Conference Agenda

This year’s conference agenda includes an exceptional lineup of keynote speakers and a diverse range of concurrent sessions! Register now as a delegate and hear from speakers whose work continues to shape the future of acquired brain injury support and rehabilitation across Ontario and beyond.

Delegate registration includes:

Delegate bag and conference syllabus
Welcome reception on Wednesday evening
All breakfasts, lunches and refreshment breaks on Thursday and Friday
Reception on Thursday evening

PIA Law Platinum Scholarship for Survivors and Caregivers

With thanks to the generosity of our Platinum Sponsor, PIA Law, we are offering a limited number of special Platinum Scholarships of $50 for individuals who have sustained a brain injury or their caregiver to attend the conference (this rate does NOT include the travel and accommodation costs) and is limited to ONE application per family. The scholarships are selected by lottery and have been drawn on September 15, 2025. All the scholarships have been awarded and we thank PIA Law for making this possible.

Wednesday, November 5, 2025

3:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Exhibit Set-up

All sponsors/exhibitors can set up their booths. Conference and Exhibit area is NOT open to delegates at this time.

6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Conference Opens - Registration

(Location: Conference Registration Desk)

Registration desk will be open to pick up delegate packages.

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Welcome Reception

(Location – 3rd Floor Reception Hallway)

Reception hosted by Synoptic Medical Assessments

Thursday, November 6, 2025

6:30 am - 7:30 am	Yoga by the Falls (Location: 3rd Floor Reception Bar) *Please bring your own yoga mats.*
7:10 am - 8:15 am	Registration and Breakfast (Location: Exhibit Hall A Buffet Station) Breakfast hosted by Howie Sacks & Henry LLP
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Welcome, Land Acknowledgment and Introductions (Location: Great Room B/C)
9:00 am - 10:00 am	Keynote #1 - Tim Feeney (Location: Great Room B/C) Keynote Sessions co-hosted by PIA Law Firms (McLeish Orlando, Oatley Vigmond, Thomson Rogers) Re-Thinking Rehabilitation: Helping People Become the “Me” They Want To Be
10:00 am - 10:30 am	Refreshment Break (Location: Exhibit Hall A Buffet Station) Refreshments hosted by Pace Law
10:30 am - 11:30 am	Concurrent Session A (Location: 5th Floor Session Rooms) A1 – Let’s Do More than Talk About Sex: A Practical Approach for Rebuilding Intimacy and Sexuality following TBI Speakers: Stacie Dertinger and Jane Savage A2 – Are We Doing All We Can to Optimize Recovery for Older People After Brain Injury? Understanding the Current State of TBI Care Speakers: Judy Gargaro, Arman Ali, and Mark Bayley A3 – OCD Informed Practice: Techniques and Strategies for Treating OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) With TBI Speakers: Jennie Cruickshank and Merrisa Little A4 – Building Awareness and Service Provider Capacity for Intimate Partner Violence-Related Brain Injury in Canada Speakers: Amy Moore, Lin Haag and Angela Colantonio A5 – Rising Through the Wreckage: A Journey of Healing, Hope and the Power of Perspective Speaker: Siobhan Lacey-Chow A6 – Beyond the Standard of Care: Partnering with Rehab Professionals to Champion Innovative Treatments for Brain Injury Survivors Speakers: Brian Cameron from Oatley Vigmond LLP, Joseph Cescon from McLeish Orlando Lawyers and Matt Sutton from Thomson Rogers LLP
11:30 am - 1:00 pm	Lunch, Draws and Exhibits (Location: Great Room B/C) Hosted by Bartimaeus Rehabilitation Services Inc.
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm	Keynote #2 - Melissa Paniccia (Location: Great Room B/C) Keynote Sessions co-hosted by PIA Law Firms (McLeish Orlando, Oatley Vigmond, Thomson Rogers) The Data of Daily Life: Why Real-World Testing Matters in Brain Injury Assessment
2:15 pm - 3:15 pm	Concurrent Session B (Location: 5th Floor Session Rooms) B1 – From Consumer to Producer: Making Meaning to Make a Life Speaker: Tim Feeney B2 – BrAIn AId: Empowering Brain Injury Survivors Through AI-Powered Assistive Technologies Speakers: Jeff Chartier and Lynda Abshoff B3 – Functional Neuroimaging: An Objective way to assess mTBI Speakers: Christopher Collins and David Corey B4 – A Suicide-Specific Examination of Strokes as Acquired Brain Injuries: Expanding Our Narrative to Improve Assessment and Outcomes Speaker: Cheryl Vanderveen B5 – Consideration for Providing Trauma and Violence Informed Care for People with Brain Injuries Speaker: Catherine Wiseman-Hakes B6 – Advancing Equity in Brain Injury Care: Addressing Systemic Barriers and Enhancing Rehabilitative Outcomes Speakers: Maryam Yusuf and Sophia Simmons
3:15 pm - 3:45 pm	Refreshment Break - Exhibits & Networking (Location: Exhibit Hall A Buffet Station) Refreshments hosted by Pace Law
3:45 pm - 4:45 pm	Concurrent Session C (Location: 5th Floor Session Rooms) C1 – Decoding Depression: Understanding Biochemistry Influences with Depression and Strategies to Address It Speaker: Kylie James C2 – Innovative Solutions for Returning to Work After ABI: Empowering Employees Through a Person-Centered Approach Speakers: Mackenzie Klauck and Gillian Cattle C3 – Navigating Grief and Loss: The Impact of Acquired Brain Injury on Family Dynamics and Support Mechanisms Speakers: Jane Savage and Stacie Dertinger C4 – “I’m Glad You’re Alive.” Survivors’ Stories of Leaving Intimate Partner Violence While Brain Injured, and the Embodied Experience of Rebuilding Life and Relationships Post Violence Speaker: Robyn Mahood C5 – A National Strategy for Canada: Advancing Brain Injury Advocacy Speaker: Michelle McDonald C6 – Addressing Persisting Symptoms Following Concussion: A Collaborative Approach to Evidence-Based Guidance with the Living Guideline for Pediatric Concussion Speakers: Jennifer Dawson and Nick Reed
5:00 pm - 5:30 pm	2025 Awards of Excellence in Brain Injury Rehabilitation
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Cocktail Reception Reception co-hosted by PIA Law Firms (McLeish Orlando, Oatley Vigmond, Thomson Rogers)

