AHP Symposium 2024 – Nov. 1-3

Sport PEI is hosting the 2024 Athlete Health and Performance Symposium from November 1-3 at the Royalty Centre (40 Enman Crescent, Charlottetown) for athletes, students, coaches, and healthcare professionals. Come see presentations, panels, and workshops from some of the top sports science minds of Atlantic Canada and beyond.

Registration and guests below:

Friday, November 1st – 6-9pm
Students (interested in sport science) – $10: thelocker.coach.ca/event/registration/11984
Full Info

Saturday, November 2nd – 9am – 4pm
Coaches – $50: thelocker.coach.ca/event/registration/11985
Full Info

Sunday, November 3rd – 9am – 4pm
Health Care Professionals – $75: thelocker.coach.ca/event/registration/11986
Full Info

Speaker Bios (check posts for who is speaking on which days)

Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser – Olympic gold medalist, author and motivational speaker Seven World Championships; Six Olympic appearances; Five Olympic medals; Four Olympic Gold medals – Hayley Wickenheiser is a titan of sport and a leader both on and off the ice.A first-ballot Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, Hayley’s hockey IQ is highly respected in both the male and female game. She has played in, or coached at, four NHL development camps the Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, and the Toronto Maple Leafs – having accepted a permanent full-time role of AGM of Player Development for the Leafs in 2020.Alongside her career in the NHL, Hayley is currently a doctor practicing family and emergency medicine in the Toronto-area – a pursuit she had dreamt of her whole life and began in 2017 following her retirement from her 23 years on the National Women’s Team. She is a member of the Order of Canada, a retired member of the IOC Athlete’s Commission, Member of Canada’s Sport Hall of Fame, Founder of The Canadian Tire Wickenheiser World Female HockeyFestival and most importantly, a mom to her grown son Noah.

Travis Gaudet – Advanced Practice Physiotherapist–Travis is the co-owner, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Rehabilitation at ORKA Performance. He regularly consults with Pro-Athletes, Collegiate Athletes, Youth Athletes, and general population alike. He has spoken and delivered workshops Internationally, and has consulted with athletes in the NHL, MLB, Olympics, CFL, MLS, Canada Men’s National Soccer Team, USPORT, NCAA and more. He graduated with a Master’s of Science in Physiotherapy from Dalhousie University in Halifax, N.S. in 2013, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, NB in 2011.He received his Diploma of Advanced Manual and Manipulative Therapy from the Orthopaedic Division in 2018. He is a Fellow with the Canadian Academy of Manipulative Physiotherapists (FCAMPT) and a mentor with the Orthopedic Division of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association. He is on Physiotherapy Alberta’s restricted activity roster for spinal manipulation, ordering diagnostic imaging, and dry needling.

Nancy Fong – Sports Dietician – Nancy is a Registered Dietitian, Consulting Sport & Performance Dietitian, and is the owner of Maximum Performance & Nutrition and Sport Nutrition Academy. Nancy graduated from the prestigious post-graduate diploma program in sport nutrition by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Medical Commission (2005). Through her passion, hard work, & dedication Nancy has gained the opportunity to work with countless Provincial, National, and International athletes. Some of her most recent clients include: The Charlottetown Islanders QMJHL Team (15 years), UPEI Women’s Hockey Team (3 years), UPEI Women’s Rugby (2 years), provincial and nation Speed Skating (10 years), National Biathlon (7 years), team QMJHL in the CIBC Canada Russia Series (2017), Blanchard Goaltending School (7 years), 2013 Canadian World Junior Men’s Hockey Team, Hockey PEI, numerous NHL athletes, Sport PEI, UPEI Men & Women Basketball, UPEI Men & Women Soccer, individual recreation athletes and Canada Game teams.

Meagan Ferguson – Certified Mental Performance Consultant – As 1 of only 2 Certified Professional Mental Performance Consultants® in Prince Edward Island, Meagan has worked with teams, athletes, coaches, and professionals in a variety of sports competition levels.  Achieving a Master’s of Human Kinetics in Applied Sport Psychology (University of Ottawa), Meagan is certified in Mental Health First Aid, The Working Mind (Mental Health Commission of Canada), and Mindfulness Facilitation for Athletic Performance (Ottawa Mindfulness Clinic).A Certified Learning Facilitator for the CAC and CCMHS (Coaching Association of Canada, Canadian Centre for Mental Health in Sport), Meagan also holds over 15 years of experience coaching at grassroots to elite competition levels. Such involvements include Head Coach with Holland College women’s hockey, Team PEI female flag football (Football PEI), Team New Brunswick u18F Special Teams Coordinator (Football New Brunswick), and a Defensive Assistant Coach for the CFL Ottawa Redblacks as per the first CFL Women in Football Program in 2022.

Dr. Julia McKenna – Chiropractor- Julia is a graduate of the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto. A long-time multi-sport athlete, Dr. Mckenna treats a wide variety of musculoskeletal complaints, with a special interest in the treatment and management of concussions. She offers Chiropractic services, including manual adjustment, instrument-assisted soft tissue therapy, and contemporary medical acupuncture. She is also a certified in Complete concussion Management,  Titleist Professional Institute, GLAD Canada and a member of the Sport PEI Athlete Health Professional team

Owen MacWilliams – Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist  –Owen MacWilliams is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (National Strength and Conditioning Association) and currently completing his Master’s in exercise and sport science with a focus in strength and conditioning. Throughout his coaching career, Owen has experienced working with NFL, NHL, CFL, AHL, AFL, NCAA and U-Sport athletes. These opportunities developed his personal philosophy that emphasizes evidence-based principles, building relationships with athletes in his care and effective communication strategies. Owen runs OG Performance which is a remote health and wellness consulting company that has two established foundational components. Firstly, it was created and established to support high-performance athletes which is the heartbeat of this small company. OG Performance is building a direction towards supporting retired athletes who want to keep a competitive edge in their training and busy professionals looking to optimize their health and longevity.

