A FREE  Wounds Canada event in partnership with the Canadian Podiatric Medical Association (CPMA).

Wounds Canada is excited to feature its new Grand Rounds webinar with the first in the series entitled Grand Rounds: Stepping Up to Save Limbs and Lives. This premier event will be held on Thursday, April 25th from 6-7:00 p.m. EDT with moderator Dr. Ahmed Kayssi and a multidisciplinary panel featuring Linda Laakso, Dr. Amanda Mayo and Lauren Wolfe and a podiatrist.

Three case studies will be presented and after each of the presentations, the panelists will offer their unique perspectives on the cases and answer questions from the audience.

Participants will be able to:

1. Gain an understanding of lower limb wound data reinforcing the importance of a strong provider, client and system focus on lower limb wound care.
2. Increase their knowledge related to best practices for teaching and supporting persons living with diabetes to prevent lower limb complications.  
3. Gain awareness of early interventions most effective in addressing lower limb wounds and preventing persistent hard-to-heal wounds, and amputation.
4. Appreciate how interprofessional team-based care focused on lower limb wounds and their prevention contributes to better client, provider, and system outcomes, including financial outcomes.

Introducing Our Moderator and Panelists

Moderator: Ahmed Kayssi, MD, MSc, MPH, CWSP, FRCSC, FACS

Dr. Kayssi is a vascular surgeon at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and a wound care physician at Women’s College Hospital. He obtained his medical degree from Queen’s University in Kingston, ON, before relocating to Toronto to pursue training in general and vascular surgery. 

Dr. Kayssi subsequently completed a fellowship in limb preservation and wound care under the supervision of Dr. Richard Neville in Fairfax, Virginia. He is a graduate of the Harvard School of Public Health, where he obtained a Master of Public Health focusing on quantitative methods and is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Public Health in Health Policy and Management from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

Panelist: Linda Laakso, MSc CO(c) FCBC

Linda has been a Canadian Board (CBCPO) Certified Orthotist since 1995. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor (Adjunct) at McMaster University in Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health Science and Part time Professor at George Brown College.  

Linda’s special orthotic interests include management of the diabetic foot and diabetic foot ulcers. She has just completed the Wounds Canada Wounds Care Champion Program (WCCP) for advanced knowledge in wound care and continues to provide care on a daily basis to help people protect and keep their feet from the complications due to diabetes and neuropathy.

Panelist: Caroline Leverett, MSc, BSc (hons), PGdip, PGcert, PGCE, ABPMi, FFPM RCPS, MRCPod

Caroline Leverett is a podiatrist practising in New Minas, Nova Scotia since June, 2014 after arriving from Britain.

In 2023, Caroline Leverett was granted Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Glasg). She is one of three podiatrists in Nova Scotia who has achieved this accreditation. Fellowship is a demonstration of Caroline’s 25 years of podiatric practice and patient care. She was also awarded membership to the American Board of Podiatric Medicine International.  

Caroline has extensive training in diabetic management and wound care. Before immigrating, she was a senior lecturer at the University of Plymouth in Britain, teaching undergraduate and postgraduate classes on topics including diabetes. She currently serves on the executive committee of the Canadian Podiatric Medical Association and is the President-elect of the Nova Scotia Podiatry Association.

Panelist: Amanda Mayo, MD, MHSc, FRCPC, BSc

Dr. Mayo is a full-time physiatrist in Quality Improvement at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. She sub-specializes in amputee rehabilitation. 

Dr. Mayo's research in quality improvement focuses on improving the continuum of care for individuals with limb loss and limb preservation.

Panelist: Lauren Wolfe, MClSc-WH, BSN, RN, CWOCN, NSWOC

Lauren graduated from nursing school in 1990 in South Africa. She completed her Wound, Ostomy, and Continence certificate at Emory University in 2006. In 2020, Lauren completed her Master of Clinical Science - Wound Healing at Western University. 

Lauren is a certified Wound Ostomy and Continence nurse. She works at Macdonald's Prescriptions, Fairmont location, and Vancouver General Hospital. Lauren's passion for wound care led her to accept a position at FraserHealth in the IHART program as a part-time wound care educator and consultant. She recently joined Wounds Canada as a Faculty member for the Wound Care Champion program.  

Lauren has been interested in limb preservation since working as a WOC nurse in the community, and this passion continued as she transitioned to an acute care setting. She became aware of the number of individuals requiring amputation due to a lack of preventative models and resources. Lauren's goal is to help open a wound clinic that includes limb preservation to ensure individuals receive education and timely care of their lower limb wounds.

In 2011, she received the CRNBC Award for Nursing Excellence; in 2023, she received the Ostomy Canada NSWOC recognition award. She is a dedicated and compassionate wound, ostomy, and continence nurse who strives for excellence in patient care. 

She volunteers for the United Ostomy Association, facilitating multiple support groups.  She is an active writer for the Vancouver Ostomy HighLife and Ostomy Canada magazine. Lauren is an Ostomy Canada Lifestyle advisor for patients.

Register here

Don't miss this must-attend FREE webinar! 

Wounds Canada is excited to present a transformative webinar that aims to build bridges between health-care providers and patients through the power of digital storytelling. Discover how Our Voices, Our Stories can support person-centred practices in skin health and wound care. Join us for this special webinar on Wednesday, June 19th, from 6:00-7:00 p.m. EDT.

Experience two compelling video narratives from individuals living with a diabetic foot ulcer and a pressure injury. These stories will provide deep insights into their daily struggles and the impact of these wounds on their lives.

Participate in an open conversation to share your thoughts, concerns, and innovative ideas for enhancing wound care practices in Canada. Following the webinar, attendees are encouraged to share their voices and insights by completing an online survey, contributing to impactful research aimed at driving changes in health policy.

The anonymous survey is voluntary, and responses will offer critical insights to help team members from the Our Voices, Our Stories: A Patient Journey Initiative and Wounds Canada to develop strategies to effect wound care change within the health-care system.

Your input is crucial in shaping the future of person-centred care!

 Learning Outcomes 

Participants will be able to:

• Identify how digital storytelling contributes to advancing inclusivity and creating trauma-informed care for individuals with wounds.
• Value the impact of digital storytelling on personal life, and area of health practice by sharing reflections and insights.
• Recognize the potential of digital storytelling to drive systemic improvements in wound care delivery and outcomes.
• Demonstrate how digital storytelling positively influences wound care delivery and the experiences of patients, care partners and providers motivating them to effect change in their communities.

Introducing Our Patient Voices 

Matt Anderson

Matt's compelling story will reveal the complexities of managing diabetes as a young man and the ensuing complications and major impact of a diabetic foot ulcer on both his social and professional life. Matt's journey emphasized learning to advocate for yourself in the health-care system, with key advice not to wait to get help and to be proactive.

"I go back as a 20-year-old to that doctor who said you're fat, you're diabetic, it's your own fault, lose weight. And that's 28 years ago and it screwed with my head."

Miriam Cook

Miriam Cook discusses her mother Isabella's experience after falling and suffering a hip fracture. While in the hospital, Miriam learned that Isabella had developed a pressure injury on her right heel. Communication between Isabella and her care team was an area of difficulty as English was not Isabella’s first language.

“Elders don't have an advocate by their side. It's very difficult for them to navigate the system on their own. Elders should not absorb the care plan on their own. They should have an advocate listen in on a call and help translate if they can't physically be there. [The advocate] need[s] to speak up for their loved one”

Meet Our Faculty

Join our presenters, Dr. Idevania Costa and Dr. Irmajean Bajnok as they discuss the digital patient voice storytelling program and its remarkable potential to mobilize health policy and affect change in the Canadian healthcare system.

With the webinar moderated by Dr. Darren Levine, participants will be encouraged to contribute their insight in a chat dialogue to voice their feelings and opinions on the impact of Matt's patient story and Miriam's care partner story.

Moderator: Darren Levine EdD

Dr. Darren Levine is an independent consultant supporting organizations to reimagine possibilities in today’s changing landscape. As a grant writer, social innovator and leadership educator, Dr. Levine’s work focuses on cultivating workplaces that inspire and engage, where all members can discover their creative potential and exercise leadership for innovative change.  

Presenter: Irmajean Bajnok RN, BScN, MScN, PhD 

Dr. Irmajean Bajnok is an international health-care consultant specializing in change management, leadership and implementation science. Most recently, she was the Director of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario's International Affairs and Best Practice Guidelines Centre where she led the strategic development and ongoing enhancements of the program pillars of guideline development, implementation science, and evaluation. Dr. Bajnok currently works at Wounds Canada as the Education and Policy Director. 

Presenter: Idevania Costa RN, NSWOC, PhD

Dr. Costa is a distinguished Clinical Nurse Specialist renowned for her exceptional proficiency in providing person-centered wound care. With a comprehensive educational background acquired in both Brazil and Canada, she brings over 27 years of combined clinical, teaching, and research expertise to her practice. Currently an Associate Professor at the School of Nursing at Lakehead University, Dr. Costa's work and research are dedicated to shifting wound care paradigms from disease-centric to person-centered approaches, prioritizing the narratives and perspectives of individuals living with wounds and their care partners. Driven by a passion for advocacy, Dr. Costa employs research mobilization strategies underpinned by social constructivism, emancipatory approaches, and elements of activism theories to mobilize meaningful changes aimed at amplifying the voices of marginalized individuals within our society. In 2021, she co-founded and now chairs the Our Voices, Our Stories: A Patient Journey Initiative. This groundbreaking initiative, supported by Wound Canada with national funding by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, encompasses a dynamic research team that includes patients and care partners, thereby magnifying the impact of her advocacy efforts.

Register now for this FREE engaging event where your voice matters.

We look forward to seeing you there! 

Register here