ICS Canada All-Hazards Information Officer course.

Shawna is a graduate of Carleton University (Mass Communications), Algonquin College (Public Relations Diploma), the US Defense Information School (DINFOS), and Royal Roads University (MA in Disaster and Emergency Management).

Dedicated to giving back, Shawna volunteers on the board of the Northeast Regional Community Awareness and Emergency Response (NR CAER) mutual aid organization, First in the Field (a veterans' fundraising organization), and serves on the Board of Governors at Concordia University of Edmonton.