Speakers / Panelists

Dawn Barker

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Dawn Barker

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Dawn Barker


I have been working in cardiology for almost my entire nursing career. I spent almost 15 years working in our med/surg ICU and then moved into outpatient cardiology where I quickly realized the importance of outpatient care and the demands on the people working in these areas. I have worked in various areas within our department but majority has been in the Heart Function Clinic and currently in our Adult Congenital Heart Clinic, where I have been for the last 3 years. I was motivated to take the position in our ACHD clinic because I have a niece that was borne with CHD and I wanted to help her as she grows into adulthood. I have to say the learning and growth that has occurred over the past years has been amazing.

I have been a member of CCCN since 2010 and obtained CNA Cardiovascular certification in 2016

• Workshop: Care of the patient with congenital heart disease - A primer for all nurses
  
  May 24, 2024 from 9:40am MST to 10:30am MST

Sarah Beingessner
NP
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Sarah Beingessner

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Sarah Beingessner
NP

Sarah Beingessner graduated with her BScN from McMaster University in Hamilton Ontario, in 2000. Her first nursing position was at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, as a Cardiac Surgery staff nurse, and a few years later, as a Cardiac Surgery and Coronary Angioplasty Case Manager. She also worked for 6 months at the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care as a program consultant, managing the cardiac portfolio for the province of Ontario. In this secondment role, she oversaw funding of cardiac procedures and surgeries, as well as managing implementation of new cardiac programs in the province. Other cardiac working experience includes case management of arrhythmia referrals and pacemaker/ICD implantations at St. Mary’s Hospital.She completed her primary care nurse practitioner diploma in 2019, and currently works at St. Mary’s General Hospital, as a nurse practitioner in the cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention program and providing clinical support to the TAVI and Structural heart program. Sarah also works on a casual basis as a primary care nurse practitioner at a local Family Health Team. She is passionate about patient education, and providing pragmatic care in an evidenced-based, guideline-directed manner.

Sarah currently lives in Waterloo Ontario with her husband and two daughters. She enjoys spending time with friends and family, hiking, and reading.

• Workshop: Demystifying lipids – Understanding why lower is better
  
  May 24, 2024 from 9:40am MST to 10:30am MST

Ashleigh Brabbins
RN, BSN
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Ashleigh Brabbins

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Ashleigh Brabbins
RN, BSN

Ashleigh Brabbins is a Registered Nurse in the Cardiac Cath Lab at Vancouver General Hospital. She has worked for Cardiac Sciences since 2017 having completed her Critical Care Nursing Specialty at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Most recently, she has been in a role as Clinical Resource Nurse for the Cath Lab focusing on staff training and skill development. She has a passion for education and safety with a special interest in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation procedures. Prior to cardiovascular nursing, Ashleigh worked in the Burns, Trauma and High Acuity unit, where her interest in ongoing education and innovation began. 

• Early recovery after TAVI (ERT) clinical pathway: A pilot initiative
  
  May 24, 2024 from 12:10pm MST to 12:40pm MST

Joelle Brennan
RN
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Joelle Brennan

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Joelle Brennan
RN

• Family Feud Case Review
  
  May 24, 2024 from 2:45pm MST to 3:35pm MST

Christine Brewer
RN
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Christine Brewer

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Christine Brewer
RN

My name is Christine Brewer and I'm a registered nurse working at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute in Ottawa Ontario. The area I currently work in is the Cardiac Diagnostics where I assist with CT, TEE and PET. My background is Critical care. I started my career in North Carolina where I worked in the ICU straight out of Nursing school. After that I moved to work in the ER in Ottawa at the Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus where I stayed for over a decade.   I decided I needed a change and moved to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. I enjoyed my time working there and the learning culture encouraged in the Heart Institute. Four years ago, I moved to my current position at the Heart Institute.

• Recognizing the risks to women for cardiovascular disease: A quality initiative in the Cardiac Imaging Program
  
  May 25, 2024 from 10:40am MST to 11:10am MST

Nancy Clark
RN BA MN NP CCN(c)
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Nancy Clark

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Nancy Clark
RN BA MN NP CCN(c)

Nancy Clark completed a BA in psychology as well as a BSc in Nursing from St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia.  She graduated from the inaugural MN/ACNP program at the University of Calgary in 2003.  Currently, she is the clinical lead acute care nurse practitioner (NP) for the coronary care unit and the cardiology NP manager at the Rockyview General Hospital in Calgary, AB.  She has been involved in both program development and implementation for advanced practice nursing roles within the Department of Cardiac Sciences since 2002.  In 2021 she was awarded the Nursing Excellence Award for Innovation by the College & Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta. In December 2023, Nancy was nationally recognized with the NP Province/Territory Award of Excellence, representing the province of Alberta, by the Nurse Practitioner Association of Canada (NPAC).  She is currently a PhD student post candidacy with the Faculty of Nursing at UCalgary.  Her research interest includes the experience of younger people who are diagnosed with a recurrent heart attack.

