Dr. Tiina Andersen is an internationally recognized expert in respiratory physiotherapy and home mechanical ventilation research, based at the Haukeland University Hospital and Western Norway University of Applied Sciences in Bergen, Norway. Her work focuses on airway clearance, mechanically assisted cough technologies, and optimizing respiratory care strategies for individuals with chronic respiratory failure who rely on long term ventilatory support. 

Dr. Andersen’s research has significantly contributed to understanding complex physiologic responses in ventilator assisted individuals and advancing evidence informed care practices that enhance secretion management, functional outcomes, and patient safety in both home and clinical settings. Her international collaborations bridge clinical practice, rehabilitation science, and health system design, strengthening global approaches to long term ventilation and integrated care across the continuum. 

Dr. Francine Buchanan is a nationally respected leader in patient and family engagement in healthcare research and system design. She champions authentic partnerships that embed lived experience into research, shared decision making, and service improvement.

A parent to a child with complex medical needs and an academic specializing in shared decision making and patient oriented research methods. She has shaped initiatives that ensure patient and family voices guide priorities, co design processes, and care delivery improvements in pediatrics and complex ventilator assisted care.  Her contributions span mentorship, methodological innovation, and national discourse on patient engagement as a cornerstone of equitable, person centred health systems.

Associate Professor,
Program in Critical Care,
Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine,
Western University.

Dr. Butler is a Critical Care physician at Western University. For more than 2 decades he has worked within the Long-Term Weaning Unit at University Hospital in London Ontario in addition to attending in the Medical Surgical ICU and Cardiac Surgical ICU. For the past 5 years he has led the Home Respiratory and Ventilatory Care Clinic. This outpatient clinic looks after ventilated patients in the community in the Southwestern Ontario region. He also serves as the Southwest Ontario physician champion for the Ontario Long-Term Ventilation Strategy.

Paul Cameron is an Intensivist at London Health Sciences Centre and the Program Director for Adult Critical Care Medicine Subspecialty Residency Training Program at Western University in London, Canada. Clinically he provides service in Medical Surgical and Cardiac Surgical Intensive Care Units along with the Critical Illness Recovery Program and Home Respiratory and Ventilatory Clinic at LHSC as part of the Provincial Long-Term Ventilation Strategy Hub.

Clinical Respiratory Educator
Technology for Living - Provincial Respiratory Outreach Program (PROP)

Lily is currently the Clinical Respiratory Educator with the Provincial Respiratory Outreach Program (PROP), the adult home ventilation program of beautiful British Columbia. Over the last 20 years, Lily has evolved from a keen bedside clinician to one that now focuses on building relationships and advocacy for person-centred care. She is continually inspired by the creativity, resilience, and individuality of the clients PROP serves in the community. In the last 12 years, she continues to grow with the home ventilation network, empowered by the advancements to better support individuals through a symbiotic care of face to face and virtual connections. She is excited to see how frictionless we as care providers can make home mechanical for our future.

Juanita Davis is a Long-Term Home Ventilator Specialist, Provincial Integrated Respiratory Services, Alberta Health Services, 2023 to present.

Worked as Pediatric Tracheostomy Simulation Coordinator, Alberta Children’s Hospital, Alberta Health Services, 2015 to 2023; Clinical Lead Respiratory Therapy, Integrated Home Care, Quality Education and Practice, Alberta Health Services, 2013 to 2015, was a Faculty Instructor, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, 1996 to 2013, and Graduated from Respiratory Therapy in 1990 - the number one song was Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2U” and the Simpsons aired for the first time in September that year.

Assistant Professor in the Departments of Medicine (Division of Respiratory Medicine) and Critical Care Medicine

Dr. Dial is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Medicine (Division of Respiratory Medicine) and Critical Care Medicine.

She is cross appointed at the Jewish General Hospital and the MUHC where she is the Director of the Montreal Chest Institute’s Respiratory and Critical Care Unit.

Dr. Dial's interests are critical care and observational research. She is director of the Respiratory Weaning Program and thus is responsible for the development of approaches to weaning patients from mechanical ventilation.

Allison Freeman is a dedicated healthcare leader with over 13 years of progressive leadership experience and more than 20 years working in Canadian healthcare. With a clinical background as a pediatric Occupational Therapist, Allison brings a deep commitment to improving the healthcare experience for both patients and the professionals who support them. She has advanced this passion through a Master of Health Sciences in Health Administration from the University of Toronto and postgraduate studies in Organizational Leadership at the University of Oxford. In her role as Director of the Provincial Long Term Ventilation (LTV) Strategy, Allison applies innovative thinking, strategic leadership, and a strong focus on process improvement to advance a cohesive continuum of care for ventilator assisted individuals across Ontario. She is pleased to serve as Co Chair of the inaugural National Conference on Long Term Ventilation.

