Best Practices Day 2022

Susie Goulding, Founder of the COVID Long-Haulers Support Group Canada

Susie fell ill in the early days of the pandemic in March 2020 when COVID-19 was known as a respiratory disease that affected the lungs. Not fitting the strict criteria, she was unable to get tested and managed her symptoms at home. In June of 2020, after visiting the ER with a constellation of over 30 symptoms, she was finally tested. The PCR test result…negative. This is about her journey of trying to navigate the healthcare system with a negative test result.

Dr. Anna Banerji, O.Ont MD MPH FRCPC DTM&H CTropMed

Dr. Anna Banerji is an associate professor in pediatrics at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. She is a pediatric infectious and tropical disease specialist. She uses a human rights framework for her work, research and education and is an advocate for both Indigenous and refugee populations. She began working at the COVID Care Clinic soon after the arrival of COVID-19 and has given numerous media interviews around COVID-19 and marginalized communities. She has won several awards including the Order of Ontario in 2012, and in 2019 she was the recipient of the Dr. Peter Henderson Bryce Award for her advocacy with Indigenous children.

Dr. Banerji has been working with refugees for most of her career including founding and co-chairing the North American Refugee Health Conference (NARHC). She has travelled to numerous Indigenous communities across Canada in various capacities.  In 2014 Dr. Banerji created the inaugural Indigenous Health Conference.

Jenny Davison, BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy, MSc Professional Health and Social Care

Jenny is a Community Physiotherapist, Clinical Lead and Clinical Co-ordinator for the Long COVID Community Rehabilitation service at Leeds Community Healthcare Trust. Jenny has over 15 years experience since qualifying as a Physiotherapist in 2006 in the UK. She has worked in the UK and Australia, both in the NHS and private practice. She has special interests in Long COVID rehabilitation, long term condition management and Health Coaching. She is passionate about delivering evidenced based intervention and the prevention of health inequalities.

Rachel Tarrant, BSc (Hons) Biosciences & Health, BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy, PG Dip Advancing Respiratory Physiotherapy

Rachel is a Specialist Respiratory Physiotherapist and the Clinical Lead / Clinical Co-ordinator for the Long COVID Community Rehabilitation service at Leeds Community Healthcare Trust. Rachel has over 17 years experience since qualifying as a Physiotherapist. She has special interests in Long COVID rehabilitation, long term condition management, respiratory physiotherapy and rehabilitation. She is passionate about quality improvement and evaluation to drive services forward, improving patient care.

Simon Décary, PT, PhD

Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation, PRIMUS Research Group; Scientific Director, Quebec COVID Pandemic Network, Recovery Axis. University of Sherbrooke, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Rehabilitation

Simon Décary is assistant professor of rehabilitation at the University of Sherbrooke in Québec. He has been involved in Long COVID research since April 2020 having received a grant from Fondation du CR-CHUS to conduct a safety pilot clinical trial of interdisciplinary rehabilitation for Long COVID. He joined the Long COVID Physio international executive committee as research co-director where he is tasked to conduct knowledge mobilization to physiotherapists and allies around the world. This group led the publication of the World Physiotherapy Briefing Paper #9 on safe rehabilitation. He was recently mandated by the SPOR Evidence Alliance, COVID-END, Alberta Health System and Public Health Agency of Canada to conduct living systematic reviews of care models and management options for Long COVID.

Dr. Joy Richards, PhD, RN, FAAN

Professions and Chief Nursing Executive at University Health Network (UHN)

In addition to her role as Professions and Chief Nursing Executive at University Health Network, an academic health science centre comprised of four hospitals – Toronto General Hospital, The Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, and Toronto Rehab Institute, Joy also holds clinical appointments at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Nursing, and York University Faculty of Nursing.

Joy’s previous experience includes progressive senior nursing management positions in the acute care and long-term care sectors; nursing education and nursing informatics and has presented her work, both nationally and internationally.  She has also published many articles and book chapters related to her professional work and has received numerous awards, including the 2007 Sigma Theta Tau Award for Excellence in Nursing Administration, the 2010 Health Achieve Margret Comack Award of Excellence in Nursing Leadership, and 2013 Award of Distinction for her nursing leadership contributions from the Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto.

Joy’s particular interests and passion are in the areas of clinical leadership, creative Health Human Resource solutions and quality work-life environments.

Dr. Jon Hunter, MD FRCPC 

Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Pencer Family Chair in Applied General Psychiatry, Sinai Health System

Dr. Hunter is a Professor at the University of Toronto, and holds the Pencer Family Chair in Applied General Psychiatry at the Sinai Health System where he also heads the Psychosocial Team at the Marvelle Koffler Breast Center, and works on the Psychiatric Consultation-Liaison team. His interests include the psychological care of cancer patients, the role of early life experience in adaptation to disease, the role of therapeutic alliance in treatment outcomes, and supporting hospital staff in times of strain.

Dr. Robert Maunder, MD FRCPC 

Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto. Chair in Health and Behaviour at Sinai Health, Deputy Psychiatrist-in-Chief & Head of Psychiatry Research

Dr. Maunder is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and the Chair of Health and Behaviour at Sinai Health System. He is the Deputy Psychiatrist-in-Chief and Head of Research for the Department of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto. He is a member of the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto and serves on the editorial board of General Hospital Psychiatry.

Dr. Maunder’s research has been funded by CIHR, and multiple other agencies. His research is focused on stress, resilience and the interpersonal determinants of health. He was the lead researcher and author on a series of papers documenting the impact of childhood adversity and of extraordinary workplace stress, from SARS to critical incidents, on healthcare workers. Dr. Maunder’s clinical work concerns psychiatric aspects of living with inflammatory bowel disease, hepatitis C and other chronic illnesses.