Doug is the Director of Operations of the Wounds Canada Institute. He is a Registered Nurse and has worked in the private sector for over 25 years. He has held various sales and product management roles in companies such as Philips Medical, GE/Ohmeda, Covidien and Medtronic. Doug has come out of retirement to join the Wounds Canada Institute as the Education Manager for the Champion Program

Dr. Irmajean Bajnok, RN, BScN, MScN, PhD is an international health care consultant specializing in change management, leadership and implementation science. Most recently, (2007-2017), she was the Director of RNAO's International Affairs and Best Practice Guidelines Centre where she led the strategic development and ongoing enhancements of the program pillars of guideline development, implementation science, and evaluation. She was successful in securing special project funding, and led and/or oversaw numerous ongoing projects including smoking cessation, mental health, first nations health, and ehealth.

As part of RNAO’s Best Practice Spotlight Organization Designation, and using RNAOs evidence based approach to implementation science, she introduced and supported sustained implementation of RNAO’s evidence-based practice guidelines to academic and service settings in Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Italy, South Africa, and West Indies. From 2000-2006, she directed RNAO’s Centre for Professional Nursing Excellence, leading the development and delivery of professional education and health care consultation services. She has also held executive positions in home care, and acute care and was founding Executive Director of a multi-pronged Canadian government funded women's health program in Pakistan. A considerable part of her career has included administrative and professorial roles in academia at Western University, University of Toronto, and Ryerson University School of Nursing where, as Director, she led the faculty in the development a basic baccalaureate degree, the first basic degree program at Ryerson. Dr. Bajnok is recognized internationally as a dynamic and engaging speaker in particular in relation to evidence based practice and education, healthy work environments, leadership and change management.

Pat Coutts RN

Patricia Coutts is a registered nurse and a past president of Wounds Canada formally the Canadian Association of Wound Care. A leading wound expert who has lectured across the world, she has published in numerous journals and has been involved in wound research. She has been a preceptor for hundreds of health care professionals. She has experience in many areas of nursing, including medicine, surgery, family practice, psychiatry. Pat is currently employed as a wound care clinician and clinical trial coordinator at the Toronto Regional Wound Healing Clinic in Ontario. She has made significant contributions to the well-known RNAO Best Practice Guidelines, which have been used both nationally and internationally to improve patient outcomes.

Celine Bryenton is currently the Education Coordinator for the Wound Care Champion Program. Celine is a graduate of the Humber College Business Management Program and has been with Wounds Canada since 2011

Darren Levine EdD, is an independent consultant supporting organizations to reimagine possibilities in today’s changing landscape. As a grant writer, social innovator and leadership educator, Dr. Levine’s work focuses on cultivating workplaces that inspire and engage, where all members can discover their creative potential and exercise leadership for innovative change.

Over the past twenty-five years, Darren has held a variety of management roles and has exercised leadership in several contexts including the not-for-profit and public sectors. Darren is Associate Faculty in the School of Leadership at Royal Roads University where he teaches graduate courses in organizational leadership and supervises student research. Darren holds a Doctor of Education (2010) and a Master of Education (2002) from the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (2010) along with a Bachelor of Arts from York University (1999). He also holds a Graduate Certificate in Values-Based Leadership from Royal Roads University (2018) and Leadership for the 21st Century Executive Education Certificate from Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University (2015).

Sasangi holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Toronto with a Major in Health Policy Studies and a Double-Minor in Psychology and Anthropology. This year, she will be completing her Post-Graduate Certificate in Human Resources Management from Seneca College.

Shagaana is the education coordinator for the Skin Health Program here at Wounds Canada. Previously Shagaana worked as a medication delivery coordinator at Bayshore Specialty Pharmacy. While pursuing her BA in Psychology at York University, she worked as a student success team member for her school's Introduction to Psychology course. Outside of school and work, Shagaana is known for being a versatile dancer and respected teacher. She has been teaching the ancient Indian Classical Dance form Bharathanatyam, as well as other styles, to students of all ages, for almost 5 years now.

