More about our speakers and presentations (subject to change). Dr. Mark Hamilton, Professor of Neurosurgery Director, Adult Hydrocephalus Program and Surgical Neuro-Oncology Program, Pediatric Neurosurgery Program Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta Dr. Hamilton did his Bachelor of Science degree (with distinction) at the University of Toronto and then graduated from McGill University Medical School in 1983. He did his Neurosurgery Residency at the University of Calgary and received his FRCSC in 1991. He did Fellowship training in cerebrovascular, skull base and pediatric Neurosurgery at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona and joined the University of Calgary Department of Clinical Neurosciences in 1994 where he is currently a Professor of Neurosurgery with additional appointments in the Department of Surgery and the Department of Pediatrics. He was the Chief of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery from 2002-2011. He is head of the University of Calgary Adult Hydrocephalus Program which he established, along with the University of Calgary Adult Hydrocephalus Clinic in 2008. Dr. Hamilton is the chair of the Adult Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network (AHCRN) which has eight clinical sites in three countries, President-Elect of the International Society for Hydrocephalus and Cerebrospinal Fluid Disorders (ISHCSF) and a member of the Board of Directors of the Hydrocephalus Association (HA) and the Medical Advisory Board (MAB) of HA and a member of the Board of Directors of Hydrocephalus Canada. He is on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Neurosurgery, Fluids and Barriers of the CNS and the Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences. His current main clinical and research interests are the diagnosis and management of hydrocephalus in adults. Dr. Amy McPherson, Senior Scientist Bloorview Research Institute Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Ontario Dr. Amy McPherson is a Senior Scientist in the Bloorview Research Institute at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, and Associate Professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Institute at the University of Toronto. Dr. McPherson’s program of research focuses upon health and wellness promotion in children with disabilities, with a particular focus on children with spina bifida. She has a particular interest in the use of strengths-based interventions to promote healthy lifestyles in children with disabilities, and weight-related communication best practices. Presentation 1 - Weight management for people with spina bifida in childhood and beyond. Many clinicians report substantial challenges in assessing, discussing and managing the weight of children and young people with spina bifida. This presentation will provide an overview of anthropometric assessment practices in Canadian spina bifida clinics as well as the key weight-related issues identified by clinicians, children with spina bifida and their parents. New health care guidelines will also be presented, which provide the best available evidence for promoting healthy nutrition in people with spina bifida across the lifespan, as well as strategies for obesity prevention and management. Presentation 2 - How should we talk about weight with children with spina bifida and their parents? Healthcare professionals receive little training in weight-related communication and often report feeling under-skilled to address the topic and concerned about causing harm. It can be even more challenging when working with children with spina bifida and their families, given the many medical and psychosocial needs that often need addressing. This presentation will review an evidence- based, user-friendly tool (A Knowledge Translation Casebook) that clinicians can use to support positive weight-related conversations with children and families, and will provide spina bifida-specific examples. The presentation will showcase the research and experiential evidence that underpins the Casebook, the development process, and how the Casebook may be used by clinicians in practice. Sarah Brown, BSc, RN, MN, IIWCC Clinical Nurse Specialist, WRHA Home Care Program, Winnipeg, Manitoba Sarah is currently a Clinical Nurse Specialist with the WRHA Home Care Program. She provides clinical consultation with visiting nurses for home care clients with wounds and other complex issues. She previously worked as a Clinical Nurse Specialist with the WRHA Palliative Care Program and the Canadian Virtual Hospice, and as a Clinical Nurse Specialist at Deer Lodge Centre. Sarah has her Masters degree in Nursing from the University of Manitoba and has completed the International Interdisciplinary Wound Care Course from the University of Toronto.