Social activities

There are a few social activities planned throughout CMBEC46/CESO 2024.  

Gala (SOLD OUT) 

On the night of Tuesday May 28th, please join your fellow colleagues on the water aboard the Yankee Lady III for the CMBES 2024 Awards Gala! Boarding will commence at 6:30 PM, at 259 Queens Quay West, and we will be setting sail at 7:00 PM. Appetizers will be served, followed by a buffet-style dinner. Over the course of the evening, we will hear a few speeches alongside the presentation of the CMBES 2024 awards, and there will be plenty of time to mingle, and weather permitting, enjoy the fresh air. The ship will dock between 9:00 and 9:30 PM. We hope to see you there!

Directions: Click here for directions

Women-in-STEM Luncheon 

"Call to action: we can all adopt practices that promote and champion women in STEM" 

WiMBE is proudly sponsored by

The women-in-STEM luncheon will feature inspiring and influential women practicing in the STEM field, and will involve panel discussion and Q&A. There will be industry, hospital, philanthropic, government and researcher leaders in the panel. The discussion will focus on practices that promote and champion women in the STEM field, and ideas to encourage, inspire, and support women in STEM careers. The session will be held over lunch on May 30th, and all conference attendees are invited to participate. The luncheon will also involve an opportunity to network with students, young professionals and seasoned professionals to exchange their thoughts and ideas. The vision for the session is to create an open forum to share ideas and experiences within the field. This event will be founded on an atmosphere of trust, with the goal of creating a more inclusive community and, ultimately, strengthen and expand the CMBES network across Canada.

Panelists 

	Dehlia Blanchard Region Service Vice President, Canada GE Healthcare

Dehlia Blanchard is the Regional Service Vice President for GE HealthCare Canada. She is a senior business leader with a proven track record in multiple disciplines from service delivery, customer service, commercial and service operations, strategic development and people management.

Throughout her extensive three-decade year career with GE, Dehlia has driven service operational excellence and delivery throughout Canada. Including but not limited to developing, implementing, and executing programs and solutions for customers and market dynamics. She is passionately committed to leading the Service business, growth, development of her teams, environmental health & safety and ultimately supporting Canadian Healthcare customers deliver to their patients.

Dehlia joined GE HealthCare in 1992 as the first female Service Representative at GE HealthCare Canada, working in the X-Ray modality. From there she took on a multitude of different roles over the years growing in increased business acumen, operational responsibility and people leadership. In 2015 she took on the country Service leadership role at GE HealthCare for Canada. To compliment her strong business acumen, she has strong philanthropic beliefs and works with GE Volunteers to help drive social responsibility and community engagement across the country.

Dehlia is currently the Chair of the Board for the Medtech Canada, she joined the board May 2020.

	Stephanie Liddle Director of the Biomedical Engineering Department Ottawa Heart Institute

Stephanie Liddle is the Director of the Biomedical Engineering Department at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Canada's largest heart health centre dedicated to understanding, treating, and preventing heart disease.  She holds a Master of Health Sciences degree in Clinical Engineering from the University of Toronto and Bachelor of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering degree from McMaster University.  Stephanie is a P.Eng and a recognized CCE in Canada and the U.S with over 10 years’ experience in leading academic hospitals.

She strongly believes the proper implementation and maintenance of medical devices, systems or applications can improve patient safety, care quality and hospital and research efficiency and that Biomedical Engineers and Technologists are ideally suited to take on this role.  Under her leadership, the UOHI BME team has taken on the complex integration and support of over 350 critical biomedical devices and systems connected to the hospital’s electronic health record, as well as grown to include a Research Equipment Management Program. 

Stephanie enjoys teaching the next generation of engineers and technologists.  She has been a Contract Instructor for Carleton’s 4th year Clinical Engineering course and works closely with the Leacross Foundation to mentor female engineering students each summer.

	Roslyn Bern Founder  Leacross Foundation

Roslyn Bern is the founder of the Leacross foundation, an organization that supports women and youth in engineering and other fields focusing on creating opportunities for success especially in areas that are under-represented by women.  Her organization plays a pivotal role in supporting women by offering scholarships, mentorship programs, and advocacy for women pursuing careers in fields where men are the majority. When women are encouraged and provided with opportunities in engineering, they bring diverse perspectives, problem-solving skills, and fresh ideas to the table. This diversity fosters innovation and drives progress in technology and science, resulting in better solutions and advancements.  Additionally, supporting women in these fields helps create a more equal and equitable workforce, setting an example for future generations and challenging stereotypes. Ultimately, the benefits extend beyond the individual success of those that have directly benefitted from one of the many Leacross Foundation programs, this works helps to promote social progress and economic growth, making the support of organizations like the Leacross Foundation a significant investment in our collective future.

Roslyn Bern has definitely disrupted the field of Clinical/Biomedical Engineering through her foundation’s support of aspiring women in the field and in doing so has created an innovative workforce.

	Firdous Hadj-Moussa Scientific Evaluator (Medical Devices) Health Canada

Firdous is a Clinical Engineer-in-Training with experience in medical device regulatory science, human factors, and research. She was the recipient of the Leacross internship with the Biomedical Engineering Department at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute in 2018. She holds a Master's of Health Science in Clinical Engineering from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor in Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering from Carleton University.

	Nika Momeni  Graduate Researcher  Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science and Technology (iBest) St. Michael's Hospital

Nika Momeni is currently a graduate student at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). After completing her undergrad in Biomedical Engineering at TMU, she returned this past fall to pursue a Master’s of Applied Science in Biomedical Engineering in the Maternal Fetal Imaging lab. Her research revolves around the implementation of Artificial Intelligence in diagnoses of conditions, specifically in fetal MRI scans. Following her Master’s, she hopes to pursue my PhD and continue working in research while teaching at the university level.