Janet L. Kuhnke is a nurse researcher and NSWOC Nurse Specialized in Wound, Ostomy and Continence Care. She is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at Cape Breton University. Before coming to the academy, Janet lived and worked as a clinical nurse and educator in rural communities in British Columbia, alongside Aboriginal members and communities.  

Janet is active in Wounds Canada as a program evaluator and NSWOC, and advocates for prevention of diabetes related foot ulcers and amputations.  

Janet completed her doctoral studies in psychology focused on the quality of life – spiritual and mental health well-being while living with diabetic foot ulcers; Two-Eyed Seeing principles guided this work. Janet researches in community with persons living with skin, wound, ostomy and continence issues.  

Janet continues to coach and mentor students in baccalaureate and master qualitative research projects and thesis. She supports initiatives to prevent intravenous skin abscesses and access to acute care services.  

Dr. Evans is the Medical Director of the Wound Healing Clinic at Women’s College Hospital, involved in research and teaching. She also is a full-time family physician in the community. Dr. Evans is part of the faculty of the International Interprofessional Wound Care Course (IIWCC) through the University of Toronto. She is senior faculty for Wounds Canada to support the development of interprofessional education programs for clinicians as well as delivery and evaluation of these programs. Dr. Evans is now co-chair for the Diabetic Task Force for Wound Canada.

Dr. Archibald is a former President of Wounds Canada 2013 to 2016 and Professor of Family Medicine, Dalhousie University, Faculty of Medicine in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He held the position of Head, Department of Family Medicine from 2010 to 2018 and currently holds a post-retirement Dalhousie University appointment, works clinically part-time and continues undergraduate administrative and teaching duties. Regional, national and international wound care leadership, education and clinical care are a significant part of his career experiences. Promoting and consulting to medical and government agencies have defined the last decade of his practice. Long-term care advocacy for better wound care systems in Nova Scotia has been a notable contribution since 2018. Educating medical students and family medicine residents has also defined Dr. Archibald’s career during the last decade.

Pamela E. Houghton is Professor Emerita in the School of Physical Therapy at Western University, London, Ontario, Canada where was a full time faculty member for over 25 years.  In 2007, she launched the Masters program in the field of wound healing (MClSc-WH) which is a unique graduate degree program offered via distance education to variety of health care professionals delivering wound care across Canada.

Dr. Houghton’s active research program at Western has included evaluating advanced wound treatments including electrical stimulation therapy (E-Stim), that stimulate faster healing of pressure injuries and other types of chronic wounds.
As a Physical Therapist (retired), Pamela led the implementation of a community-based pressure injury management programs for people with spinal cord injuries and was involved in the development of an interdisciplinary wound care service for people with diabetic foot ulcers.  

Dr. Murphy is a nurse specialist in complex vascular wounds who has worked with her team to develop a multi-professional Limb Preservation Clinic. Dr. Murphy has been a nurse for over 30 years and completed a degree in Tissue Viability, Master of Clinical Science in Wound Healing, and PhD investing healing challenges in a vascular population. Her research included an RCT on ultrasound debridement in the vascular population.

Dr. Murphy is President of NSWOCC and co-chair of the RNAO ostomy guideline update, Chris is a core faculty member of the Western University MClSc Wound Healing program.

Kristen Backx

Kristen is an Advanced Clinical Nurse with expertise in wound care. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree through Lakehead University and has also obtained a Master’s Degree through Western University for the Master of Clinical Science in Wound Healing program. Kristen has experience in providing wound education and care to patients and families in a variety of settings, such as long-term care, acute care, outpatient care, and in correctional institutions.

Kristen currently resides in Thunder Bay, Ontario and works full-time in Corrections and casually/part-time as a professor at Lakehead University teaching the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.

Kristen brings knowledge in wound care pathophysiology, management, and best practice. She has always been committed to deliver a patient-centered care approach and engage in collaboration with patients, families, and healthcare teams to achieve optimal outcomes.

