Kim Fitzpatrick, OT Reg. (Ont.) is an Occupational Therapist (OT) at the Queensway Carleton Hospital (QCH) in Ottawa, Ontario. With over 25 years of experience as an OT, Kim has worked in various clinical settings and with difference client populations, including inpatient hospital acute care, inpatient/outpatient hospital rehab, inpatient/outpatient geriatric services and in-home community care. She is currently the OT Stroke Lead at QCH working on the acute medicine/stroke inpatient unit. Kim is passionate about stroke care and contributing to advancing stroke best practices in the hospital setting.

Mara Manzato is the Regional Manager for After Stroke, Eastern Ontario, at March of Dimes Canada. With over a decade of experience in community stroke recovery, Mara has been a driving force in enhancing the lives of stroke survivors through innovative support initiatives. She has played a key role in expanding the After Stroke program across Ontario, including initiatives like Hospital Peer Connections, which connects newly diagnosed stroke patients with trained volunteers who have experienced a stroke, and the development of Aphasia Peer Connect, an online peer support group for individuals with communication disabilities. In her role as a Communicative Disorders Assistant with the Aphasia and Communication Disabilities team at March of Dimes, Mara witnessed firsthand how peer support fosters a sense of belonging and connection, playing a critical role in stroke recovery. Her dedication to empowering stroke survivors continues to shape recovery pathways and support systems across Ontario.

Isabelle is a nurse who graduated from McGill University in 1993. She spent her early career at the Montreal Neurological Hospital where she specialized in Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Epilepsy and obtained her Canadian Certification in Neuroscience Nursing. Isabelle fulfilled a leadership position as assistant head nurse before she transitioned to The Ottawa Hospital in 2004. She has since joined the Regional Stroke Network as a clinical nurse specialist where she focuses on improving best practices and patient and family outcomes through education, clinical expertise and through fostering quality improvement using the knowledge she gained from her Six Sigma Green Belt Certification.

Anna Sewell is a Registered Nurse working in the role of York Region District Stroke Coordinator for the past two years. Working from Mackenzie Health in Vaughan, Ontario, she is a member of the Central East Stroke Network in Ontario. She has worked in four different provinces throughout Canada. A large part of her career has focused on neurology and stroke. She has held various positions of Educator, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Manager and now coordinator of the District Stroke Centre. Anna is very passionate about creating public awareness about stroke and linking clients to community partners.

Catherine Wong works with the Champlain Regional Stroke Network, located at the Regional Stroke Centre (The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus) as the Acute Care Project Manager.
Her portfolio as the Acute Care Project Manager includes working with regional stakeholders in the hyperacute and acute setting to support implementation and education of regional and provincial initiatives to improve the stroke system of care.
Catherine enjoys movement, especially being outdoors with her dog!