Dr. Charl Els (Psychiatrist, Addiction Specialist, and a medical review officer (MRO) He completed undergraduate training in medicine and post-graduate training in psychiatry (cum laude) in South Africa and further completed two fellowships in Addiction Medicine and Addiction Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Since 1999 he has acted in the following capacities: clinical service delivery, research, teaching, policy work, volunteering and expert witness testimony before the Court of Queen’s Bench and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta.
Diane Kunyk (Ethics and Policy and Addictions in Healthcare Providers) RN, PhD (c) & SSHRC Doctoral Fellow has a background in policy development and implementation; research and evaluation; public, population and community health; as well as tobacco control. Her program of study at the University of Alberta focuses on the theoretical and applied aspects of ethics as it informs addiction focused health policy.
Ron Pohar (Pharmacist, Mental Health, Geriatrics and Smoking Cessation) He completed a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree at the University of Alberta in 1995 and is a Clinical Pharmacist at Myros Pharmacy in Edmonton’s inner city. He specializes in the areas of mental health, geriatrics and smoking cessation. Ron has extensive training in tobacco addiction and smoking cessation from the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health (CAMH) and is a TEACH (Training Enhancement in Applied Cessation Counselling and Health) Faculty Member with CAMH.
Shirley Revitt (RN, Certifed Respiratory Educator, COPD and Asthma)is a registered nurse and a CRE (certified respiratory educator). She currently works for Alberta Health Services in the Calgary COPD & Asthma Program (CCAP) and has been with the program for 20 years. Shirley is an Education Consultant offering education and spirometry to patients with asthma, COPD and smoking cessation. She provides both individual and group counseling and is a TRaC Trainer and facilitator in the Calgary Zone. In addition, Shirley helped develop and facilitate the Smoking Cessation course for first year medical students at the University of Calgary that has been offered annually since 1996.
Debra Scharf ( Mental Health and Tobacco Addictions)is a registered nurse and tobacco specialist. She completed her psychiatric nursing diploma at Alberta Hospital Edmonton and her BScN and Master of Nursing at the University of Alberta. She received an Addiction Studies Certificate from the University Of Alberta Faculty Of Extension and a Tobacco Treatment Specialist Certificate from Mayo Clinic, Minnesota. Debra has worked as a mental health nurse for over 25 years, and currently works in the community as a mental health therapist. Debra’s master’s thesis involved a qualitative research study exploring mental health nurses’ attitudes of their patients’ smoking behaviours.
Dr. Joanne Seitz (Clinical Psychologist) who currently works in private practice in Edmonton. She specializes in assessment of mental health and legal issues, and provides expert witness testimony regarding parenting and custody concerns. Her work often focuses on assessment and treatment of addictions. She volunteers as a Professional Practice Advisor for the Psychological Association of Alberta and as a committee member for the College of Alberta Psychologists. She completed her PhD at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and, prior to developing her private practice, worked at Alberta Hospital Edmonton in Adult Psychiatry.
Cathy Spence (Addictions and Mental Health – Motivational Interviewing and Enhancement Therapy) is a Registered Psychiatric Nurse and a Certified Group Psychotherapist. She is a Registered Member of the Canadian Group Psychotherapy Association, specializing in the area of Motivational Interviewing. She is a regular lecturer/preceptor in the educational arena of Motivational Enhancement Therapy. She has worked in the field of addiction counselling for 35 years, and has a wealth of experience in dealing with concurrent disorders. Cathy regularly lectures on Motivational Interviewing topics across the province, and has built a reputation as one of its leading resources on the topic of Motivational Enhancement Therapy. She strives to bring authenticity to these concepts by building awareness and assessment savvy for the issues addressed by her target groups.
Tyler Ward (Health and Tobacco Control Advocate) is the former executive director of E-BUTT, a tobacco control organisation that lobbied Canadian universities to stop accepting funding from the tobacco industry and divest their investment holdings in industry. Mr. Ward holds a BA (magna cum laude) in Political Science from York University and is currently pursuing a law degree at the University of Ottawa. He specialises in advocacy training, particularly in the area of Access to Information Requests.