• Nursing care in patients with nitroglycerin-induced headaches
  
  May 24, 2024 from 11:15am MST to 11:30am MST
• Dysrhythmia symptoms: A case study exploring the art & science of the bedside nursing assessment in the Coronary Care Unit (CCU)
  
  May 25, 2024 from 2:00pm MST to 2:30pm MST

Carolyn Doyle-Cox
RN MSN
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Carolyn Doyle-Cox

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Carolyn Doyle-Cox
RN MSN

Carolyn graduated from Mount Saint Mary College in New York in 1985 with her BSN and from the University of Phoenix in 2003 with her MSN. Carolyn began her career working in CCUs in both NY and Boston. She moved to Canada in 1999 and joined the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI). She worked in the Cardiac Surgical Unit, was one of the clinical nurse educators, and worked as APN Heart Transplant, VAD's and Heart Failure. In 2007 Carolyn became the APN Pulmonary Hypertension when the Ottawa PH Clinic was founded. In 2021 Carolyn added to her role APN/clinical manager of Heart Function and Cardiac Virtual Care . Carolyn has educated new APN’s hired across Canada to their PH programs, written articles for the PHA Canada newsletter and has published 3 articles relating to her work in PH. She is a previous board member of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association of Canada.

 

• Feasibility of nurse led guideline directed medical therapy clinic
  
  May 25, 2024 from 12:40pm MST to 1:10pm MST

Sonal Ejner

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Sonal Ejner

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Sonal Ejner


Sonal Ejner graduated from the University of Alberta's Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 2001. She worked as a community pharmacist for over 13 years, in various roles including management and as a Certified Respiratory Educator.  In 2014 she became the Pharmacy Professional Services Manager at Calgary Coop, training, and empowering pharmacists to utilize their full scope of clinical practice. Her current role is the Pharmacy Partnerships and Innovations Director, that focuses on addressing gaps in patient care and the healthcare system by working innovatively with clinicians and stakeholders. 

• Stop the silos! How nurse practitioners and pharmacists are breaking down barriers in community cardiovascular care
  
  May 25, 2024 from 10:05am MST to 10:35am MST

Amale Ghandour
NP
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Amale Ghandour

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Amale Ghandour
NP

Amale Ghandour is an adult care nurse practitioner specialized in cardiology at McGill University Health Center. She obtained two masters from Montreal University and works in a cardio-oncology clinic since 2019. She also shares her clinical practice on a cardiac surgery unit. Her research interest are in chemotherapy induced cardiomyopathy and secondary prevention.

 

• Workshop: A Global Approach to Cardiovascular Prevention in High-Risk Patients
  
  May 25, 2024 from 11:45am MST to 12:40pm MST

Amy Graham
MSN, RN
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Amy Graham

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Amy Graham
MSN, RN

Amy Graham is the Patient Educator in the Cardiac Obstetric clinic at St. Paul’s Hospital (SPH). Amy started her cardiac nursing career at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, but came west to complete her Masters of Nursing at UBC and never left. She joined the Cardiac Intensive Care unit at SPH in 2003. She has held both nurse educator and patient educator roles but has found her favorite patient population yet in Cardiac Obstetrics. Amy has a passion for health behaviour change and primary prevention.

• Cardiac obstetric nursing: A growing need for a growing population
  
  May 24, 2024 from 11:00am MST to 11:15am MST

Cherly Harten

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Cherly Harten

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Cherly Harten


Meagan Heard
RN BScN
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Meagan Heard

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Meagan Heard
RN BScN

Meagan Heard graduated from the University of Calgary in 2017 with a Bachelor of Nursing. Since then, she has taken on bedside, outreach, and charge nurse roles at the Rockyview General Hospital ICU and CCU. Before beginning her career in nursing, she graduated with honours from the Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology program at Queens University and conducted research within the Banff Sports Medicine Orthopedic Surgical Program and the TotalCardiology pharmaceutical research groups.

