Dr. Amanda Baskwill is an educator, administrator, researcher, and advocate with a PhD in Health Research Methodology from McMaster University.  Amanda holds the positions of Interim Senior Vice President, Academic, and the Dean of Health, Human and Justice Studies at Loyalist College where she champions health, wellness, and social innovation, inter-professional education, and academic integrity.  She has been a registered massage therapist since 2003.

Amanda is the Executive Editor and Editor-in-Chief for the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork.  Her research interests include innovative teaching and learning strategies in healthcare education, the professional identity of healthcare providers, the application of evidence-informed practice, and the safety and effectiveness of massage therapy in the treatment of various conditions.

Richard Lebert is an educator and health care professional with a focus on digital literacy, interprofessional collaboration and person-centered care. In addition to his training as a Registered Massage Therapist, Richard has certification in Medical Acupuncture from McMaster University and a Certificate of Online and Open Learning from The University of Windsor. Recently his paper Massage Therapy: A Person-Centred Approach to Chronic Pain was published in The International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork.

JoEllen Sefton, Ph.D, ATC Ret. is the Director Auburn University’s Warrior Research Center (WRC) which serves as a point of collaboration and a catalyst for change between researchers, the military and tactical athletes to develop and implement new knowledge in human factors. Her research focuses on reducing injury and improving health, wellness and performance in our military, firefighters, and law enforcement. Sefton collaborates with academia, military research laboratories and Tactical Athlete units.  She developed and organizes the biennial WRC Tactical Athlete Summit, an international event that brings together researchers and tactical athletes to share problems and provide solutions. As the Director of the Auburn Neuromechanics Research Laboratory, Dr. Sefton studies neuromuscular and physiological effects of orthopedic and neuromuscular injury; and the rehabilitation and therapeutic methods used to treat these injuries.  Sefton was certified and licensed as a Massage Therapist in 1995, and has been a Certified Athletic Trainer for 26 years.  She has worked with high school, college, Olympic and professional athletes, Broadway performers, professional musicians and Military and other tactical athletes.

Susan Dupuis: (Baawidigoongh Bimosed ~ Bear Walking Through the Rapids) is an Anishinabae que from Treaty 1 First Nation. She is an RMT in Brandon Manitoba, a Narrative Coach and intergenerational survivor of the Indian Residential School System. She is a past member of the Inclusivity Committee and the Professional Development & Events Committee with MTAM. Susan received the Heather Whittaker Memorial Certificate of Recognition Award in May 2022 for her dedication to continuing education within the Massage Therapy profession.

She has presented 10 Things RMTs Need to Know about Reconciliation with Pam Fitch for MTAM and RMTAO in 2023.

I am currently in my 18th year of clinical practice as a registered massage therapist in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. I also work in high-performance sport alongside Canada’s premier Olympic athletes. This branch of my career is highlighted by working at three consecutive Summer Olympic Games from 2008-2016.

Over the past 18 years I have been blessed to work with and learn from some of the world’s leading experts in musculoskeletal health care. I also continue to build my database from hundreds of case studies I see in clinical practice.

I am so passionate about moving musculoskeletal health care forward that I decided to start sharing all the great information and knowledge that I have compiled over my career. I spent several years putting everything into a presentable format and subsequently launched my continuing education courses in 2021. The reviews for my courses have been phenomenal and I have another fantastic year of courses and conference appearances lined up.

Paul W. Hodges DSc MedDr PhD BPhty(Hons) FAA FACP APAM(Hon) is an National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Senior Principal Research Fellow, Professor and Director of the NHMRC Centre for Clinical Research Excellence in Spinal Pain, Injury and Health at The University of Queensland (UQ). He is lead chief investigator on an NHMRC Program Grant that includes colleagues from the Universities of Melbourne and Sydney. Paul is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, which is a Fellowship of the nation’s most distinguished scientists, elected by their peers for outstanding research that has pushed back the frontiers of knowledge. He is also a Fellow of the Australian College of Physiotherapists and was made an Honoured member of the Australian Physiotherapy Association, their highest honour.

Paul is a recognised world leader in movement control, pain and rehabilitation. His unique comprehensive research approach from molecular biology to brain physiology and human function has led to discoveries that have transformed understanding of why people move differently in pain. His innovative research has also led to discoveries of changes in neuromuscular function across a diverse range of conditions from incontinence to breathing disorders. These observations have been translated into effective treatments that have been tested and implemented internationally.