 Dr. Christopher Maclean – Clinical Biomechanist – Christopher is an Instructor at Dalhousie University involved with teaching (Clinical Biomechanics, Mechanisms of Injury) and research in lower extremity biomechanics. He is the former Director of Fortius Lab & Applied Biomechanics at the Fortius Institute in Burnaby, British Columbia. During this time, he has analyzed ~ 1600 distance runners/walkers and collaborated with Brooks Running, Nike, and Mizuno completing contracted research projects on footwear. In Industry, he has been involved in the prescription foot orthotic industry for approximately 30 years first as a Pedorthist, as Director of Biomechanics, and currently as Chair of the Professional Advisory Board at Paris Orthotics Lab Division, Vancouver BC. Academically, Chris completed a Master of Science (Human Kinetics) at the University of British Columbia with Dr. Jack Taunton. Following this, he completed the Ph.D. (Biomechanics) program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst with Dr. Joseph Hamill. His research efforts over the past several years have focused on the mechanism of overuse running injuries and on the dynamic influence of custom foot orthotic and running shoe interventions.

Randy Goodman – Clinical Specialist in Sports Physiotherapy – Randy Goodman is one of the premier Sport Physiotherapists in Canada. He has provided care and advice for some of the best athletes in the world in the field of injury recovery, return to sport and athlete development.  This experience has transformed into providing guidance and mentoring of therapists throughout North America on how to maximize recovery and performance in developing and elite athletes. While his passion is working with developing athletes, Randy has worked with athletes from virtually all professional levels of sport.  This includes athletes from the NHL, NFL, NBA, MLS, PGA, AHL, NCAA, and CIS.  He has provided coverage for multiple international sporting events including World Championships, the Pan Am Games, and the Olympics. As well, he has coordinated care and development for multiple national teams including the Canadian Figure Skating and Freestyle Ski team, and consults with other national teams on the design of their integrated support for athletes.  He has worked at the national/international level with hockey, basketball, soccer, volleyball,  skiing, snowboard,  figure skating, football, golf, athletics, triathlon,  tennis, cross country skiing, wakeboard, swimming and diving, gymnastics, baseball, and Paralympic sports.  He speaks throughout North America on the rehabilitation and training of developing athletes.

Dr. Dave Whitty – Chiropractor – Dr. David Whitty has been practicing Chiropractic here in downtown Charlottetown for 20 years. He is a graduate of St. F.X.U. with a science degree, the Canadian Chiropractic College in Toronto (Doctor of Chiropractic) and also has Masters of Education and Leadership from UPEI. He is the President of the PEI Chiropractic Association, and one of the Opinion Leaders with the Canadian Chiropractic Guidelines Initiative.]As with other chiropractors, the focus of his care is on neuro-musculo-skeletal system, assessing movement patterns throughout the body, determining areas of muscle weakness or limited mobility. Dr. Whitty’s patient population stretches from teens and youths to seniors. The complaints are musculo-skeletal problems, sports injury and rehabilitation, low back pain, sciatica, hip, knee, ankle, shoulder and neck pain as well as the headaches are the most common areas of involvement. His focus is on addressing the soft tissues (muscle and tendons) and joint mobility. Manipulation of the spine is one of the treatments Dr. Whitty utilizes but not exclusively. Most patients receive soft tissue therapy particularly Active Release Technique® and Graston Technique® or Acupuncture and Dry Needling and all are prescribed restorative exercises. Dr. Whitty is the founder of CrossFit PEI, one of the first CrossFit gyms in Eastern Canada in 2008. He is a Level 4 CrossFit Coach, a Level II Olympic Weight Lifting Coach and a Certified Yoga Instructor.

Lynn Boudreau – Senior Sport Coordinator, Sport PEI–  Lynn is a Certified Performance Coach Indoor and Beach Volleyball, with +30 years coaching volleyball at various levels. She was the 8 years CIS Head Coach- UPEI’s Best placement, semi finals AUS. She has been the Head Coach for Volleyball indoor and Beach for  2001, 2005, 2009, 2017& 2022. She was the 2005 AUS Coach of the Year / Volleyball Canada Female Coach of the Year, and is the senior learning facilitator and coach coordinator for PEI.

Natasha Burgess Johnson – Director of Coaching, Canadian Sport Institue Atlantic – Natasha was a multi-sport athlete who transitioned to Coaching at a young age and never looked back. She started coaching gymnastics and eventually led the NS Provincial Freestyle Snowboard Team for 13 years and 3 Canada Games and was an assistant coach with the 2013 NS CG Softball Team. She’s been a professional sport administrator for over 15 years working for Provincial Sport Organizations, National Sport Organizations and has been the Director of Coaching at the Canadian Sport Institute Atlantic for 7 years. She’s now in her final months of an MBA focused on Leadership in the hopes of continuing to see positive changes in Sport. Her coaching now focuses on community sport as she learns to coach her children’s activities.