Outside of her clinical and leadership work, she enjoys outdoor recreation in the mountains close to her Calgary home and drinking wine.

• Dysrhythmia symptoms: A case study exploring the art & science of the bedside nursing assessment in the Coronary Care Unit (CCU)
  
  May 25, 2024 from 2:00pm MST to 2:30pm MST

Freya Kelly
RN, MScN
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Freya Kelly

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Freya Kelly
RN, MScN

Freya Kelly is the advanced practice nurse for the University of Ottawa Heart Institute Cardiac Supportive and Palliative Care Program and the Cardiac Amyloidosis Clinic. She received her Honours Bachelor of Health Sciences in 2013, her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2015, and subsequently her Master’s of Science in Nursing in 2017, all at the University of Ottawa. Freya has developed a passion for project management and continues to find new ways to bring evidence-based best practice guidelines and interventions to the bedside to help improve her patients’ care.

Freya’s research interests include cardiovascular nursing research, research on cardio-oncology, women’s heart health, patient self-management tools and resources, and evidence-based practice implementation.

• Nurse-to-nurse palliative care consultations: A pilot project
  
  May 25, 2024 from 11:45am MST to 12:00pm MST
• Feasibility of nurse led guideline directed medical therapy clinic
  
  May 25, 2024 from 12:40pm MST to 1:10pm MST

Julie Kim
NP
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Julie Kim

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Julie Kim
NP

Julie Kim graduated with her BScN from Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario in 1992. Shortly after graduation she completed her Cardiac Care certification from Humber college. Between 1993-2000 she worked as a cardiovascular ICU nurse at the University Health Network and St. Michael’s hospital in Toronto. She finished her Master of Nursing/Nurse Practitioner program from the University of Toronto in 2000 and has been practicing as an acute care Cardiology NP for 23 years.

 

Julie was the first NP in Cardiology at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto and in 2003 she and her family moved to Kitchener Waterloo to work for the Regional Cardiac Center at St. Mary’s General hospital. She is very passionate about nursing education and have been teaching both formally and informally her entire career.

Julie also teaches part-time as a Coronary Care instructor at Humber college.

• Workshop: Demystifying lipids – Understanding why lower is better
  
  May 24, 2024 from 9:40am MST to 10:30am MST

Morgan Krauter
NP
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Morgan Krauter

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Morgan Krauter
NP

Morgan Krauter is an advanced failure nurse practitioner at the Royal Victoria Health Centre pursuing her Doctor of Nursing studies at the University of Toronto, focusing on home intravenous furosemide administration. She completed her undergraduate nursing degree at McMaster University. She worked as a registered nurse in intensive and coronary care before pursuing her Master's of Nursing at the University of Toronto. She completed her Adult-Geriatric nurse practitioner certification and an RNAO Clinical Fellowship in palliative care. Morgan’s clinical focus is on value-based ambulatory heart failure management. She values community-based chronic disease interventions focused on improving quality of life and keeping patients at home. 

• The Role of the Nurse Navigator for Cardiac Amyloidosis
  
  May 24, 2024 from 11:00am MST to 11:30am MST
• Workshop: Motivational interviewing to address medication non-adherence in patients with cardiovascular disease
  
  May 24, 2024 from 1:40pm MST to 2:35pm MST
• Home administration of intravenous furosemide for patients with heart failure
  
  May 25, 2024 from 12:00pm MST to 12:15pm MST

Chris Kuttnig
RN, BN, CCN(C)
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Chris Kuttnig

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Chris Kuttnig
RN, BN, CCN(C)

Graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Calgary in 1997, Chris started her nursing career in there.  She became a critical care nurse in 1997 and moved back to her home province of Manitoba in 2003 and working in the med/surg ICU.  She began her cardiovascular nursing career in 2007 when she became an educator in the Cardiac Sciences program.  She has been a part of CCU/ACCU since that time in the role of educator and more recently as the Program Team Manager for ACCU.

She obtained her CNA Cardiovascular certification in 2010.  Chris has been an active member of CCCN since 2007.  She has been a member on the Manitoba chapter since 2007 and held national positions such as Director of Provincial divisions and Membership as well as participating in the national awards and finance committee. Chris is the current President-Elect for CCCN.   