John Hwang   MD FRCSC

John is a general surgeon and physician lead at the Fraser Health Complex Wound Centre in British Columbia. He has specific interests in the optimal delivery of interprofessional wound care as well as physician engagement in quality improvement.

Devon Jahnke  D.Ch, IIWCC, CDE

Devon is a registered Chiropodist and Diabetes Educator.  Currently working at HSN, Centre for Complex Diabetes Care, and Vascular ACU 1 interdisciplinary wound and limb salvage clinic. She completed the International Interdisciplinary Wound Care Certification (IIWCC) in 2005. Devon has participated in clinical research trials for Diabetic Foot Ulcers, with Medicor Research. She became faculty for Wounds Canada in 2014.  She has helped deliver and bring various workshops across Ontario including “Diabetes Healthy Feet and You” peer education program and foot screening to the Diabetes Education Programs in the NELHIN.  She was a member for HQO, Wound Care Quality Advisory Committee and Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee.  She sits on the NELHIN Diabetes Foot care Working Group.

Richard Bishop

Richard Bishop is a Registered Nurse with experience in long-term care & community care with the majority of his time in the acute care setting.  He completed his Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Brock University, Masters of Nursing from Charles Sturt University and the International Interprofessional Wound Care Course at the University of Toronto. 

Richard is the Professional Practice Clinician for Skin and Wound Care at Halton Healthcare, a tri-site community hospital group providing care to the residence of Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills.  He is also an Assistant Clinical Professor for MacMaster University, Faculty of Family Medicine.  In these roles Richard enjoys promoting best pratices in wound prevention and management, building capacity amongst the multidisciplinary health care team.  

Jolene Heil  RN, ET, MClSc(WH) 

Jolene gained an interest in wound management as an undergraduate nursing student. She continued pursuing her interest by taking the International Interprofessional Wound Care Course (IIWCC) at The University of Toronto and the Nurses Specialized in Wound, Ostomy and Continent Canada Nursing Education Program. She then went on to complete the Master of Clinical Science in wound healing degree from Western University in 2012.

Jolene currently works as a Clinical Nurse Specialist – Wound Care at Providence Care Hospital in Kingston, Ontario. She leads an interprofessional wound care program for the nine inpatient units as well as providing wound care consultation for community members living with neurological conditions.

Lauren Wolfe

Lauren graduated nursing school in 1990 in South Africa. Shortly after, she moved to Canada to be with her family. In 1996, she completed her Intensive Care certificate and worked as an ICU nurse. She developed a passion for wounds and ostomy and attended Emory University to complete her Wound, Ostomy and Continence certificate in 2006. Following certification, Lauren established the WOCN program at Richmond Hospital. In 2011, she moved to community nursing care where she expanded her knowledge caring for individuals with wound, ostomy and continence concerns. In 2020, she completed her Master of Clinical Science - Wound Healing at Western University. She currently works in Vancouver both at Vancouver General Hospital part time, and at Macdonald's prescriptions as a certified WOCN.  

Lauren has been an active participant on the Regional Committees for Wound, Ostomy and Therapeutic devices and recently joined the Provincial Skin & Wound Committee.  She was the recipient of the CRNBC Award for Nursing Excellence in 2011 

Lauren is a dedicated and compassionate wound, ostomy and continence nurse who strives for excellent patient care.  She is passionate about advancing the practice of WOC nursing and has spoken at conferences and published articles and posters to help educate others.  

She volunteers for the United Ostomy Association in facilitating the 20-50's support group and is an active writer for their magazine, The Vancouver Highlife.

Kelly Sair BScPT, MClSc (WH)

Kelly Sair has been a physiotherapist for 26 years and is actively involved in education, wound management, and the use of adjunctive therapies. Kelly completed her Masters of Clinical Science with specialization in wound healing at Western University in the Fall of 2017. Kelly has worked for Alberta Health Services since 1994 and is currently the Clinical Educator for the Consult and Treat Team in Calgary Integrated Home Care. Kelly works in a collaborative multi-disciplinary wound clinic that manages complex patients with complex wounds.

