Genetic DNA with Sheila Early, RN BScN

Sarah Sherman is a survivor, advocate, educator, and CEO of We’re Here For You Canada, a charity providing immediate, free support to victims of violence. As a speaker, she courageously shares her journey, offering not just hope but actionable insights into building safer communities and fostering healthy relationships. With decades of experience in social services and working with foster children, as well as life experience, Sarah’s trauma-informed approach inspires change and empowers audiences of all ages. She challenges us to rewrite the narrative, break the cycle of shame, and create a world where safety is expected, not where we have to teach girls how to be safe. Let’s work together to help our children and grandchildren find peace.

Dr. Janice Du Mont is a Senior Scientist at the Research and Innovation Institute of Women’s College Hospital and Professor in Public Health at the University of Toronto, where she is also Director of the Collaborative Specialization in Women’s Health. Her current research focuses on improving care--particularly within the forensic nursing context--provided to diverse survivors of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence. She is the recipient of the International Association of Forensic Nurses' Vision Award and Distinguished Fellow Award.

Paul Thomas Clements is a board-certified Advanced Practice Forensic Nurse (FNCB/AFN-C), a Certified Gang Specialist, Certified in Danger Assessment, and Certified with Nurses United in Disaster Response. Practicing in the forensic psychiatric nursing arena for over 30 years, Clements has provided consultation for hospital systems, EMTs, Child Protective Agency personnel, trauma/emergency nurses, psychiatric providers, academic and corporate settings – each regarding vulnerability risk assessment, target-hardening, and decreasing the number of violent incidents in the workplace, as well as bullying and the subsequent sequelae. Clements has numerous peer reviewed textbooks including two recent publications: Mental Health Issues of Child Maltreatment: Contemporary Strategies 2-volume set (2024), and most recently, The Expanding Continuum of Gender-Based Violence: Trauma-Informed Care 2-Volume set (2025). Violence Against Women: Intersectional Case Studies is scheduled for publication in early-2026. Additionally, he has over 100 peer-review publications, and a significant number of conference presentations – nationally and internationally – that address assessment and intervention related to the neurobiology of trauma, interpersonal violence, aggression, and offender behavior, coping after a violent death, safety assessment, and exposure to interpersonal violence and crime. Clements holds a Master’s degree in Child and Family Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing and a Doctor of Philosophy in Forensic Psychiatric Nursing, both from the University of Pennsylvania, with research and practice that have surrounded the traumatic presentations and behaviors of children exposed to the homicide of a family member. Clements was recently inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN), and is also a Fellow in the National League for Nursing Master Educators. Clements works as a Clinical Professor at the Center of Excellence in Forensic Nursing at Texas A & M University.

Bruce Pitt-Payne is a British Columbia–based investigative interviewing specialist (adults and children) with more than 26 years of experience in the RCMP, where he served as a major crime investigator, interview specialist and advisor, and the Program Manager for Investigative Interviewing Training in BC. In the latter role, he led the modernization of police interviewing practices, advancing research-informed, non- accusatory methods rooted in the PEACE framework and

trauma-informed practice.

Following his RCMP career, Bruce established a full-time consulting and training practice focused on elevating investigative interviewing standards across police, regulatory, and workplace investigations. He is the founder of QTiPP (Qualified Trauma-informed PEACE Practitioner) a designation emphasizing ethical, evidence-based approaches to eliciting accurate information while minimizing harm.

Bruce develops and teaches interviewing tactics and techniques used by practitioners across Canada and abroad such as credibility assessment, and ethical persuasion.

He is also the creator of The PracTeachioner, a learning brand dedicated to bridging the gap between scientific knowledge and practical field application. His training programs, ranging from entry-level investigator courses to advanced interviewing workshops and courses, emphasize clarity, structure, ethics, and real-world applicability. Bruce is widely recognized for his commitment to replacing outdated confrontational techniques with approaches grounded in psychology, communication science, and trauma-informed principles. His work continues to influence investigative practice, professional standards, and interviewer education across multiple disciplines in Canada and internationally.

Sheila is an internationally recognized forensic nursing practitioner, educator, consultant and author since 1992.