Clinical Lead Ontario Long Term Ventilation Strategy

Dr. Roger S. Goldstein is a Professor of Medicine and Physical Therapy at the University of Toronto and Head of Respiratory Medicine at University Health Network (West Park Healthcare Centre). He has a longstanding interest in long term ventilation and one of his earliest publications addressed elective ventilation using iron lungs and rocking beds. As the clinical lead for the Ontario LTV Strategy and part of the West Park Centre of Excellence in LTV, Dr. Goldstein is keen to promote education in this space at a national level. He has mentored trainees in medicine, physical therapy and respiratory therapy both in Canada and Internationally. Dr. Goldstein is also a recognized leader in pulmonary rehabilitation and the founding NSA Chair in Respiratory Rehabilitation Research. His team has significantly advanced quality of life for patients with chronic respiratory diseases. Dr. Goldstein has authored more than 350 peer-reviewed publications.

Professor of Medicine | Senior Scientist | Critical Care and Respiratory Medicine
University Health Network, University of Toronto
Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Critical Illness Outcomes and the Recovery Continuum

Dr. Herridge is a Senior Scientist in the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, Chair of the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group (CCCTG) International Collaborations and Partnerships Group, Director of the Canadian Post ICU RECOVER Program and co-lead of CANCOV (Canadian 5-year follow-up of patients/caregivers after COVID-19). She has published extensively on patient and caregiver outcomes after critical illness.

She has received national and international research distinctions including Honorary Member of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (2016), Lifetime Achievement Award in Critical Care from the American Thoracic Society (2018), the Deborah Cook Mentorship Award from the CCCTG (2020), fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (2021) and most recently, a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Critical Illness Outcomes and the Recovery Continuum.

Nurse Practitioner
Clinician Scientist
Assistant Professor, Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto

Dr. Laura Istanboulian is an Assistant Professor of Nursing at the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto, Canada. Her clinical expertise is in adult Critical Care, where she practiced as a Registered Nurse, and now as a Nurse Practitioner and Clinician Scientist in the Provincial Center for Excellence in Prolonged Ventilation Weaning at Michael Garron Hospital in Ontario, Canada. Her program of research focusses on co-creating and evaluating safe and equitable access to care across the continuum of adult critical illness for patients and their family caregivers.

Co-Chair, Division of Palliative Medicine
Clinical Director of Palliative Care, Providence Care
Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario

Dr. Danielle Kain is an Assistant Professor and Co-Chair of the Division of Palliative Medicine at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. She is the Clinical Director of Palliative Care at Providence Care Hospital and AB Smith Homestead House Hospice. She is also Co-Chair of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program at Kingston Health Sciences Centre.

Dr. Kain has led Palliative Care program development expansion at Queen's, integrating palliative care into several malignant and non-malignant outpatient clinics including the ALS multidisciplinary clinic, clinics for patients with advanced COPD/ILD, and embedding a palliative care physician in a rapid lung cancer diagnostic clinic (LDAP).

Dr. Kain is an award-winning clinician and educator at Queen's School of Medicine. She has developed a robust curriculum for physicians-in-training around Serious Illness Communication, teaching the next generation of physicians how to have compassionate conversations that matter to patients (and their loved ones) who are faced with life-threatening illness.

Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University

Dr. Marta Kaminska is a respirologist at the McGill University Health Centre and Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine of McGill University. She completed pulmonary training and a Masters in epidemiology at McGill University and a sleep fellowship at University of Montreal. She is a Medical Director of the Quebec National Program for Home Ventilatory Assistance based at the McGill University Health Centre since 2008. She is co-Chair of the Home Mechanical Ventilation Assembly of the CTS from 2023-2026. Her research interests are in sleep-disordered breathing in neurodegenerative disease, and home ventilation in neuromuscular disorders and COPD.

Dr. Katz received her medical degree from McGill University in 1997. Following completion of Pediatrics residency and Pediatric Respirology Fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children/University of Toronto (2002), as well as training in Pediatric Sleep Medicine, she completed a Clinician-Investigator Program and Masters of Science at the University of Toronto (2006). Dr. Katz has worked as a Pediatric Respirologist and Clinician Investigator at CHEO since September 2003. She is appointed as a Senior Scientist at the CHEO Research Institute since 2017 and has served as the Division Head of Pediatric Respirology at CHEO since 2018. Dr. Katz also holds an appointment as Full Professor of Medicine at the University of Ottawa and is cross appointed at their School of Epidemiology, Public Health and Preventative Medicine.