David Keast BSc(Hon), MSc, DipEd, MD, FCFP(LM), CCFP, FCFP(LM)

Dr. Keast is the Medical Director of the Chronic Wound Management Clinic at the Parkwood Institute in London Canada. He is Clinical Adjunct Professor of Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University (London). Dr. Keast is an Associate Scientist, Lawson Health Research Institute, Parkwood Institute Research. He is Co-director of the Canadian Lymphedema Framework and President of the World Alliance for Wound and Lymphedema Care.

Charis Kelly received her Nurse Practitioner designation in 2004. She has worked at SickKids since 2000 and currently is the NP managing Burns/Complex wounds since 2007. Charis provides comprehensive care to patients and their families throughout the entire continuum of care. She is highly skilled at providing pain and anxiety management for this vulnerable population ensuring optimal quality of care throughout their entire journey. She independently leads her own NP Clinic where she effectively cares for her patients and families in collaboration with the Burn Team. She has played a valuable role having SickKids recognized as the first Verified Pediatric Burn Program in Canada as well as creating the First Pediatric Laser Therapy Program for Burn Scar Modulation in Canada. Charis’s contributions have been recognized locally by her peers as well as provincially having received the 2012 Grace Evelyn Simpson Reeves Excellence Award and the 2013 Toronto Star Nightingale Award.

Linda Norton

Linda Norton is an Occupational Therapist who is passionate about the prevention and management of chronic wounds. Her diverse experience in settings that include hospital, community and industry; and roles that include clinician, educator, manager, and researcher give Linda a unique perspective. Linda is the Education and Client Relations Specialist at Motion Specialties. She teaches at two Ontario Universities. In addition to consulting on several best practice documents, she was the lead author on the Pressure Injury Prevention and Management Best Practice Recommendations for Wounds Canada (CAWC). 

Heidi Smith BSc, RN, IIWCC, NSWOC, WOCC(C)

Graduate of the International Interprofessional Wound Care Course through the University of Toronto.  11 years in chronic wound management with the past 8 years focused in the care of diabetic foot ulcers and diabetic foot complications as a member of the Primary Care Diabetes Support Program team at St. Joseph’s Health Care, London, ON. Graduate of the University of Guelph and Fanshawe College, London, ON.

Doug Baron

Doug has been working as a physiotherapist in Calgary for nearly 30 years.  He graduated from the University of Alberta Rehabilitation Medicine Department with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy with Honors in 1992.  He has worked with the Calgary Health Region and Alberta Health Services since then first working as a rotating therapist.  He developed an interest and began specializing in acute and chronic wound care.  He completed the International Interprofessional Wound Care Course in 2007.  

Initially working with the adult population at the Calgary General and Peter Lougheed Hospitals, he moved to Alberta Children’s Hospital in 2006 to begin work as the Burn Clinic Coordinator and Clinical Lead of the Outpatient MSK Physiotherapy group.  His current position includes burn and wound care, burn rehabilitation and treatment of a variety of pediatric musculoskeletal conditions along with the administrative duties of a clinical lead.

Doug has presented at local and international wound and burn meetings.  Recently, he took a student at the Children’s Hospital from the Wound Continence and Ostomy Institute.

He has as few publications including:

• Baron, D Minor Pediatric Burns. Wound Care Canada 2009;7(2), 10-14.
• Jeschke M, McCallum C, Baron D, Godleski M, Knighton J, Shahrokhi S. Best practice recommendations for the prevention and management of burns. In: Foundations of Best Practice for Skin and Wound Management. A supplement of Wound Care Canada; 2018

As well he is involved in a new research project involving the treatment of pediatric burn scars with fractionated CO2 laser alongside the Plastic Surgery team at the Alberta Children’s Hospital.

Outside of work, Doug enjoys riding anything with two wheels but mostly mountain biking.  He is also a Level 1 certified bicycle fitter working occasionally at a local bike shop.