Highlights

• 1992. Co-developed the first Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program in British Columbia, second in Canada at Surrey Memorial Hospital.
• 1994 performed the first medical-forensic examination by a certified nurse examiner in British Columbia
• 1994-2007 roles included sexual assault nurse examiner, emergency and SANE program clinician/educator
• 2003-2018 created and taught the first post-secondary SANE course and first Forensic Health Sciences two -year certificate at British Columbia Institute of Technology classroom delivered. Nurse Examiner courses delivered in person across Canada.
• 2006-2018 Coordinator/Instructor Forensic Health Sciences Program BCIT
• 2006 Co-founded Forensic Nurses Society, now Canadian Forensic Nurses Association.
• 2014 President International Association of Forensic Nurses. First Canadian forensic nurse elected as president.
• 2015(Geneva) and 2017(Ottawa) represented forensic nursing at WHO VIP assemblies
• 2016 author Chapter 16 Forensic Nursing in Canadian text “The Lawyer’s Guide to the Forensic Sciences”
• 2025 (December 31.25) appointed as Member of the Order of Canada by the Governor General of Canada

Stacey is based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. She is a registered nurse with 16 years experience in emergency nursing, 15 of those as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE).

In 2017 Stacey achieved SANE-A certification through the International Association of Forensic Nurses. In 2020 she began as the Coordinator of the St. John’s SANE Program, where she participated in the development and implementation of the Anonymous Sexual Assault Evidence Preservation Program (ASAEPP). With a keen interest and passion for forensic nursing, she completed her Master of Science in Nursing with a specialty in Forensic Nursing in 2024. This same year she also moved into the role of Provincial SANE Coordinator, leading SANE service expansion provincially in Newfoundland and Labrador.

She is a strong advocate for education and awareness on the impacts of violence, trauma informed health care responses and the advancement of forensic nursing. She is thrilled to be presenting at this year’s Symposium.

Dr. Lara Flynn Hudspith is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of British Columbia, based in Capacity: The Centre for Research in Community Engagement & Gender Equity in the School of Nursing. Lara's research interests centre around the health and justice needs of victim-survivors of sexual violence. Her current research, conducted under the mentorship of Dr. Vicky Bungay, and funded by Michael Smith Health Research BC, explores victim-survivors' and nurses' experiences of the Medical Forensic Examination (MFE).

Heather has been a Registered Nurse with the College of Registered Nurses of

Manitoba since 2008. She has worked as a Forensic Nurse Examiner since 2018 and

currently practices in the community-based sexual assault and intimate partner violence program, Hummingbird, at Klinic Community Health in Winnipeg.

Heather’s background includes experience in Trauma Intensive Care, Women’s Health, and community primary care.

David Stengert is a Constable with the RCMP E-Division Hate Crime Unit, working out of Surrey, British Columbia. Prior to joining the BC Hate Crime Unit in March of 2025, David worked as a police officer with the New Westminster Police Department (NWPD) for over 22 years. During David’s career with the NWPD, he worked in the areas of Forensic Identification (Ident), a secondment with the RCMP Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT), and the Major Crime Unit as well as in the patrol division. Prior to joining the NWPD, David worked as a Correctional Officer with the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General’s office.

David holds a degree in Forensic Science from the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) and is also a sessional instructor at the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) where he instructs in the areas of Law Enforcement studies and Emergency Management. David’s role with the BC Hate Crime Unit involves providing training to both police officers, community partners, groups, and stakeholders as well as assisting with criminal investigations.

Karen Mason (she/her) is co-founder and executive director of Supporting Survivors of Abuse and Brain Injury through Research (SOAR), a registered charity and the only organization in Canada with a singular focus on brain injury from intimate partner violence. A seasoned non-profit leader, communicator and community collaborator, Karen also served as executive director for Third Space Charity and Kelowna Women’s Shelter in Kelowna, British Columbia. Karen brings 35+ years of career experience in the private, public, and non-profit sectors to her work advocating for survivors of IPV, conducting knowledge translation and mobilization activities, and supporting research, development, and dissemination of promising practices. Karen has training in trauma-informed practice and advanced strangulation prevention.

Dr. Paul van Donkelaar (he/him) is co-founder and scientific advisor for Supporting Survivors of Abuse and Brain Injury through Research (SOAR), a registered charity and the only organization in Canada with a singular focus on brain injury from intimate partner violence. Paul is a professor in the School of Health and Exercise Sciences at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus in Kelowna, B.C., Canada. His research focusses on the basic mechanisms of sensorimotor control and the cerebrovascular, neurocognitive, and sensorimotor aspects of brain dysfunction resulting from traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Since 2016, he has focused much of his research on better understanding brain dysfunction in women who have experienced intimate partner violence-caused brain injury.

