Hance Clarke

MD, FRCPC

Dr. Hance Clarke is a staff anesthesiologist and the Director of Pain Services and the Pain Research Unit at the Toronto General Hospital. Dr. Clarke is currently the knowledge Translation Chair for the University of Toronto Centre for the Study of Pain and an Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at the University of Toronto. He currently holds the GoodHope Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Chair in Translational Medicine and has been recognized internationally for his research productivity and improvements to patient care such as the development of the Toronto General Hospital Transitional Pain Service.

Dr. Clarke has also played a leading role in educating the Canadian public about pain control, risk factors for chronic opioid use, alternatives to opioids as a pioneering strategy at TGH, misconceptions about opioid use, and the need for further studies on understanding the beneficial and adverse effects of cannabis. He is the president of the Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabinoids. He has authored over 170 peer reviewed publications and has been invited to speak on pain control, cannabis and the opioid crisis to the House of Commons in Ottawa, Canada and elsewhere around the world. In the spring of 2024, he will assume the role of president of the Canadian Pain Society.

Kathryn Curtis

PhD, C. Psych

Dr. Kathryn Curtis is a Clinical Psychologist at the Comprehensive Integrated Pain Program at Toronto Western Hospital. She completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at York University, her clinical residency at the University Health Network, and her post-doctoral fellowship at the Transitional Pain Service at Toronto General Hospital. Dr. Curtis provides psychological services to individuals with chronic pain in the context of medical interventions, such as Ketamine infusion and neuromodulation. Psychological treatment modalities that Dr. Curtis uses at CIPP include ACT, mindfulness, self-compassion, and ketamine-focused integration. Her research evaluates mind-body interventions, such as yoga and mindfulness, for populations experiencing chronic pain and mobility restrictions. Dr. Curtis has published her research in scientific, peer-reviewed journals and she has presented at international conferences.

Samantha Joubert

PT

Samantha Joubert works full time as a physiotherapist as part of the interdisciplinary team at the Toronto Academic Pain Medicine Institute at Women's College Hospital. Samantha has an Honours Baccalaureate from the University of Ottawa and a Master of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of Toronto. She is a registered physiotherapist with the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario and has been practicing in downtown Toronto since 2009. She has completed post-graduate pelvic health physiotherapy training through the American Physiotherapy Association and Pelvic Health Solutions. She has also completed 7 years of manual osteopathy training at the Canadian College of Osteopathy.

Molly McCarthy

PhD, C. Psych.

Dr. Molly McCarthy is a Clinical and Health Psychologist in the GoodHope Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) Clinic and the Transitional Pain Service (TPS) at Toronto General Hospital. Dr. McCarthy graduated from York University with a PhD in Clinical Psychology and a graduate diploma in Health Psychology. She completed her psychology residency at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and remained as a staff psychologist in the Borderline Personality Disorder Service before joining Toronto General Hospital in 2021. In the GoodHope EDS Clinic and the TPS, Dr. McCarthy conducts psychological assessment, consultation, and individual and group intervention, drawing upon several evidence-based treatment modalities including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, mindfulness, and clinical hypnosis. Through both her clinical work and research in program development, Dr. McCarthy strives to increase access to mental healthcare within the medicalized healthcare system and enhance the quality of life of individuals living with chronic pain and illness.

Isaac Odame

MD, FRCPC

Dr. Isaac Odame is the Hematology Section Head, Division of Hematology/Oncology, and Co-Director of the Hemoglobinopathy Program at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). He is Professor of Pediatrics in the University of Toronto. Odame is the Medical Director of the Global Sickle Cell Disease Network based at the SickKids Centre for Global Child Health and Chair of the World Coalition on Sickle Cell Disease. As Site Principal Investigator, member of Steering Committees and Data Safety Monitoring Boards, he is actively involved in several clinical studies to develop novel disease-modifying treatments for sickle cell disease. Odame is currently Associate Editor of Pediatric Blood & Cancer journal and serves on the Editorial Board of the Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.

Brittany Rosenbloom

PhD, C. Psych.