Louise Forest-Lalande

Louise Forest-Lalande is an ET nurse from Montreal, Canada. She is mostly known for her expertise in Paediatric ET Nursing. She is actively involved in ET nursing and wound care organisations and she is Past President of the World Council of Enterostomal Therapists (WCET). She has been teaching and lecturing in many countries. In 2019 she led a project with a group of paediatric stoma care experts to develop the Global Paediatric Stoma Care Best Practice Guidelines.

Idevania Costa     RN, NSWOC, PhD

Dr. Idevania Costa is an advanced clinical nurse with expertise in the management of complex wounds. She was educated in Brazil and Canada as a registered nurse and researcher and has over 24 years’ combination of clinical, teaching and research experience. Dr. Costa is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at Lakehead University, Founder of Advanced - Wound Care Consultancy & Education Inc., and a member of national and international wound care societies. She has published articles in peer-reviewed journals, lectured nationally and internationally, and has been the recipient of multiple national and international awards in recognition of her work a wound care nurse and researcher. She is also the co-founder and lead of Patients' Voices nd Story and an advocate for patient empowerment.

Marlene Varga MSc

Marlene Varga has been a registered nurse for over 30+ years at Covenant Health in Edmonton, Alberta. Marlene developed an interest in skin and wound care early on in her career and was influenced by several wound care leaders. She completed an MSc in Wound Healing and Tissue Repair at Cardiff University in 2013 and continues to volunteer as an honorary tutor to support students and enhance her knowledge and experiences. Marlene worked as a wound care nurse in acute care for several years and in 2016 transitioned to a new role as a clinical nurse specialist leading the development, implementation and evaluation of an organizational pressure injury prevention program. Marlene is a leader in the Wounds Canada Community of Practice leadership initiative. She is an advocate for prevention, wound management and patient education and engagement. Marlene enjoys animals, traveling, reading, golf, pickleball and yoga in her free time.

Jordanna Jones, BA Hons Kin, C. Ped (C)

Jordanna Jones has been a Canadian Certified Pedorthist for 19 years and been managing London’s 3 BioPed Clinics for 15 years. She is also on the board of directors of the College of Pedorthics of Canada as the past Chair. She loves gait analysis and biomechanics and has been an instructor in the Pedorthics program at Western University for the last 15 years. Diabetic offloading has always been an interest and common practice in her clinics, using many different types of offloading.  She has also just returned from her 3rd shoe distribution trip, where BioPed and Soles4Souls together give shoes and love to people across the world. Outside of work she has 3 kids that range from 16 to 5 and a 2-year-old Golden Retriever named Luna!

Sunita Coelho BSN, RN, IIWCC

Sunita Coelho is a wound care nurse with over 25 years of experience in wound care. She was the charge nurse for the Wound Care Clinic at Women’s College Hospital from its inception in 1995 until 2018. During her time at Women’s College Hospital, she was preceptor to nursing students from the Lawrence S. Bloomberg, School of Nursing, U. of T., many of whom went on to pursue careers in wound care. In 2011, she was the recipient of the Preceptor Recognition Award awarded by the Council for Ontario Universities Programs in Nursing (COUPN) for demonstrating outstanding performance in her role as preceptor and mentor for a nursing student. She is on the faculty of the IIWCC (International Interprofessional Wound Care Course)

Sunita currently works at the Toronto Regional Wound Healing Clinic and at the Toronto East Vascular Clinic.

Karen Campbell

Karen is an RN PhD, who currently is the adjunct faculty for the Master’s of Clinical Science in Wound Healing at Western University in London ON. As well she is the President of the International Skin Tear Advisory Panel (ISTAP). She has functioned as an advanced practice nurse in Wound Care and Continence, and recently completed her education as a Nurse Specializing in Wounds, Ostomy at the Academy of NSWOC Canada. She is faculty at the RNAO Wound Care Institute. 