Daniel J. Sheridan, PhD, RN, FAAN is the President of JS Net Associates, LLC, a

lecture/consulting company focused on forensic case reviews and multidisciplinary forensic education. Dr. Sheridan is not the role model for a sustained retirement. His first retirement was in 2013 as an Associate Professor from the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and his second retirement was as Professor at the Texas A&M University College of Nursing in 2019.

At both universities, Dr. Sheridan (better known to his students as Dr. Dan) developed Forensic Nursing Graduate Education Programs. His research areas include using alternate light to see cutaneous bruises no longer visible in white (normal) light, intimate partner violence and violence in the workplace.

Dr. Sheridan has contracts to do case reviews for two divisions of the Oregon

Department of Human Services (Adult Protective Services and Developmental Disability Services) and a contract with the Nevada APS.

Dr. Sheridan has over 40-years of experience working with survivors of domestic

violence, family violence, elder and vulnerable abuse/neglect and sexual assault. He has created and managed two hospital-based family violence intervention programs, the first in Chicago, Illinois and the second in Portland, Oregon.

Dr. Sheridan has published more than 50 clinical and research articles on nursing’s role in abuse and forensics and has given over 600 invited lectures on these topics

nationally and internationally. Dr. Sheridan is a former Board President of the

International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) and a former Board Member of the National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA).

He (and his wife of 46 years, Marge Jozsa) currently live in Cave Creek, AZ and are

enduring the heat to spend

Krystin has been a Registered Nurse with the College of Registered Nurses of

Manitoba since 2009. She has worked as a Forensic Nurse Examiner since 2011 and currently practices in the community-based sexual assault and intimate partner violence program, Hummingbird, at Klinic Community Health in Winnipeg.

Krystin's background includes experience in Trauma Intensive Care and the Emergency Room in Urban and Rural centres.  

Ashley is a registered psychiatric nurse and has been practicing forensic nursing for 16 years. She is the current coordinator of the Klinic Hummingbird Program servicing people impacted by sexual violence and intimate partner violence. In the past, Ashley has worked in acute care psychiatry, women’s & repro health, trans health, and coordinated a hospital based forensic nursing program. Ashley teaches at Duquesne University in the Master of Forensic Nursing Program and is the Past-President of the International Association of Forensic Nurses.

During Stu's 28 year police career, he served with the Vancouver, Saanich, and New Westminster Police Departments. He also was employed at the Justice Institute of British Columbia Police Academy.

He was instrumental in implementing Canada's Forensic DNA legislation having served on both the Provincial and Federal DNA Advisory Committees.

Stu has conducted extensive investigations and research regarding DNA. He authored "DNA Evidence: Investigative Procedures for Law Enforcement" as well as other publications.  

 During his police career he held many positions including serving as a Forensic Identification Officer. He was actively involved in the Canadian Identification Society serving in all capacities including President. 

Dr. April Joy Steele is a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner and Assistant Professor of Nursing at Cape Breton University (CBU). With over 35 years of experience, she is a leader in integrating clinical practice with transformative, culturally safe nursing education.

At CBU, Dr. Steele is spearheading the Indigenization of the nursing curriculum, specifically through the development of a combined Pathophysiology and Pharmacology course for undergraduate BScN students. Central to this work is the application of Two-Eyed Seeing (Etuaptmumk), a guiding principle from Mi'kmaw Elder Albert Marshall that weaves together the strengths of Indigenous and Western ways of knowing. By applying this framework, Dr. Steele ensures that future nurses can recognize health and healing through a holistic lens, prioritizing cultural safety and self-determination. 

This "Two-Eyed" approach is also vital to her work in identifying coercive control. Dr. Steele, a graduate of the Laura Richards Masterclass, uses the DASH Risk Identification Model to identify non-physical patterns of abuse. In her recent publication in Canadian Nurse (April 2025), she advocates for a transformative shift in healthcare, linking the need for better risk assessment tools with the systemic changes required to protect vulnerable populations. By bridging Indigenized curriculum with trauma-informed practice, she prepares nurses to see beyond physical symptoms to the deeper social and psychological patterns of harm. 

Clinically, Dr. Steele provides comprehensive family medicine through Virtual Care Nova Scotia. She also serves as an Adjunct Professor for the Athabasca University Master of Nursing (MN) Nurse Practitioner program, a role she has held for the past six years. She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from Grand Canyon University and her Master of Nursing (MN) from Athabasca University.