Our Current Presenters

Candace Kirkpatrick

OT(R)

Candace is a graduate of the University of Alberta. Her career as an Occupational Therapist has been rich and varied. Candace has gathered her extensive experience in rehabilitation, community, acute and longterm care settings. She has worked for Covenant Health for about 20 years.

Candace is one of the founding members of the interdisciplinary wound team at the Grey Nuns Hospital.  Candace has been on the organizing committee for Capital Health Wound conferences and presented at the 2008 conference covering lower leg edema management with Dr. Christine Moffatt.  Throughout the years, Candace has also been invited as guest lecturer at the University of Alberta and Grant MacEwan College.

In 2001, she initiated the outpatient edema clinic at the Grey Nuns Hospital. Candace's efforts have now inspired other facilities in Edmonton to kick start their own edema clinics, helping to fulfill a need to serve an ever-growing population of people affected with lower body edema.   

Neil Pearson

MSc, BScPT, BA-BPHE, CertMDT, CYT

Neil works as a registered physiotherapist and a certified yoga therapist in Penticton, BC. Neil is also an international educator, member of clinical faculty of UBC, a researcher and the Chair of the Pain Science Division of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association.

In 1985, Neil completed both his physical therapy degree and his degrees in physical and health education at Queen's University, Kingston, Canada. After 6 years of working in hospitals and private practice, he returned to Queen's to complete a research Master's degree in Rehabilitation Science. Since completing his master's his professional experience have aided in developing his philosophy of pain management and his private practice Life Is Now (www.lifeisnow.ca). In 2003, Neil completed the requirement for a certificate in Yoga Therapy.

Neil's passion for teaching and pain science also led him to develop courses to assist health care practitioners in providing treatment for people with persistent pain. Following the work of Lorimer Moseley and David Butler (acclaimed Australian physiotherapists/researcher/authors in the study of treatment of people with chronic pain), the first focus of these courses is to provide practitioners with a new model for understanding pain and people in pain. Neil has extensive experience working with people with complex pain problems, including 6 years in a multidisciplinary pain management program. Neil is a consultant to a number of pain management programs and travels throughout Canada and the United States to provide workshops to health care providers, the public, insurance agencies and yoga therapists.

Neil has developed and authored pain management resources for people in pain and for health care professionals. These include audio CDs, a DVD, multimedia patient education product and a patient education book for clinicians.

For more information on Neil and to access free online patient education webcasts check out www.lifeisnow.ca.

Nicole Hodgkinson

BScOT, MClSc Wound Healing (Candidate Fall 2010)

Since graduating from the University of Alberta Occupational Therapy program, Nicole has dedicated her professional career to wound management. Upon graduation she spent one year overseas, almost half of that was working with a variety of volunteer organizations in India. It was in Calcutta, in Kalighat Home for the Dying, that she was developing a passion for treating people with chronic wounds. 

When she returned to Edmonton, Nicole was recruited to be a part of the development of an intra-disciplinary wound care team at University of Alberta Hospital.  She has since participated in several wound management and prevention committees both in house and for the new Alberta Health Services region in addition to developing and teaching the comprehensive lower limb assessment and treatment course at the UAH.   

Nicole is currently completing her Masters of Clinical Science in Wound Healing from the University of Western Ontario. She is familiar and can speak to the management of wounds in acute care, long-term care, home care and in outpatient clinic settings. Nicole has a depth of experience and exudes great passion relating to the prevention and management of wounds.

David Loh

BSc. OT(c), CPed(c)

David is a University of Alberta graduate and continued to receive his Canadian pedorthist certification in 2002. David has experience working at the University of Alberta Hospital in psychiatry, pediatrics, orthopedics and plastics.

Along with his many responsibilities, David is the owner of Orthotic Abilities Inc. in Edmonton specializing in custom made foot orthotics and orthopedic footwear, shoe modifications and specialty footwear. David’s expertise have been instrumental working with Dr. Bowering at the Royal Alexandra Hospital’s Diabetic Foot Clinic. Throughout the years David’s solid understanding of foot assessment and treatment has earned him frequent invitations to guest lecture and teach modules to Occupational Therapy students at University of Alberta. David is also currently involved with the Edmonton Sport Institute and the Glenrose amputee program.