Karen was the co-chair of the RNAO BPG on Pressure Injuries and the Canadian BPG on Pressure Ulcer prevention and Treatment in the SCI populations. She has been a panel member on the International Skin Tear Advisory Panel and Incontinence Associated Dermatitis International Best Practice Principles. Karen has a strong interest in skin health and frequently speaks and publishes on this topic.

Alan Rogers  BChB, MMed, FC Plast Surg, FRCSI, FACS, MSc

Dr. Rogers completed his medical degree at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in 2002. Following internship and community service, he was a clinical fellow in plastic surgery at the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead in England (2005/2006). He undertook general surgery (2007 to 2010) and plastic surgery (2010 to 2014) specialty training in Cape Town. After a fellowship in Total Burn Care at the Ross Tilley Burn Centre (RTBC) at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, he took up his current position as attending burn surgeon. Dr. Rogers was awarded an FRCSI in 2016 and an MSC in Quality lmprovement from the University of Toronto in 2017. His clinical and research interests include reconstructive surgery for burn injuries, complex wounds, pressure sores and scars.

Virginie Blanchette

Dr. Virginie Blanchette is the first podiatrist PhD in Québec and has been an associate professor in the podiatric medicine program at Université du Québec at Trois-Rivières since 2014. Her research specialty is limb preservation, dedicated to the prevention and management of diabetic foot ulcers and their complications, with a team approach within a patient-oriented research.  She is a Diabetes Action Canada trainee as well as a research fellow among David G Armstrong's team in Keck School of Medicine at University of Southern California. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Wounds Canada since June 2021. She joined the Diabetic Foot Canada Task Force in 2019 to help to prevent, manage and address the deficit in awareness, knowledge and funding of diabetes-related foot complications, preventable amputations and loss of life for people living with diabetes in Canada.

Ruth Thompson

Ruth is a registered chiropodist and the chiropody practice lead at The Ottawa Hospital High Risk Foot Clinic. Ruth is an executive member of The Ontario Wound Care Interest Group. She has completed a Masters of Clinical Science Degree in Wound Healing from The University of Western Ontario and a Bachelor of Science Degree from Mount Allison University. Ruth has served as an expert in the development of the Health Quality Ontario Wound Care Quality Standards as well as for the Health Technology Assessments for total contact casting and now compression for prevention of recurrence of venous leg ulcers. She has also been involved as a clinical specialist for the RNAO Best Practice Guideline for the Assessment and Management of Foot Ulcers for People with Diabetes. She also sits on the interdisciplinary Champlain LHIN high risk foot committee. She is a clinical coordinator for chiropody student placements through The Michener Institute of Education at UHN.

Dr. Susan Vokey

Dr. Susan Vokey is an orthopaedic surgeon with subspecialty training in upper extremity surgery and an interest in complex wound management. She is currently the medical director of the surgical program at Health Sciences North in Sudbury, ON.

Eliot To (DCh, MClSc, HBSc)

Eliot is a registered chiropodist who graduated from the Michener of Institute of Education at UHN. He practiced at Unity Health Toronto (St. Joseph’s) and provided preventative foot and wound care to patients at a high risk of ulcerations and amputations in the Ambulatory Care Centre and the Renal Management Centres. Currently, he is a Professor in the Chiropody program at Michener and is involved in curriculum development, lecturing, lab simulations and clinical teaching. Eliot has also completed the Master of Clinical Sciences (Wound Healing) from Western University and is currently pursuing a Master of Health Administration (Community Care) from Toronto Metropolitan University. 

Deirdre O’Sullivan Drombolis BScPT, MClSc (WH)

She is physical therapist who is passionate about physical activity and how important it is for everyone to care for their bodies, spirits and minds. This passion spillsover in to her practice in wound care, with the belief that in order to help patients with chronic wounds we must help them to live healthier lives.  Born and raised in North Western Ontario, she is also a determined advocate for equal and timely access to effective and efficient care for all. She practices this, teaches this, writes about this, and advocates for this locally and nationally.