land acknowledgement & Welcome:

 Dr. Tyler White 

Dr. Tyler White (Naa Taoyi Piita Wo Taan –“Holy Eagle Shield”) is a member of the Siksika First Nation and has passionately served as the Chief Executive Officer for Siksika Health Services for 22+ years. With extensive experience in First Nations Health Care, Dr. White has worked extensively with all levels of government, frontline workers, and industry partners to enhance the coordination of health care and service delivery in Treaty 7 and beyond. Tyler is the President of the First Nations Health Consortium of Alberta, a member of the Alberta Human Trafficking Task Force committee, Co-Chair for the Alberta First Nations COVID-19 Vaccine Task Team, and was a significant, contributing member of the Alberta government’s Valuing Mental Health review committee, and Joint Action Health Plan for the Alberta Region. Tyler has served as an analyst, negotiator and manager for the Siksika Indian Self-Government Process, and continues to be a strong advocate for Siksika Nation, most recently having championed the signing of a Relationship Agreement and MOU with Alberta Health on Collaboration Respecting Access to Health Care.

KEYNOTE: Dr. Danielle Peers

Dr. Peers' Website

Dr. Danielle Peers (they/them) is a Canada Research Chair (Tier II, SSHRC) in Disability and Movement Cultures, and an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation at the University of Alberta. Danielle studies how movement cultures (including art, recreation, and sport) can be used to transmit and transform a community’s values, politics, and (in)equities. Mobilizing embodied disability justice approaches, Peers prioritizes deep, intersectional collaborations, in order to co-create knowledges and practices that reduce harm and create more accessible, affirming, and transformative movement cultures. Danielle’s work draws from their experiences as a Paralympic athlete, coach, dancer, and filmmaker. Danielle has done extensive accessibility and equity consultation in education, sport and recreation, and non-profit sectors.

Keynote: Dr. David HOwe

Dr. Howe's Website

Dr. P. David Howe is a medical anthropologist and holds the Dr. Frank J. Hayden Endowed Chair in Sport and Social Impact in the School of Kinesiology at Western University, Canada with research interests in disability sport and physical activity cultures. His ethnographic research focuses on unpacking the embodied socio-cultural milieu surrounding inclusive physical activity and disability sport. With reference to the culture of disability, ableism, health and disability and medical discourse surrounding the Paralympic Games, David is concerned that his research highlights ways and means of making sport and physical activity more empowering for marginalised populatios.   David is also editor of the Routledge Book Series, Disability, Sport and Physical Activity Cultures and holds a guest professorship at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. 

KeyNOte: Rachel Martens

From Calgary, Rae is a Knowledge Broker with Kids Brain Health Network, CanChild and the University of Calgary. Her overall role works towards fostering healthy, optimal partnerships between researchers and community members. Mentoring them through the various barriers associated with community engaged research. Rae is also a bereaved parent who advocates and educates on the subjects of participation and health in childhood disability.