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.