KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:
Kimberly LeBlanc, RN, PhD, NSWOC, WOCC(C), FCAN, FNSWOC
Kimberly LeBlanc is known globally as an innovative nurse leader. She is the current Academic Chair of the Association for Nurses Specialized in Wound Ostomy and Continence Canada’s (NSWOCC) Wound Ostomy and Continence Institute (WOC Institute), and an Advanced Practice and Certified Wound, Ostomy, and Continence nurse working with KDS Professional Consulting. Kimberly is the President (2024-26) of the Canadian Nurses Association. She holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in Nursing from Queen’s University.
Gracia Kasoki Katahwa, RN, BScN, MAP
A clinical nurse holding a Master of Public Administration (ENAP), Gracia Kasoki Katahwa served as Mayor of the Borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce from 2021 to 2025. Leveraging her unique expertise in governance, she is dedicated to establishing innovative urban health solutions, where care models move beyond the hospital setting to become deeply anchored within communities. She is particularly focused on evolving nursing leadership toward roles as "systems architects." Through her speaking engagements and work, she aims to equip and inspire the nursing profession to fully engage in management and public policy, ultimately building a healthcare system that is both humanly and structurally sustainable.
Argerie Tsimiscalis, RN, PhD 
Argerie Tsimicalis holds two scientific appointments in Clinical Research, Shriners Hospitals for Children®-Canada and Injury Repair Recovery Program, Montreal University Health Centre Research Institute (MUHC-RI). Further, Dr. Tsimicalis serves as the: Bone Axe Coordinator, Bone and Oral Health Research Network (RSBO); Co-lead of the Knowledge Mobilization Hub, Canadian Pediatric Cancer Consortium; National Collaborator, Pain in Child Health (PICH); and Mentor, Empowering Next-Generation Researchers in Perinatal and Child Health (ENRICH).
Lynne McVey, RN, BSc, MSc(A), FHCMgt
Associate Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences | Director, Ingram School of Nursing
Lynne McVey was appointed Associate Dean and Director of the Ingram School of Nursing (ISoN) in McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, effective October 1, 2024. She holds the Flora Madeleine Shaw Chair in Nursing and is the founder of the Ingram School of Nursing’s innovative Executive Education program. A graduate of McGill University with a BSc in Physiology and MSc(A) in Nursing, and a Fellow of the Wharton Business School Healthcare Management Education Program at the University of Pennsylvania, she is recognized as one of the few nurses in Canada and North America to have served as a healthcare CEO. Throughout her distinguished career, she has held Executive leadership positions including CEO of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, President and CEO of the CIUSSS Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, where she successfully led a $1 billion health system through the COVID-19 pandemic, CEO of Santé Monde a not-for-profit organisation in international co-development.
A passionate advocate for healthcare innovation, mental health, patient experience, implementation science, and interdisciplinary collaboration, she has secured major investments in healthcare infrastructure, advanced patient-centred care, and championed nurse CEOs in healthcare governance. She currently leads initiatives designed to prepare nurses and other healthcare professionals for executive, CEO, government, and international leadership roles through education, mentorship, and coaching. Her educational innovations have been recognized nationally and internationally, including by Canada’s Chief Nursing Officer and in China. Her contributions have earned her numerous honours, including the YWCA Woman of Distinction in Health Award, the McGill Faculty of Medicine Alumni Global Impact Award, and the Top 50 Women We Admire in Montreal Award (2023-2025). A strategic, diplomatic, and humanistic leader, she remains dedicated to strengthening healthcare systems, fostering leadership excellence, and improving health outcomes for patients and communities.
PANELISTS:
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Lynne McVey, RN, BSc, MSc(A), FHCMgt
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Brigitte Ireson-Valois, RN, BScN, MiPH
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Alain Biron, N. PhD
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Sydney Wasserman, RN, BScN, MSc(A)