• Welcome, Opening Remarks and Message from CCCN President
  
  May 24, 2024 from 8:30am MST to 8:45am MST

Dr. George Lambros
Chief Medical Officer
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Dr. George Lambros

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Dr. George Lambros
Chief Medical Officer

Dr. George Lambros, Chief Medical Officer of CPKC Railroad (previously Canadian Pacific). Chair of the Medical Advisory Group of the Railway Association of Canada and contributing author of the Railway Association of Canada Railway Medical Guidelines.

• Open Plenary - The 1986 Hinton Train Disaster and the development of the Canadian Railway Medical Guidelines for Cardiovascular Disorders
  
  May 24, 2024 from 8:45am MST to 9:30am MST

Lindsay MacArthur
RN, MN
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Lindsay MacArthur

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Lindsay MacArthur
RN, MN

• Feasibility of nurse led guideline directed medical therapy clinic
  
  May 25, 2024 from 12:40pm MST to 1:10pm MST
• The development of a smartphone desktop application to assist patients in the administration of nitroglycerin spray
  
  May 24, 2024 from 10:45am MST to 11:00am MST

Josie Mackey
RN
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Josie Mackey

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Josie Mackey
RN

Josie Mackey graduated from the BCIT School of Nursing with a diploma in 2002 and completed her BSN at the UBC School of Nursing in 2004. She began her cardiac nursing career within the St. Paul’s Hospital Heart Centre in 2002. As a Registered Nurse (RN) she has had the opportunity to work in various cardiac areas, including the cardiac medical floor, coronary intensive care unit, Heart Function Clinic, and Transcatheter Heart Valve Clinic.

In 2020, Josie started working in the Heart Transplant and VAD Program as a Patient and Nurse Educator. Josie works collaboratively with physicians and allied health to provide heart failure, heart transplant and VAD education to patients and nurses. It has been rewarding to be able to continue caring for and advocating for patients in the clinical setting.

• Design of a peer mentorship program directed by heart transplant and ventricular assist device patients
  
  May 25, 2024 from 2:00pm MST to 2:30pm MST

Sheila O’Keefe-McCarthy
RN, BScN, MN, PhD, CNCC(C), Associate Professor
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Sheila O’Keefe-McCarthy

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Sheila O’Keefe-McCarthy
RN, BScN, MN, PhD, CNCC(C), Associate Professor

Dr. Sheila O’Keefe-McCarthy is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, in the Department of Nursing at Brock University. She has been a member of CCCN since 2004 and serves as the provincial chair for Ontario on the National CCCN Research Committee. Sheila is currently the Director of Research on the CCCN Board of Directors since 2019. Sheila is a Cardiovascular and Pain Scientist at the Social Justice Research Institute, the Centre for Research Across the Life Span, and the Brock Functional Inclusive Training (Bfit) Centre. Her current research program is supported by (New Horizons Employment and Social Development Canada-New Horizons for Seniors, e-Campus Ontario, and the New Frontiers in Research Fund) and includes three inter-related areas of focus: 1) to examine and describe cardiovascular disease related pain and associated symptoms: [early cardiac prodromal symptoms and acute/chronic symptom presentations], 2) with use of digital health technology design, develop and evaluate interventions to screen for and/or manage pain and other symptoms, and 3) to create meaningful knowledge mobilization through use of arts-based approaches to research.

• Symptoms and Signs of Cardiovascular Disease: An Indigenous Research Creation
  
  May 24, 2024 from 11:35am MST to 12:05pm MST
• Open Plenary - The Heart DIS-Ease PlaY: An Artistic Way to Mobilize Research
  
  May 25, 2024 from 9:10am MST to 10:00am MST

Leisha Naphin
RN,MN Adult Nurse Practitioner
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Leisha Naphin

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Leisha Naphin
RN,MN Adult Nurse Practitioner

Leisha Naphin is a born and raised Calgarian! She completed the Bachelor of Nursing program at the University of Calgary in 2003 and worked for 11 years in cardiac surgery and cardiac transplant at Foothills Medical Centre as a staff nurse and nurse clinician. She went on to advance her career through the combined Masters of Nursing/Nurse Practitioner program at UofC, class of 2014. After 5 years as a cardiac surgery Nurse Practitioner, Leisha took the leap into outpatient Cardiology. For the last 4 years, 2019-present, Leisha has been providing cardiology consults and expert patient care at Vita Diagnostics. She specializes in coronary artery disease management, atrial fibrillation, heart failure and has spearheaded several QI patient initiatives. She is the current CCCN Alberta Provincial Director and is looking to pass on the torch to the next generation of nursing leaders!! In her spare time, she enjoys boxing, travelling, and coaching her daughter in fastball. 

