GUTS Volunteer Conference

Dr. Karen Madsen
Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry
University of Alberta
Director
Center of Excellence for Gastrointestinal Inflammation and Immunity Research (CEGIIR). 

Karen Madsen is a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta. She is also the Director of the Center of Excellence for Gastrointestinal Inflammation and Immunity Research (CEGIIR). Dr. Madsen completed a BSc (Hon) and MSc in biochemistry at the University of Manitoba followed by a PhD in gastrointestinal physiology at the University of Calgary. 

Dr. Madsen is a leading researcher in intestinal permeability and gut microbiota and their effects on disease and health. She works with clinical colleagues to test how therapies aimed at modulating the gut microbiome can influence metabolic and inflammatory diseases.

Dr. Madsen is a lead investigator in the GEM project and the national IMAGINE Chronic Disease Network. She is a member of the Women’s & Children’s Health Research Institute in Edmonton and the Digestive Health Strategic Clinical Network.  She is the University of Alberta lead for the national Microbiome Research Core (IMPACTT). 

This workshop will be presented with a French interpretation option.

Dr. Juan Nicolas Peña-Sánchez
Department of Community Health and Epidemiology
University of Saskatchewan School of Medicine

Dr. Peña-Sánchez is a faculty member in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology at the University of Saskatchewan School of Medicine. His collaborative and interdisciplinary research program aims to study and promote innovative healthcare approaches that address the needs of minority populations and overcome the challenges of healthcare systems.

Dr. Peña-Sánchez is one of the members of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Research Collaborative Network. In partnership with Indigenous patient and family advocates, he has been working on raising awareness about IBD among Indigenous peoples and advocating for better access to IBD care and their well-being. As an investigator of the Canadian Gastrointestinal Epidemiology Consortium (CanGIEC), Dr. Peña-Sánchez is the Saskatchewan lead of collaborative IBD national studies using administrative health data. 

This workshop will be presented with a French interpretation option.

Rhonda Sanderson
Research Study Participant

Rhonda Sanderson is an Indigenous Cree woman from James Smith Cree Nation. She was diagnosed with IBD in 2001, although, she believes her disease started during her childhood. Ms. Sanderson was a child growing up in a residential school where her gastrointestinal issues were neglected. As an adult, she was exposed to misconceptions of healthcare providers about IBD among Indigenous peoples. Ms. Sanderson was diagnosed with IBD after she went through a non-indicated appendectomy. She also has experienced barriers to accessing gastroenterologist care and became a self-advocate to accessing appropriate care after years of struggles with her disease. 

This workshop will be presented with a French interpretation option.

Shannon Epstein
Volunteer

Shannon is a CPA specializing in the financial services industry. Shannon was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at 20 years old and has since made it her mission to do what she can to support the IBD community in hopes of one day finding a cure. She joined Crohn's and Colitis Canada as a volunteer in 2013 and aims to establish a tight-knit community that captures the voice, ideas, and needs of young Canadians living with Crohn's or colitis. Shannon, along with other Crohn’s and Colitis Canada volunteers, runs an annual hockey tournament that has raised over $300,000 since its inception which has been used to fund IBD research.

This workshop will be presented with a French interpretation option.