Paul has received numerous national and international research awards that span basic and clinical science. These include the premier international award for spine research (ISSLS Prize) on four occasions; three times in Basic Science (2006, 2011, 2019) and once in Clinical Science (2018). International awards in basic science include the SusanneKlein-Vogelbach Award (2010) and the Delsys Prize for Innovation in Electromyography (2009). National medical research awards include the NHMRC Achievement Award (2011). He has also received national community-based leadership awards including the Young Australian of the Year Award in Science and Technology (1997), Future Summit Australian Leadership Award (2010), and Emerging Leader Award (Next 100 Awards, 2009).

Paul is a past president of the International Society for Electrophysiology and Kinesiology and has been the Chair/Co-Chair for several major international conferences. He has led major international consortia to bring together leaders from multiple disciplines to understand pain.

Tracy Gaudet, MD is a leader in the development of Whole Health through decades of radically re-envisioning and implementing new approaches to address health outcomes and costs.  She is co-founder of a new organization called the Cornerstone Collaboration for Societal Change.  Prior to this, she served as the founding Executive Director of the Whole Health Institute.  Dr. Gaudet was also the Founding Executive Director of the Veterans Health Administration’s National Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation. This Office led VHA’s transformation to Whole Health, an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and live their most meaningful life. Under her leadership, VA health care delivery has been re-envisioned and is being implemented nationally.

Previously, Dr. Gaudet was with Duke University Health System, where she served as Executive Director of Duke Integrative Medicine until 2010. Under her leadership, Duke

Integrative Medicine created a state-of-the-art healthcare facility dedicated to the transformation of medicine through the exploration, demonstration, and research of new models of patient-centered care.

Prior to her work at Duke, Dr. Gaudet was the Founding Executive Director of the University of Arizona Program in Integrative Medicine, leading the design of the country’s first comprehensive curriculum in this new field and launching the distant learning fellowship. In addition, Dr. Gaudet co-founded the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health.

Dr. Gaudet, a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist, was featured in the PBS nationally acclaimed special entitled “The New Medicine,” and named by Shape magazine as one of the eleven women who shape the world. Dr. Gaudet has been recognized as one of the “Top 25 Women in Healthcare” by Modern Healthcare and featured as a Game Changer in Fortune Magazine.  She was honored with the Bravewell Leadership Award for her significant contributions to advancing the field of medicine, recognized for her significant leadership that benefited our Nation’s Veterans with the Exemplary Service Award, and most recently was honored with the Visionary Award from the Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine for her leadership in transformative healthcare.  Dr. Gaudet is also the author of Consciously Female, a book on integrative medicine and women’s health, and Body, Soul, and Baby.

Dr. E. Paul Zehr Ph.D., is a sensorimotor neuroscientist, a martial artist of Okinawan, Japanese, and Chinese traditions, and an award winning author with a very particular set of skills. When he was a kid his mom got him interested in comic book superheroes. Comic books got him into martial arts and these ancient ways of peace brought him to science. His books use superheroes as foils to explore the science of human potential and include Becoming Batman, Inventing Iron Man, Project Superhero, and Chasing Captain America.

Paul has been interviewed and made media appearances around the globe including Men’s Health, Popular Mechanics, Scientific American, Red Bulletin, Men’s Fitness, CBC, CTV, CNN, NPR, and the BBC, and a fun evening with the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences. Paul once convinced Tommy Chong that he was actually Batman.

Paul’s translational research program at the University of Victoria was grounded in rehabilitative applications of the quadrupedal nature of human locomotion in stroke recovery. Paul has numerous awards for science communication including the Science Educator Award from the Society for Neuroscience. His musings can also be found in his blog “Black Belt Brain” at Psychology Today and Scientific American magazines.

1055 Canada Pl | Vancouver, BC V6C 0C3

Community, Accessibility

The Vancouver Convention Centre offers secure parking through independent operators within both buildings.

Please refer to the Vancouver Convention Centre website parking page for details.

A block of rooms have been reserved for delegates to the conference. Please see the rates and information below.

Location

180 West Georgia Street

Just a 20-minute walk or 5 minute Skytrain ride from the Downtown Sandman Hotel, the Vancouver Convention Centre is easily accessible from the Sandman.

Booking Details For Conference Rates

By Phone

Reservations can be made by contacting our team at 1-800-SANDMAN (726-3626). Kindly quote the following details to ensure our team can pull up the correct rates:

Online

Use the following link: Sandman Conference Rates

Conference Rates

Rates are per room, per night
* Rates are based on single/double occupancy
* Rates do not include taxes
* Taxes are subject to change without notice
* Complimentary Parking is included