SPEAKERS BIO

Shannon Mckay

Shannon is a registered Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists and a member of the Psychologists Association of Alberta. She holds a clinical supervisor position with Alberta Health Services Addiction and Mental Health.

Shannon also has a private psychology practice. Prior to licensing as a psychologist, she worked as an Occupational Therapist assisting clients dealing with both physical and mental health issues.

Shannon works from a client-centered culturally sensitive approach and uses a variety of therapy techniques drawn from Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and meditation/mindfulness. She has developed various group therapy programs and assisted with development of post secondary course curriculum focused on trauma care and stress management.

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Sonia Funk

Sonia Funk is a Corporate Wellness Strategist and Speaker, Nutritional Therapist and Wellness Coach. She has travelled the world as both student and teacher learning and working in Toronto, New York, London, The Middle East and Ottawa. Along the way she gathered a big picture perspective on all aspects of wellbeing. Sonia is a dot connector. Her super-powers include outrageous common sense and a willingness to ask the hard questions, which allow for easier answers. The questions she brings to the table cut through all the misinformation, fads and cliches around wellness and mental health. Always giving her audience courage to find a better question she helps them understand the real reasons they are struggling. Sonia brings extraordinary empathy and humour into all of her work. She gets it because she has lived it. Her 15 years of experience as an effective coach, therapist and facilitator around the world translate into her ability to relay transformational questions, tools and tips, that are relevant to everyone.

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Dr. Yogesh Thakker

Dr. Yogesh Thakker is a Consultant Psychiatrist and practices from his private clinic (Manor Clinic) in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada (FRCPC). He did medical schooling and MD (Psychiatry) from India. He has trained in Psychiatry in London (UK) for seven years. During this time, he was awarded Membership in Psychiatry (MRCPsych) and completed certificate of completion of training (CCT) in Psychiatry of Intellectual Disability. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton. He is the lead psychiatrist for the Adult FASD Clinic at Glenrose Hospital in Edmonton. He also works at Alberta Hospital Edmonton as an in-patient psychiatrist for people with intellectual disabilities. He was a visiting lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire, UK. He has completed a one-year certificate course in “Managing in Health and Social Care” from De Montford University, UK. He has a special interest in psychiatry of developmental disabilities like Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability. He is also interested in healthcare management and teaching.

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Dr Ronna Jevne

Dr. Jevne is passionate about healthier emotional lives for all, from children to seniors, from volunteers to professionals, from the mainstream to the disenfranchised. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Education with a major in English, two Master's degrees, one in Philosophy and one in Theological Studies, and a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology. Dr. Jevne’s career has spanned decades as an educator, psychologist, professor, inspirational speaker, and author. She has worked in the school system, health care system, the correctional system, the university, and in private practice.

She was a founding member of the Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology, a now flourishing national organization dedicated to addressing the psychological needs of cancer patients, families, and staff. She is also the visionary and a founding member of the Hope Foundation of Alberta, now known as Hope Studies Central, affiliated with the University of Alberta. It is the only research center in the world that specifically studies hope.

Now a professor emeritus, she continues her work through the Prairie Wind Writing Centre which encourages the use of written reflection to maintain and enhance your well-being. Author of a dozen books, she is well known for writing in a personal and direct style. Her husband, Hal Martin, shares her passion for the mission of the Prairie Wind Writing Centre. The enjoy writing and co-facilitating workshops together.

Ronna has received such recognitions as The Dick Pettifor Award presented for Outstanding Contribution to the Profession of Psychology, the YWCA Women of Excellence in the Social Sciences, and Global Television’s “Woman of Vision”. She is also the recipient of the University of Alberta Board of Governor’s Award of Distinction, the Distinguished Citizen Award from Grant McEwan University, and The Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for service to county and community.

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Giri Puligandla

Giri Puligandla is Executive Director of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) – Edmonton Region. CMHA promotes the mental health of all and supports the resilience and recovery of people experiencing mental illness and their families in 330 communities across Canada. Prior to joining CMHA Edmonton, he worked for Homeward Trust leading housing and homelessness planning in Edmonton and for Alberta Health managing cross-ministry mental health strategy. Earlier in his career, Giri was Executive Director with Caregivers Alberta and Schizophrenia Society Edmonton Chapter. He also holds a MSc in health promotion from the University of Alberta.