• Stop the silos! How nurse practitioners and pharmacists are breaking down barriers in community cardiovascular care
  
  May 25, 2024 from 10:05am MST to 10:35am MST
• Workshop: ‘Big B, Little a’, The Lipoproteins: What do they mean and how can we interpret them to help our patients?
  
  May 25, 2024 from 2:35pm MST to 3:30pm MST

Mary O'Sullivan

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Mary O'Sullivan

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Mary O'Sullivan


Mary O’Sullivan is a registered nurse in Toronto, Ontario, specializing in the implementation of clinical AI to enhance healthcare. She is pursuing a Doctor of Nursing at the University of Toronto, focusing on improving mulitdisciplinary care for amyloidosis patients. With a nursing degree from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Health Informatics from the University of Toronto, Mary has a robust background in healthcare and technology.

Mary's professional journey includes acute care cardiology nursing in Vancouver and leading a remote heart failure program in Toronto. Now, she is dedicated to using digital technologies to advance patient care. Mary's passion for healthcare technology and amyloidosis care is driven by her roles as a clinical provider and caregiver of someone with AL amyloidosis. She advocates for the essential role of nurse navigators in multidisciplinary patient support, with a commitment to innovative and empathetic care.

• The Role of the Nurse Navigator for Cardiac Amyloidosis
  
  May 24, 2024 from 11:00am MST to 11:30am MST

Lori Penner
NP
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Lori Penner

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Lori Penner
NP

Lori Penner began her nursing career in 2012 where she graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Saskatchewan. She worked in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on the Cardiosciences unit and in the Emergency department as a Registered Nurse until 2015 when she went back to school to obtain her Master of Nurse Practitioner in Adult Acute Care from the University of Toronto. Upon graduation, she worked as a Nurse Practitioner for a short period on the Cardiovascular Surgery Unit in Calgary, Alberta before moving back to Saskatoon where she worked with clinical leadership to develop the first Cardiology focused Nurse Practitioner role in Saskatchewan. Currently, Lori works as the Nurse Practitioner on the Cardiosciences unit in Saskatoon full time. She is currently on the executive committee of the Saskatchewan Board of Nurse Practitioners (SANP) as the Education co-chair. Achievements within the last couple years include obtaining her Certification in Hospital and Acute Care for Nurse Practitioners and publications include Reducing Unnecessary Noninvasive Testing for Inpatients with Unstable Angina: The RUNIT Protocol.

• Workshop: A Global Approach to Cardiovascular Prevention in High-Risk Patients
  
  May 25, 2024 from 11:45am MST to 12:40pm MST

Emily Phillips
RN, MN, PhD candidate, CCN(c)
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Emily Phillips

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Emily Phillips
RN, MN, PhD candidate, CCN(c)

I was born and raised in southern Ontario and attended the University of Western Ontario for my undergraduate education. I have a Bachelor of Medical Sciences degree along with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, both from the University of Western Ontario. I moved to Winnipeg in 2013 to participate in the Winnipeg Critical Care Nursing Education Program (WCCNEP) and never left. After completing the WCCNEP, I worked in the post-operative cardiac surgery ICU. I began working as a clinical education facilitator with nursing students on the cardiology unit, which opened the door to the educator role on that unit from 2015 to 2021 when I took the role of Clinical Nurse Specialist. I completed my Master of Nursing degree through the University of Manitoba in 2020 and began my doctoral studies in Applied Health Sciences in 2021 with Todd Duhamel and Rakesh Arora.

I enjoy collaborating with other healthcare professionals to drive change using research evidence in innovative ways to ensure we are providing the best experience and care to patients and care partners.

• Family Feud Case Review
  
  May 24, 2024 from 2:45pm MST to 3:35pm MST
• Workshop: Care of the patient with congenital heart disease - A primer for all nurses
  
  May 24, 2024 from 9:40am MST to 10:30am MST
• A scoping review of early mobility in the intensive care unit following cardiac surgery
  
  May 25, 2024 from 10:05am MST to 10:35am MST

Leslie Poirier
MN, NP
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Leslie Poirier

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Leslie Poirier
MN, NP

I completed by BN and RN with University of Calgary and graduated in 2000, I was employed in cardiac surgery and cardiac intensive care unit until I applied to do my nurse practitioner in 2003. I have been a nurse practitioner since 2006, I graduated from my masters and nurse practitioner program 2006 from Dalhousie University.  I was employed as a nurse practitioner with Alberta Health Services at the Foothills Medical Centre from 2006-2017 with Cardiac Surgery and then 2017-present with Cardiology.  I have recently gone casual at the hospital and am employed full time in out patient cardiology with Symphony of Health Connections, a new cardiology practice in Calgary.  I enjoy hanging out with my family and have 2 boys ages 10 and 11. 

