Jennifer Gerdts
Executive Director, Food Allergy Canada
Jennifer joined Food Allergy Canada in 2014 as a volunteer board member before assuming the position of Executive Director in January 2018. Since joining the organization, Jennifer has been instrumental in crafting the strategic direction that maintains Food Allergy Canada’s foundation in providing medically reviewed education and support for individuals and families living with food allergies while elevating the focus on key advocacy issues, like the National Food Allergy Action Plan.
Jennifer’s interest in food allergy is driven by the experience of raising twin boys who have multiple food allergies. Her sons started school the same year Sabrina’s Law was implemented (2005), Ontario legislation that protects children at risk of anaphylaxis. With this, Jennifer and her family experienced firsthand the benefits of the work of Food Allergy Canada, which advocated for the passing of this legislation.
Timothy Caulfield
Professor of Health Law & Science Policy | Bestselling Author
Professor Timothy Caulfield is an unrivalled communicator who debunks myths and assumptions about innovation in the health sector — from research on stem cells to diets and alternative medicine — for the benefit of the public and decision-makers. For over 20 years, he was the Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy and is currently a professor in the Faculty of Law and the School of Public Health and the Research Director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta.
Caulfield has been involved in a variety of interdisciplinary research endeavours that have led him to publish more than 400 academic articles. His research focuses on topics like stem cells, genetics, research ethics, the public representations of science, and public health policy issues. He has won numerous academic, science communication, and writing awards, and is a Member of the Order of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.
Caulfield also writes frequently for the popular press and is the author of two national bestsellers: The Cure for Everything: Untangling the Twisted Messages about Health, Fitness, and Happiness and Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?: When Celebrity Culture and Science Clash. His most recent book is Relax, Dammit!: A User’s Guide to the Age of Anxiety.
In addition, Caulfield is the co-founder of the science engagement initiative, #ScienceUpFirst. He has also hosted and produced several documentaries, including the award-winning television show, A User’s Guide to Cheating Death, which has aired in over 60 countries and is currently streaming on Netflix in North America.
Philippe Bégin MD, PhD, FRCPC, FAAAAI
Dr. Bégin is a clinician-scientist and assistant professor at the CHUM (Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal) and the CHU Sainte-Justine (Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine); and he teaches allergy and immunology at the Université de Montréal. His research focuses on new treatments for food allergy and their delivery in the public healthcare setting.
Dr. Bégin is the director of the public oral immunotherapy clinic at the Sainte-Justine and he is on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Dr. Bégin is also a member of our Healthcare Advisory Board and a member of the steering committee for the National Food Allergy Action Plan.
Moshe Ben-Shoshan MD, MSc
Dr. Ben-Shoshan is a physician in the division of Allergy/Immunology at Montreal Children’s Hospital. Among other accomplishments, he has established the largest cross-Canada registries that collect data on the diagnosis and management of food allergy, anaphylaxis, drug allergy, and primary immunodeficiencies; and his research has resulted in more than 90 published manuscripts. His research interests include anaphylaxis, chronic urticaria and immunodeficiency.
Dr. Ben-Shoshan is on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, and a member of the steering committee for the National Food Allergy Action Plan. Dr. Ben-Shoshan is also a member of our Healthcare Advisory Board.
Edmond S. Chan MD, FRCPC
Dr. Chan is a certified practicing Pediatric Allergist, UBC Clinical Associate Professor, and Head of the Division of Allergy & Immunology in the Department of Pediatrics at BC Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Chan leads a clinical research program dedicated to multiple aspects of food allergy and eosinophilic esophagitis. He is the President of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, on the Executive of the Allergy Section of the Canadian Paediatric Society, and a member of the steering committee for the National Food Allergy Action Plan. Dr. Chan is also a member of our Healthcare Advisory Board.
Linda Herbert, PhD
Linda Jones Herbert, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology & Behavioral Health at Children’s National Hospital and an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC.
Dr. Herbert is the Director of Research and Clinical Services for the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Children’s National. She is an NIH-funded clinical researcher whose research interests include the identification of medical and psychosocial factors related to adjustment to food allergies and the development of clinical interventions that support patients with food allergy and their caregivers.
Julia Upton MD, FRCPC, MPH
Dr. Upton is on staff at the Hospital for Sick Children in the Immunology and Allergy department; and an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto. Her research interests include food desensitization therapies, allergy diagnostics and advancing the recognition and treatment of immunodeficiencies.
Dr. Upton is on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. She is also a member of our Healthcare Advisory Board and a member of the steering committee for the National Food Allergy Action Plan.
Susan Waserman MSc, MD, FRCPC
Dr. Waserman is a Professor of Medicine, Director of the Division of Allergy/Clinical Immunology at McMaster University; and Director of the Adverse Reactions Clinic at the Firestone Institute of Respiratory Health, St Joseph’s Healthcare. Her research interests include mechanisms and treatment of peanut allergy and food-related anaphylaxis as well as urticaria.
Dr. Waserman is President of the Canadian Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Foundation, past President of the Ontario and Canadian Societies of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, and a member of the steering committee for the National Food Allergy Action Plan. Dr. Waserman is also a member of our Healthcare Advisory Board.
Wade Watson, MD, MEd
Dr. Wade Watson is a Professor of Pediatrics at Dalhousie University, Head of the Division of Allergy at the IWK Health Centre, and Chair of the Specialty Committee, Clinical Immunology and Allergy at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Dr. Watson is also a member of our Healthcare Advisory Board.
Samara Carroll
Registered social worker and food allergy counsellor
Samara Carroll has been living with food allergy since she was two years old. She knows what it’s like to navigate the daily stress of food allergy, and understand the importance of finding a balance between remaining vigilant and enjoying life.
Samara has her Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto, as well as an MA from York University. She is a registered social worker who has worked with children and families in clinical and community settings for more than 10 years. In her private practice, Carroll Counselling, she counsels children, teenagers and families to manage food allergy related anxiety. She also has an 11 month old baby.
Conference details
Register before February 28, 2025 to take advantage of the early bird rates. Live-streaming option is available for those unable to travel to the conference.
Visit the conference home page for more details, including registration, the agenda, venue, and more!
Contact us
Have questions? You can reach us at info@foodallergycanada.ca or 1 866 785-5660.