Friday, November 7, 2025

7:00 am - 8:00 am	Breakfast - Exhibits and Networking (Location: Exhibit Hall A Buffet Station) Breakfast hosted by Daniel & Partners LLP
8:00 am - 8:15 am	Greetings, Introductions and Draws (Location: Great Room B/C)
8:15 am - 9:15 am	Keynote #3 - Mauricio Garcia-Barrera (Location: Great Room B/C) Keynote Sessions co-hosted by PIA Law Firms (McLeish Orlando, Oatley Vigmond, Thomson Rogers) The Hidden Epidemic of Hypoxic Brain Injury in Non-Fatal Unregulated Opioid Poisoning: Addressing Survivors’ Needs
9:30 am - 10:30 am	Concurrent Session D (Location: 5th Floor Session Rooms) D1 – From Murky to Measurable: How the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System (RTSS) Brings Rehabilitation Goals into Focus Speaker: Deidre Sperry D2 – Yoga Therapy in Action: A Survivor-Caregiver Collaboration Transforming Brain Injury Recovery Speakers: Jayne Hembruff with Leela Taggar & Sheilah Laffan D3 – “Please Understand Me”: What Brain Injury Survivors Want Their Loved Ones to Know About Cognitive-Communication and Auditory Processing Changes and Challenges Speakers: Paige Pierozynski and Elizabeth Skirving D4 – Beyond Recovery: Making sense of the Long-Term Realities of Acquired Brain Injury Speakers: Judy Gargaro and Lauren Hough D5 – Integrating Financial Counselling into Neurorehabilitation and Mental Health Recovery: An Evidence-Based Approach Speakers: Daniel Carroll and Maria Campanella Kabak D6 – Parenting with an ABI: Supporting Our Caring Children Speaker: Alicia Pinelli
10:30 am - 11:00 am	Refreshment Break - Exhibits and Networking (Location: Exhibit Hall A Buffet Station) Refreshments hosted by Pace Law
11:00 am - 12:00 pm	Keynote #4 - Lisa Griffiths & her child (Location: Great Room B/C) Keynote Sessions co-hosted by PIA Law Firms (McLeish Orlando, Oatley Vigmond, Thomson Rogers) Singing in the Rain: Using Curiosity, Creativity, and Courage to Navigate Life’s Storms
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch, Closing Remarks, Sponsor & Exhibit Draws (Location: Great Room B/C) Lunch hosted by Wright Rehab