• Stop the silos! How nurse practitioners and pharmacists are breaking down barriers in community cardiovascular care
  
  May 25, 2024 from 10:05am MST to 10:35am MST
• Workshop: ‘Big B, Little a’, The Lipoproteins: What do they mean and how can we interpret them to help our patients?
  
  May 25, 2024 from 2:35pm MST to 3:30pm MST

Coleen Power
NP, MN, MPH
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Coleen Power

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Coleen Power
NP, MN, MPH

Coleen Power NP MN MPH has been the nurse practitioner in the cardio oncology program at University Health Network/Ted Rogers Center for Heart Research in Toronto, Ontario since May 2020. She is a graduate of the BScN program at St. Francis Xavier University, MN/NP program Dalhousie University, cardiovascular nurse practitioner program at Duke University, and holds a masters of public health degree from the University of Edinburgh. Currently she is pursuing a PhD in nursing at Queens University. Her cardiac background includes previous experience in general cardiology, heart failure, and cardiovascular surgery. Coleen is deeply committed to providing quality nursing care to all patients. She is excited to be in Calgary this spring and is honoured to be part of this program.

• Cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction: Collaboration with Oncology
  
  May 24, 2024 from 12:10pm MST to 12:40pm MST

Jenna Rider
BSN, RN
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Jenna Rider

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Jenna Rider
BSN, RN

Jenna graduated from the University of Calgary with her BSN in 2009. Jenna has over 15 years of perinatal nursing experience in high-risk OB. For the last 5 years Jenna has been the Clinical Nurse Educator for Complex Care Coordination in the SPH perinatal program and the Cardiac Obstetric clinic. In this full-time role Jenna connects with specialist teams locally and across British Columbia. She has enjoyed learning about cardiac care in pregnancy and provides her expertise as a perinatal nurse to the Cardiac Obstetric team.

• Cardiac obstetric nursing: A growing need for a growing population
  
  May 24, 2024 from 11:00am MST to 11:15am MST

Danielle Robitaille
RN
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Danielle Robitaille

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Danielle Robitaille
RN

Danielle Robitaille graduated with her nursing degree from the University of Ottawa. She started her career at Vancouver General Hospital in 2005, and has worked on the Acute Spine Unit, Cardiac Cath Lab, and Intensive Care Unit. She has been privileged to be Clinical Nurse Educator in the Cardiac Cath Lab since 2019 and has enjoyed the ability to support staff development and patient safety in this role

• Early recovery after TAVI (ERT) clinical pathway: A pilot initiative
  
  May 24, 2024 from 12:10pm MST to 12:40pm MST

Claudie Roussy
NP
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Claudie Roussy

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Claudie Roussy
NP

Claudie Roussy has been a registered nurse since 2009 and a adult care nurse practitioner (NP) in cardiology since 2016 at the Montreal Heart Institute. She has continued her career as an NP Senior Advisor since 2022. She has developed her interests around health communication, the development of professional practices for NPs and cardiac amyloidosis.

• Cardio-Pulse : Programme d'intégration et de spécialisation IPS en cardiologie de l'Institut de cardiologie de Montréal
  
  May 24, 2024 from 11:35am MST to 12:05pm MST

Laura Runcie
BN, RN, MSN, CCN(C)
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Laura Runcie

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Laura Runcie
BN, RN, MSN, CCN(C)

Laura Runcie is a registered nurse with a passion for cardiovascular care, nursing as a profession, and continued/specialty education. Although she still considers herself a young nurse, she has squeezed a lot of learning, and experience into the past 9 years. Laura considers active effort in her own professional development key to fueling her zeal for, and satisfaction in CV nursing!

Shortly after beginning her nursing career in 2013, and with encouragement from colleagues, Laura joined CCCN. This decision was instrumental in setting the trajectory of her career. As an active member, she has attended any and all conferences, education days and journal clubs she could. In 2016, alongside a friend, she presented her first abstract at the CCCN Spring conference. That same year, she became a CNA certified cardiovascular nurse. Laura now serves on the CCCN BOD as the Director of Communications and Membership. Beyond her involvement with CCCN, Laura completed her MSN through UBC in 2019. 

