Virtual Patient Journey Conference: Our Voices, Our Stories will be held June 9 and 10
April 8, 2022 – Thunder Bay and Orillia, Ont.
Lakehead University's School of Nursing and School of Social Work, in collaboration with Wounds Canada, will be hosting the first virtual Patient Journey Conference on Thursday, June 9 and Friday, June 10.
Funded through a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Dr. Ide Costa from the School of Nursing (principal-investigator) is also the conference’s chair, with presentations by the co-investigators Dr. Catherine Phillips (School of Social Work), Dr. Michelle Spadoni (School of Nursing), Dr. Pilar Camargo Plazas (Queen's University), and the support of Mariam Botros, CEO of Wounds Canada.
Called Our Voices, Our Stories, the conference will bring individuals, families and caregivers affected by complex wounds together with researchers, health and social service providers, educators, community leaders, and policymakers. 
The conference will disseminate video stories of patients and families living with hard-to-heal wounds and provide them with the opportunity to honour their voices and experiences of navigating social life and the Canadian health-care system.
Speakers will address social determinants of health perpetuating health inequalities and discuss collaborative strategies to improve the delivery of a holistic and patient-centred wound care approach.
“The conference has a social justice focus, and it will discuss the power of patients’ and families’ voices and stories in uncovering the gaps in the health-care system and the need to implement a patient-centred wound care approach,” Dr. Costa said.
“Dr. Costa's exemplary leadership with the patients’ journey conference represents an innovative approach to the use of academic scholarship to promote health in Northwestern Ontario and beyond,” said Dr. Kristen Jones-Bonofiglio, Director of Lakehead’s School of Nursing.
“Wounds Canada believes centring the voice of the patient is crucial to enacting change in the health-care system and delivering the best possible wound care,” Botros said.
“The more diverse stories we can share and learn from, the better equipped we are to do what we do best – advocate and educate about wound prevention and management. That's why we're proud to be jointly co-hosting ‘Our Voices, Our Stories’ with Lakehead University.
“This conference will provide an opportunity to listen to individuals’ and families’ stories of the impact of hard-to-heal wounds on their lives, identify gaps and synergies in wound care provision, and enact holistic wound management strategies for the future,” Botros said.
This free and unique two-day learning, outreach and knowledge exchange conference will take place virtually, allowing participants access from anywhere and ensuring safety for vulnerable populations wishing to attend.
During the conference, participants will have the opportunity to engage in presentations, listen to different individuals' stories, share their thoughts for improving wound care in Canada, and chat in the networking lounge with people living with wounds.
Participants can also visit the virtual exhibit hall to meet with non-profit organizations that support patients and families, and access educational resources.
Register now by visiting: www.woundscanada2022.ca/en/registration
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Media: For more information or interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media, Communications and Marketing Associate, at (807) 343-8110 ext. 8372 or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.
For Wounds Canada interviews, contact Laura Clarke at laura.clarke@woundscanada.ca or 416-485-2292.
Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has nine faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being ranked, once again, among Canada’s Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities in Maclean’s 2021 University Rankings; as well as included in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2022 World Universities Rankings for the third consecutive year, and in the top 100 of 1,115 universities from around the world in THE's 2021 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.
Established in 1995, Wounds Canada is a charitable organization dedicated to the advancement of wound prevention and management for all people in Canada. We accomplish this by advocating for a population health approach that promotes best practices to support persons at risk of or living with wounds, health decision makers and frontline clinicians. We develop and provide educational programs and resources as well as support research to further advance this holistic, risk-based approach. We foster relationships with interested individuals and organizations to expand and sustain a robust wound community in Canada that also has mutually beneficial global connections. Our goal is to reduce the prevalence and incidence of wounds of all types and the negative consequences they bring—including patient suffering and wasted health-care dollars. To learn more, visit www.woundscanada.ca. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @WoundsCanada.