Symposium 2007 | Speaker Biographies

Wendy Singer | From the Bedside to the Bench

Wendy Singer is a former member of the Board of Directors of Lupus Canada and an active supporter of programs and services for people living with lupus. After having worked in health care management for many years, Wendy now works as a freelance writer. Wendy is committed to the practice of Svaroopa yoga and exercise, and is thrilled to be sharing her experiences with fellow lupus patients.

Dr. Joan Wither | Introduction to Family Genetics in Lupus

Dr. Joan Wither is in the Department of Medicine, Rheumatology Division at the University Health Network, Toronto Western Hospital and is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Matthew Liang | The Current and the Future of Controlling Lupus

Dr. Matthew Liang is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Health Policy and Management at Harvard School of Public Health at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Massachusetts Veteran's Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC). He is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University in philosophy and chemistry, Harvard Medical School, and the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) in tropical public health and epidemiology.

Dr. C. Doug Smith | Diet, Lupus and Healthy Lifestyle

Dr. Doug Smith is an Associate Professor and Head, Division of Rheumatology, University of Ottawa and Deputy Chair Clinical, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa. He was appointed Deputy Chair, Clinical Department of Medicine in 1999 and Head, Division of Rheumatology in 2003. He is Liaison officer for the executive of the Canadian Rheumatology Association, and secretary treasurer of the Canadian Network for Improved Outcomes in Systemic Lupus (CaNIOS.). Dr. Smith's areas of interest include systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma and rheumatic diseases in pregnancy.

Dr. Carol Hitchon | Routine Clinical Care for people with Lupus

Dr. Hitchon is an Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Section of Rheumatology with the University of Manitoba, and is a member of the CaNIOS National Registry Project.

Dr. Christine Peschken | The Lupus Program at the Arthritis Centre Day Hospital in Winnipeg

Dr. Christine Peschken graduated for the School of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, and trained in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology at the University of Manitoba. She is currently practicing at the Arthritis Centre, Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg, and splits her time fairly evenly between research and clinical practice. Dr. Peschken's research interests include systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatic disease in First Nations people.

Dr. Arthur Bookman | Sjogren's Syndrome: What is it and why does it matter?

Dr. Bookman is in the Department of Medicine, Rheumatology Division at the University Health Network - Toronto Western Hospital. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. Dr. Bookman is the Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee for The Arthritis Society, Past President of the Canadian Rheumatology Association, and Member of the Medical Advisory Board to the Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation in New York.

Dr. Paul Fortin | CaNIOS Updates

Dr. Fortin graduated from McGill University in Rheumatology, and obtained a Master's in Public Health from Harvard University School of Public Health. He followed three years of special training in clinical epidemiology as a Harvard post-doctoral research fellow under the direction of Dr. Matthew H. Liang at the Robert Breck Brigham Multi-Purpose Arthritis Center of the Brigham and Women's Hospital. He returned as an Assistant and then Associate Professor of Medicine at McGill University and to the Montreal General Hospital/McGill University Health Centre and Research Institute between 1992 and 2000, where he was funded uninterruptedly by operating grants from The Arthritis Society (TAS) and/or the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Dr. Fortin joined the staff of Toronto Western Division/University Health Network (UHN) and Research Institute in 2000 as a Clinician Scientist and Director of Clinical Research for the Arthritis Centre of Excellence. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto and he holds cross-appointments as staff at the Hospital for Sick Children and as Associate Professor at the Institute of Medical Sciences and the Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation of the University of Toronto.

In 1995, he created the Canadian Network for Improved Outcomes in SLE (CaNIOS) with the specific goal of running a multi-centre, randomized, and controlled Study of Methotrexate in Lupus Erythematosus (SMILE). CaNIOS is building a national database, a clinical trial infrastructure through support from the Lupus Clinical Trial Consortium and a training environment for young researchers. Dr. Fortin is the Chair of CaNIOS.