Dr. Brittany Rosenbloom is a clinical and health psychologist at the Toronto Academic Pain Medicine Institute (TAPMI) in Women's College Hospital. She held CIHR Banting postdoctoral funding during her post doctorate with Drs. Jennifer Stinson and Katie Birnie at the Hospital for Sick Children. Dr. Rosenbloom's research focuses on the assessment and management of the transition from acute to chronic pain, primarily around surgery, as well as the treatment of co-occurring pain and mental health concerns. Clinically, she conducts assessment and therapy for people living with pain and co-occurring mental health concerns.

Rachel Siegal

PhD, C. Psych.

Dr. Rachel Siegal is a Clinical and Health Psychologist. She earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from York University. Dr. Siegal works with individuals who suffer from complex medical conditions and comorbid mental health concerns. Through her work at the GoodHope EDS clinic and the Transitional Pain Service, Dr. Siegal aims to develop effective psychological interventions for individuals who suffer from complex medication conditions and chronic pain. The overall aim of her work is to increase the quality of life among those who suffer from these conditions and have in many cases faced chronic invalidation.

Maxwell Slepian

PhD, C.Psych

Dr. Maxwell Slepian is a Clinical and Health Psychologist and Lead Psychologist of the Transitional Pain Service and GoodHope Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Clinic at Toronto General Hospital. He is also a Clinician Investigator aligned with the Krembil Research Institute and Assistant Professor in the University of Toronto’s Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at University of Toronto, and Pain Scientist with the University of Toronto’s Centre for the Study of Pain. Dr. Slepian came to Toronto after completing his PhD at Ohio University and psychology residency at the University of Washington in Seattle. His research focuses on the role of psychological factors, particularly resilience, in the experience of pain and the development of chronic pain. He also researches and practices psychological interventions for management of acute and chronic pain and to prevent the development of chronic pain.

Serena Thompson

Patient Advocate

Serena Thompson lives with sickle cell disease and, after experiencing years of humiliation, misunderstanding, and isolation in schools, hospitals, and workplaces, she became actively engaged in the sickle cell community as an advocate. She joined committees and organizations championing patient-centered care. Her main focus is advocacy and raising awareness through collaboration with educational institutions, hospitals, community organizations, and media. In addition to her advocacy work, Serena recently served as the Interim President of the Sickle Cell Association of Ontario and was a member of the Minister’s Patient and Family Advisory Council, the Healthy Debate committee, and the Medical Doctors Admissions committee. She was also the past co-chair of Ontario Health’s Sickle Cell Disease Quality Standard Advisory Committee. Currently, Serena serves on Healthcare Excellence Canada, the UHN ED Sickle Cell Working Group, and as a Patient Partner with the Institute of Genetics.

Jeffrey Wieskopf

MD, FRCPC

Dr. Jeffrey Wieskopf is a staff psychiatrist at the University Health Network and a Lecturer at the University of Toronto. Jeffrey is actively involved in the Toronto General Hospital Transitional Pain Service and is a consultation-liaison psychiatrist at the EW Bickle Centre for Complex Continuing Care. Dr. Wieskopf's research background includes a variety of topics, ranging from learning and memory, to spinal cord injury, and genetics of chronic pain. He is a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholar, co-author on multiple high-impact journal publications, and trains medical students and residents at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine. His current research focuses on optimizing care for patients with chronic pain and concurrent psychiatric illnesses.

Orit Zamir

MD, FRCPC

Dr. Orit Zamir is a staff psychiatrist with the General Psychiatry and Mental Health in Medicine program at Women’s College Hospital. She also works part-time as a consultant at Mount Sinai Hospital with the Wasser Pain Management Clinic and is part of the ECHO Ontario Chronic Pain Hub through the University Health Network. She has a Master’s of Science in Physiology and Neuroscience through the University of Toronto. She studied medicine and completed a residency program in Psychiatry through the University of Toronto. She has a special interest in chronic pain and participates on several committees for the Pain Medicine Resident Program. She also engages in various forms of psychotherapy, including Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy.