Take Control: Let's End Diabetes Type 2 Conference

Mikahelia Wellington (she/her/hers), is a first-generation Canadian having parents who are both immigrant settlers from Jamaican. She is a registered dietitian working in community nutrition diabetes education in the Traditional Territory of the Mississaugas of Scugog First Nation and the territory that is covered by the Johnson-Butler Purchase of 1788 and the Williams Treaty of 1923.

With her educational background in Public Health Nutrition & Dietetics, she is passionate about the potential that food, nutrition, and social justice have to offer to people’s health and well-being. She is particularly passionate about the histories and sociology of Black people, our foods and how it impacts our health.

Socacize Founder, Ayanna Lee-Rivears is a dancer, fitness instructor, teacher and choreographer. As a native of Trinidad and Tobago, Ayanna was passionate in learning the dance styles practiced in that particular country. After completing the Fitness Instructor Certified Program at Canadian Fitness Profession (Can-Fit-Pro) Ayanna started Socacize Fitness Inc. to promote a fun way to exercise with a combination of dance moves, weight and strength training.

Through living and sharing her F.L.A.U.N.T. philosophy, she empowers Revelers everywhere to live inspired, motivated, and healthy lives.

Samantha Thoms is a registered dietitian who currently lives and works on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples–Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. She offers virtual HAES-focused nutritional counseling services to BC residents who identify as women.

Her approach centres on helping women improve their wellbeing holistically through better relationships with food and body. Samantha completed her training in the US at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has been practicing as a dietitian for 6 years, both in the US and Canada. When she is not working, she loves to hang with friends and family (virtually for now), spend time outdoors, and get lost in a good book. Connect with Samantha on Instagram @samanthathomsrd or visit her website: samanthathomsrd.com.

Amy is a media and community dietitian, nutrition counsellor, author, professional speaker and also the founder of Libra Nutrition since 2008. For 8 years, she has been the spokesperson for the Dietitians of Canada National Nutrition Month campaigns. She co-authored Dietitians at Home, a cookbook for the whole family with Asian-inspired recipes.

Amy loves teaching and has a heart full of compassion and empathy for helping others. She is a supportive nutrition coach with a calm confidence to help her clients tackle complex medical issues and practical everyday meal planning. She is a regular Chinese TV and radio talk show guest expert on nutritional segments. She has conducted over 100 community workshops with over 10,000 people attending in total. Since July 2020, she has hosted 15 virtual nutrition workshops with over 1000 people joining in an online format.

For bilingual nutrition information, visit her website at https://libranutrition.com

Chef Jason He is a famous herbal cuisine and Chinese Cuisine Chef with extensive culinary experiences in China and Vancouver. A native of Guangdong Province, China, Chef Jason began his career in 1982. He has 40 years of experience working in a diverse settings of food services including hotels, restaurants, bakery, and hospitals. He co-authored two cookbooks in China and Hong Kong.

In 2006, he migrated to Canada. He has worked at famous, authentic Chinese seafood and dim sum restaurants in metro Vancouver. He has been sharing his culinary skills and knowledge to inspire a great number of chefs. He is a firm believer of using local seasonal ingredients in Chinese inspired healthy recipe.

Dr. Jennifer Gao is a registered doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). She has practiced in China and Vancouver for over 22 years. She is an influential TCM educator for 14 years, teaching at Kwantlen Polytechnic University and Tzu Chi International College in Vancouver. Dr. Gao obtained her bachelor’s degree from China’s Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Her areas of focus include digestive, respiratory, gynaecological and skin issues, emotional conditions, and pain management. She takes a multi-dimensional approach to diagnosis, believing in the connection between emotional and physical health, and is passionate about the value of patient education.

Her broad professional knowledge in both clinical practice and in teaching has given her a deservedly solid reputation. Dr. Gao is committed to providing a high standard of TCM practice in the interest of British Columbians.

Dr.Ian Yu has a private practice in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery and is a Diplomat of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. He has a Masters Degree in Medical Education. His area of specialization is in diabetic limb salvage and management of complex diabetic foot problems. His passion is in teaching and prevention of diabetic foot complications. This lecture will offer practical tips to the diabetic and give a unique perspective of what can happen when things go wrong in the diabetic foot.