When not on the quest for (formalized) knowledge, Laura can be found working! Having practiced as a RN in both New Brunswick and British Columbia, her nursing experience (thus far) includes: Cardiac Stepdown and Coronary Care units, in addition to Cardiac Catheterization. More recently she has moved into a Cardiac Surgery Nurse Associate role; but still “moonlights” on her CCU home turf at the New Brunswick Heart Centre. 

Of course there is more to her than working and “nerding out” over the heart. Laura has been married longer than she has been a nurse, has 2 amazing little girls and a dog. She loves coffee, exploring the outdoors, and drinking coffee outdoors.

• Family Feud Case Review
  
  May 24, 2024 from 2:45pm MST to 3:35pm MST

Jared Sherrard
RN
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Jared Sherrard

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Jared Sherrard
RN

Jared graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing in 2020 from the University of Calgary. Since then, he has worked in critical care primarily at the Rockyview Hospital in Calgary. He enjoys traveling and has also worked at several hospitals in Eastern Canada.

• Nursing care in patients with nitroglycerin-induced headaches
  
  May 24, 2024 from 11:15am MST to 11:30am MST

Vicki Skinner
RN
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Vicki Skinner

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Vicki Skinner
RN

I have 30 plus years of nursing experience.  My background is obstetrics, vascular, cardiology and cardiac surgery.  Currently I work at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute in Diagnostic Imaging Ct scan.  I have no conflicts to disclose.  Other than I am passionate about women's heart health.

• Recognizing the risks to women for cardiovascular disease: A quality initiative in the Cardiac Imaging Program
  
  May 25, 2024 from 10:40am MST to 11:10am MST

Jing Jing Su
PhD RN
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Jing Jing Su

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Jing Jing Su
PhD RN

Dr. Su has obtained her PhD (in Nursing) from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and now works as Research Assistant Professor at the School of Nursing, Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Her research interests include cardiovascular health, technology, and nursing. In particular, her research efforts mainly focus on: i) using home-based eHealth (tele-monitoring, tele-consultation) to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors in patients with or at high-risk of cardiovascular diseases; ii) promoting palliative care among and advanced care planning among older patients with CVDs; iii) using AI-powered motion analysis to improve physical activity among people at risk of cardiovascular diseases, Dr. Su has published 42 articles in international refereed journals, such as the International Journal of Cardiology, Heart & Lung, European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, and International Journal of Nursing Studies. She is excited to be in Calgary this spring and to meet other nursing professionals.

• The effect of eHealth cardiac rehabilitation for coronary heart disease patients with central obesity
  
  May 25, 2024 from 12:40pm MST to 1:10pm MST

Mae Sumrain
MN NP
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Mae Sumrain

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Mae Sumrain
MN NP

Mae Sumrain completed her Bachelor of Science with a major in Neuroscience at the University of Alberta in 2002 which led to a year of research and publication in Neuroscience and Physiatry. She then moved to Ontario to pursue her Bachelor of Science in Nursing which she completed in 2005 from the University of Toronto. She moved back to Alberta in 2005, and worked for 7 years in cardiac surgery, the CV-ICU, and as the regional coordinator for the Alberta stroke program. In 2013, she moved to Calgary and began the concurrent program of Master’s in Nursing and Nurse Practitioner designation at the University of Calgary. After completing her graduate studies, Mae spent the next 6 years working at the Foothills Hospital in Cardiac Surgery. In April 2021, at the end of her second maternity leave, Mae accepted a position with TotalCardiology as the Nurse Practitioner tasked with the responsibility of operating the new Heart Failure Continuity Clinic. There, she sees heart failure patients within a week or two of their hospital discharge for a safety visit and prompt optimization of their guideline directed medical therapies. In her spare time, Mae enjoys cooking, singing, bike rides with her family, trips to the mountains, and playing trumpet. She also has a passion for aesthetics.

• Stop the silos! How nurse practitioners and pharmacists are breaking down barriers in community cardiovascular care
  
  May 25, 2024 from 10:05am MST to 10:35am MST
• My patient has HFrEF...Now what? Novel method to rapidly optimize GDMT in a nurse practitioner led heart failure safety clinic."
  