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Holly Reeve

Holly Reeve has received a Master’s Degree in Social Work with a Clinical Specialization from the University of Calgary. She has over 14 years in the mental health field and has extensive experience working with children, adolescents, and adults with various diagnoses and challenges. She has also worked as a Clinical Supervisor of a complex needs mental health team. Holly recognizes that you are the expert in your own life and will be treated as such. She will approach your time together genuinely and authentically.

Holly is comfortable supporting clients of all ages in areas like anger management, depression, anxiety, grief and loss, self-esteem, first responder/military issues, parent-child relationships, relationship issues, peer challenges, and trauma. Holly utilizes many approaches to meet clients where they are at including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectal Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Emotional Regulation, Narrative Approaches, Play-Based Strategies, and Mindfulness.

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Dr. Shawna Pandya, BSc (Hons), MSc, MD, CFPC, DMT, FAWM (candidate), FEWM (honorary)

Dr. Shawna Pandya is a Canadian physician, scientist-astronaut candidate program graduate with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS), aquanaut, speaker, martial artist, advanced diver, skydiver, pilot-in-training, VP Immersive Medicine with Luxsonic Technologies, Associate Fellow of the Aerospace Medicine Association, and Fellow of the Explorers’ Club. She is also Director of the IIAS Space Medicine Group, Chief Instructor of the IIAS Operational Space Medicine course, Director of Medical Research at Orbital Assembly Corporation, clinical lecturer, podcast host with the World Extreme Medicine’s WEMCast series, Primary Investigator (PI) for the Shad Canada-Blue Origin student microgravity competition, appointed member of the ASCEND Guiding Coalition, Life Sciences Team Lead for the Association of Spaceflight Professionals, and sessional lecturer for the “Technology and the Future of Medicine,” course at the University of Alberta. She is medical advisor to several space and technology companies. Dr. Pandya holds degrees in neuroscience (BSc Hons. Neuroscience, University of Alberta), space (MSc Space Studies, International Space University), and medicine (MD, University of Alberta).

Dr. Pandya was part of the first crew to test a commercial spacesuit in zero-gravity in 2015. Dr. Pandya earned her aquanaut designation during the 2019 NEPTUNE (Nautical Experiments in Physiology, Technology and Underwater Exploration) mission. She has also completed centrifuge studies, emergency spacecraft egress and sea survival training, and wilderness medicine training. She previously served as Commander during a 2020 tour at the Mars Desert Research Station. Her expeditions were captured in the Land Rover short, released with the Apollo 11: First Steps film. She has interned at ESA’s European Astronaut Center and NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Her publications include book chapters on space technologies benefiting terrestrial medicine and psychological resilience in long-duration spaceflight.

Dr. Pandya is a seasoned speaker and has given keynotes all around the world, including TEDxEdmonton 2010, TEDxUAlberta 2016 on Success, Failure, Resilience and Pushing the Limits, TEDxISU 2019 at the International Space University on “Discovering Exploration,” and in former Canadian Prime Minister Rt Hon. Kim Campbell’s Peter Lougheed Leadership College Leadership Lecture Series.

She is currently completing a fellowship in Wilderness Medicine (Academy of Wilderness Medicine), was granted an Honorary Fellowship in Extreme and Wilderness Medicine by the World Extreme Medicine organization in 2021. In 2021, Dr. Pandya was named one of the Women’s Executive Network’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, a Canadian Space Agency Space Ambassador, and one of LinkedIn's Top 100 Aviation and Aerospace Professionals to Follow in 2021. In 2019, Dr. Pandya’s career and trajectory were captured at the Ontario Science Center’s “Canadian Women in Space,” exhibit, where Dr. Pandya is permanently exhibited alongside Dr. Roberta Bondar, the first Canadian woman in space (and Dr. Pandya’s idol growing up). In 2022, Dr. Pandya was named as one the Explorers' Club's '50 Explorers Changing the World."