Dr. Katz’s clinical care primarily focuses on sleep disordered breathing, home mechanical ventilation and complex respiratory care. Her research interests are informed by her clinical practice and predominantly centre on the use of assistive respiratory technologies for children with chronic diseases, particularly neuromuscular disease, and obesity. Her research also evaluates predictors and novel diagnostic modalities for pediatric sleep disordered breathing, pediatric home mechanical ventilation and long-term outcomes of chronic lung disease. Dr. Katz also serves in administrative leadership capacities on several national and international committees. She is the current Chair of the Sleep Network of the American College of Chest Physicians and Co-Chair of the Canadian Thoracic Society’s Home Mechanical Ventilation Assembly. Clinical Interests: Sleep disordered breathing, Respiratory aspects of neuromuscular disease, Home mechanical ventilation, Complex respiratory care, and Bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Dr. Douglas McKim is a national leader in the care of individuals with neuromuscular respiratory complications and long-term ventilatory support needs. He served for three decades as Director of Canadian Alternatives in Non-Invasive Ventilation (CANVent) Respiratory Rehabilitation Services and previously led the Ottawa Hospital Sleep Centre.

His work has shaped national and international clinical guidelines and advanced standards of care for patients living with chronic respiratory failure. Dr. McKim has been honoured by the Canadian Thoracic Society, the American College of Chest Physicians and has received Muscular Dystrophy Canada’s George Karpati Researcher of the Year award. Widely respected for his collaborative leadership, he remains deeply committed to improving care across the ventilation lifespan.

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Medical Director & Research Chief, Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation;
Clinical Research Director, Centre for Adaptive Rehabilitation Engineering;
Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of New Brunswick;
Professor, Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick;
Head, Department of Rehabilitation, Horizon Health Network

Ontario Ventilator Equipment Pool
Kingston Health Sciences Centre

Regina Pizzuti is Director of Ontario’s Ventilator Equipment Pool (VEP), where she provides strategic leadership for one of Canada’s largest coordinated ventilator programs. She oversees multidisciplinary teams delivering province-wide equipment services and virtual supports, ensuring equitable, timely access to life-sustaining ventilation.

With more than four decades as a respiratory therapist, Regina’s work sits at the intersection of clinical care, policy, and system innovation. She has led modernization initiatives that strengthen service delivery, expand digital models of care, and foster collaboration among healthcare providers, government partners, and community organizations. Her leadership reflects a commitment to building sustainable, community-based patient-centred care.

Prof. Louise Rose is an internationally recognized critical care researcher whose work follows patients across the ventilation continuum — from ICU to home. She leads a program of research focused on improving outcomes and experience for individuals with acute and chronic respiratory failure, including those receiving long-term mechanical ventilation in hospital and community settings.

A former faculty member at the University of Toronto, Prof. Rose has led major international clinical trials and secured more than £22 million in competitive research funding. In 2023, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her leadership in digital innovations supporting patients and families during COVID-19. Her work continues to shape evidence-based ventilation care globally.

Division Head, Division of Adolescent Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children
Associate Professor, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Associate Scientist, Child Health Evaluative Sciences, SickKids Research Institute
Adjunct Scientist, ICES

Dr. Alène Toulany is the Division Head of Adolescent Medicine at SickKids and Associate Professor in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto. Dr. Toulany is widely recognized for her expertise in caring for adolescents with complex chronic physical and mental health conditions, as well as for her leadership in strengthening transitions from paediatric to adult care both locally and internationally. Her research program focuses on health services outcomes, system performance, and improving equity in care for youth with chronic health conditions, with a strong emphasis on meaningful youth and family engagement in research and health care design.

Since 2000, Peter Wijkstra has been working as a pulmonologist in the field of Home Mechanical Ventilation. In these 25 years he has built up a unique academic centre with close collaboration with the 3 other Dutch HMV centres. Currently his team of 30 professionals is responsible for more than 1100 patients in the northern part of our country. Based on this close contact they developed a national skills programme for care givers, they wrote guidelines for both adults and children while research is focussed on COPD and Neuromuscular diseases.

Dr. Lisa Wolfe is a pulmonologist, sleep medicine specialist, and critical care physician whose work spans the continuum from intensive care to home ventilation. Based at Northwestern University in Chicago, she has dedicated her career to advancing care for individuals with neuromuscular disease and chronic respiratory failure.

Her clinical and academic leadership focuses on optimizing long-term ventilation, strengthening multidisciplinary collaboration, and improving transitions across care settings. Recognized internationally for her expertise in home mechanical ventilation, Dr. Wolfe brings a systems-level perspective to bridging ICU, rehabilitation, and community care.

Pediatric Respirologist, British Columbia Children’s Hospital
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of British Columbia

Lena Xiao is a Pediatric Respirologist and Sleep Physician at British Columbia Children’s Hospital. She is the Medical Director of the Pediatric Sleep Medicine Program and Program Director for the Pediatric Sleep Medicine Fellowship at the University of British Columbia. She completed fellowships in Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Sleep, and Long-term Ventilation at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. She also earned a Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Care Research from the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on expanding access to pediatric sleep and ventilation services, developing and evaluating personalized treatment strategies for sleep-disordered breathing, and advancing patient- and family-centered care.