  May 25, 2024 from 10:40am MST to 11:10am MST
• Workshop: ‘Big B, Little a’, The Lipoproteins: What do they mean and how can we interpret them to help our patients?
  
  May 25, 2024 from 2:35pm MST to 3:30pm MST

Erin Tang
MSc.N, RN, CCN(C)
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Erin Tang

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Erin Tang
MSc.N, RN, CCN(C)

Erin Tang is a Clinical Nurse Specialist for Transcatheter Heart Valves and Acute Coronary Syndrome programs at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver B.C.  She has worked in a variety of clinical settings within the world of cardiac surgery and cardiology for over the past 20 years.  She started her career as a cardiothoracic surgery nurse at the University of Washington Medical Center and then returned to Canada to work in the Cardiac Surgery Intensive care unit at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) upon completing the critical care program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology.   After developing a passion for adult learning theories as a patient and nurse educator for the VGH cardiac clinics in heart failure and atrial fibrillation, Erin pursued completing her Masters in Nursing at the University of British Columbia.  Her special interests include participating and providing clinical leadership in patient education, quality improvement, knowledge translation, and system change initiatives.  When not at work, she is busy keeping up with her two energetic children who are a constant reminder to keep life balanced and ‘fun’ as much as possible. 

• Early recovery after TAVI (ERT) clinical pathway: A pilot initiative
  
  May 24, 2024 from 12:10pm MST to 12:40pm MST

Karen Then
RN CCN(C) ACNP PhD
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Karen Then

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Karen Then
RN CCN(C) ACNP PhD

Dr. Then is a Professor at the University of Calgary and an acute care nurse practitioner in cardiac surgery with AHS.  Dr. Then has published numerous peer reviewed manuscripts, book chapters, and monographs. She serves as an Editor for the Canadian Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, and has edited for the Emergency Nursing Journal, Critical Care Nurse, Heart and Lung and a variety of other high impact journals. Dr. Then believes strongly in linkages between the clinical practice setting and her teaching and research and serves on many local, provincial and national committees. She was on the secondary panel reviewer for the 2016 Canadian Dyslipidemia Guidelines and the 2021 Guidelines. She sits on numerous local, provincial, and international committees related to risk reduction strategies and policy development. In addition, Dr. Then has been instrumental in an international collaboration in Guyana, South America. She has developed a training program for registered nurses and helped start the first cardiac intensive care unit in Guyana. She has also been working with the University of Guyana in the development of a post RN degree program in cardiovascular nursing.

• Workshop: ‘Big B, Little a’, The Lipoproteins: What do they mean and how can we interpret them to help our patients?
  
  May 25, 2024 from 2:35pm MST to 3:30pm MST

Andrea Toews
RNBN, MN
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Andrea Toews

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Andrea Toews
RNBN, MN

Andrea Toews completed her Bachelor of Nursing at the University of Manitoba in 2013. She has worked primarily in acute care settings, Emergency and Intensive Care, where she developed her passion for resuscitation nursing and supporting teams. She earned her Master of Nursing degree from the University of Manitoba in February 2024, during which time she actively engaged in scholarly pursuits and presentations on clinical debriefing post-resuscitation. Notably, her contributions include a manuscript titled 'Clinical Debriefing: A Concept Analysis' published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing in 2021. In recognition of her achievements, she was presented the Award of Excellence: Clinical Nursing Practice in Acute Care by the Association of Regulated Nurses of Manitoba (ARNM) in 2022. Her dedication to research was further acknowledged when she was awarded the Research Manitoba Master’s Studentship Award later that year. She intends to disseminate her thesis findings through publication in the near future.

• The arduous passion of resuscitation nursing: When the adrenaline wears off
  
  May 25, 2024 from 12:15pm MST to 12:30pm MST

Lisa Wieler
MN, NP
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Lisa Wieler

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Lisa Wieler
MN, NP

• Workshop: ‘Big B, Little a’, The Lipoproteins: What do they mean and how can we interpret them to help our patients?
  
  May 25, 2024 from 2:35pm MST to 3:30pm MST

Sandra Wong
RN
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Sandra Wong

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Sandra Wong
RN

I am currently working as a nurse educator for the Regional Program at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. My clinical experience is in cardiac and critical care. I have a passion for teaching and supporting staff development and improving patient care.

• Recognizing the risks to women for cardiovascular disease: A quality initiative in the Cardiac Imaging Program
  
  May 25, 2024 from 10:40am MST to 11:10am MST