Kawal Deep Kaur is a Registered Physiotherapist in Canada and founder of Diligent Physio and Sports Clinic. She graduated with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy in 2004 and post graduated in Sports Physiotherapy in 2007 from Guru Nanak Dev University. She is also a member of the Diabetes Canada South Asian Diabetes Chapter.

In her 17-year professional career, she is an expert in Musculoskeletal conditions, Sports Physiotherapy, Vestibular Rehabilitation, Concussion Rehabilitation, Pelvic Health Rehabilitation, pregnancy and post pregnancy related ailments including low back pain, pelvic girdle pain, urinary incontinence, and diastasis rectus Abdominis and K Taping. She is also a member of Canadian Society for Pelvic Medicine.

Kawal carried out research on “Injuries Pattern Among Field Hockey Players”. She has presented three scientific research papers in conferences held in India. She has two national, and one international, publications to her credit. She has been an athlete and played field hockey for 12 years for State, National and All India Inter- University level. She has won fourteen gold, four silver and two bronze medals in various tournaments held at State, National and All India Inter-University level.

BollyX is a Bollywood-inspired cardio dance-fitness program that combines dynamic choreography with the hottest music from around the world. It is a 50-minute cardio class that has choreography which cycles between higher and lower-intensity dance sequences that can help you burn around 500-800 calories per session. Because it is a cardio dance class, you can expect to see high impact dance moves throughout the class. However, feel free to modify any of the dance moves as you like. Our goal is for you to have a lot of fun as you dance to the beats of amazing Bollywood songs and unleash your inner rockstar! Check out BollyX On Demand to dance with us! Bod.bollyx.com

Fatima Punjani is a registered Dietitian from Pakistan.

She attained her Masters of Nutrition in Pakistan and completed her Masters of Public Health in Australia. She has worked in Canada as a dietitian for the past 15 years.

Her interest in diabetes comes from seeing the large number of people within the South Asian community living with this disease. She feels that the association of our culture to food is so strong and that a Dietitian can make such a huge difference in helping the South Asian community understand food and its impact on their health.

Kathleen LaForme is of both Mohawk of Six Nations and Mississaugas of New Credit First Nations. She is the mother of 2 daughters, a son, and is a Grandmother. She is the Diabetes Wellness Coordinator for the Indigenous Diabetes Health Circle (formerly SOADI), South Region for 20 years. Kathleen has many family members and friends who are living with diabetes, and upon learning that diabetes was becoming an epidemic among Indigenous Peoples, knew that she had to do something to help stop this. She strives to do her best in promoting diabetes awareness and prevention among Indigenous Peoples not only through IDHC, but also among family, friends, and community.

After working with private clients, Laura became the caterer for the Indigenous Diabetes Health Circle (formerly SOADI). She has been cooking diabetes-friendly meals for meetings and training sessions and providing healthy lunches with budget friendly recipes for IDHC’s Healthy Lifestyle Fridays and Wellness Wednesdays. She also teaches cooking classes the second Thursday of each month at IDHC – now offered on Zoom. The “Let’s Cook with Laura” series is open to anyone who wants to learn how to make the most of their food dollar and gain confidence in the kitchen.

She has catered for many organizations in the Niagara Region such as the Niagara Regional Native Centre, Niagara Peninsula Area Aboriginal Management Board (NPAAMB) programming at Niagara College, catered the VIP Reception for Celebration of Nations and the opening night reception for “Opening the Doors to Dialogue” exhibit at the Niagara Falls Museum. She also facilitated a lunch and cooking skills program for Bethlehem Housing in Niagara Falls and Soaring Eagles School Secondary School.

Laura Lenson has lived in the Niagara Region for her entire life. She is very proud of her Indigenous heritage from Six Nations. She graduated from Brock University in 1987 with a BA, Music Major but her passion was always cooking. She made the decision to follow that passion and in 2006 enrolled in a personal chef course through United States/Canadian Personal Chef Association at the Culinary Business Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico. When her training was completed, she opened her personal chef service, Laura’s Custom Cuisine