Fall Family and Caregiver Conference 2024

Jennifer obtained her Bachelor of Physical and Health Education from the University of Toronto, and Bachelor of Education from the OISE/UT, where she also played varsity basketball. She has over nineteen years of experience in project management and coordination with non-profit organizations in developing and supporting the delivery of learning opportunities and resources. Jennifer has enjoyed supporting families and individuals in the OPWSA community for the past 9.5 years.

Dr. Sarah-Marie Feighan is a research fellow at the Centre for Brain and Mental Health at the SickKids Research Institute. She develops eye-tracking tools to study eating behaviors and social challenges in Prader-Willi Syndrome. Sarah’s work aims to create new ways to measure and understand hunger, behavior, and mental health, helping to guide better treatments and support for those with PWS.

Dr. Louise Gallagher is a consultant psychiatrist and Chief of the Child and Youth Mental Health Collaborative at SickKids and CAMH. She leads efforts to improve mental health care for children with neurodevelopmental disorders, including Prader-Willi Syndrome. Louise is passionate about making mental health support accessible and tailored to each child’s needs.

Mark Joseph currently lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba with his beautiful wife, Jenn, and their two children: Darwin (11, PWS) and Edison (8). Before moving to Winnipeg, they have also called Toronto, Markham, and Blue Mountains, Ontario home over the years. 

Mark’s educational background is in science and technology, which lead him to careers in the environmental consulting and aviation fields. He is currently a Captain for WestJet Airlines. 

Mark first connected with the PWS community within weeks of Darwin’s diagnosis. He’s been learning, sharing, fundraising and supporting families in our community ever since. He finds that hope for a better future coupled with networking within the community have been his personal recipe for managing PWS in their lives. This motivated him to get more involved with the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research Canada. He has been on the board of directors for one year and assumed the President & Chair role in April 2024. He hopes to bring a collaborative tone to FPWR Canada. To better engage families and work closely with other stakeholders in the PWS community. 

In his personal time, you’ll find him outside in all climates & geographies enjoying the wonders of nature & our planet. His favourites are paddling & hiking … it’s his catharsis.  

Melinda Lamarche has been a Registered Dietitian since 2006 after completing her undergraduate degree in Food and Nutrition and Toronto Metropolitan University and an internship with the University Health Network. Melinda also holds a Masters degree in Community Health from the University of Toronto and has completed culinary training. 

Melinda has worked in many settings over the years, including clinical positions in tertiary and primary care, community and public health. She has worked with people from across the lifespan and with many nutrition concerns.  Most recently, Melinda’s focus has been in Pediatric Nutrition. While working towards an expertise in this area, Melinda met Karen Balko who is well known in the Prader Willi Community. Karen was gracious enough to train Melinda to work with people living with PWS and their families. Melinda enjoys working with this population and is so grateful to have met Karen and have the opportunity to learn from her. 

When not focused 100% on nutrition, Melinda spends time with her husband and 4 children, and if there is any time left to spare, she is baking, cooking and learning to crochet. 

Cathy is a proud PWS parent (Rebecca, 27) who has been involved with OPWSA for many years, including as a board member and co-chair and currently as the chair of OPWSA's Residential Options Committee. She is a communications and change management professional with over 25 years of experience in the public, non-profit and private sectors. 

Rob is an Honor Graduate of Brock University in the field of Recreation and Leisure Studies, in addition to having received his Occupational Therapy Assistant certification from Humber College. Rob has worked in the field of rehabilitation, health care and support for individuals with Prader-Willi Syndrome and Traumatic Brian Injuries (TBI) since 1991 within the public and private sector.

Since 1996 Rob has volunteered at the annual OPWSA conference and coordinated the OPWSA Youth Program portion of the conference. Rob has also presented at the OPWSA conference with respect to innovative fitness programming for people with PWS.

Leanne Ristic is a psychometrist at the Centre for Brain and Mental Health at the SickKids Research Institute. She has extensive experience working with children with neurodevelopmental disorders in both research and as an Intensive Behaviour Interventionist. Leanne completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology at the University of Victoria and is dedicated to understanding and improving the lives of families and children with rare genetic disorders and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

Radana Ulrych is the Clinical Supervisor at Community Living Dufferin. She has worked within the Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities field since 2001 with a special interest in behavioural supports for people with Prader Willi Syndrome. She has 22 years experience in implementation and development of support programming for people with the diagnosis of Prader Willi Syndrome. She has been part of the creation and ongoing development of the regional specialized PWS home in Dufferin County.

Radana holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Guelph, a Clinical Behavioural Science Post Professional Diploma from McMaster University and has completed the Board-Certified Assistant Behaviour Analyst course sequence through Florida Institute of Technology.