Plenary Lectures

The prestigious Welch Memorial Lecture will be delivered by Amanda Bolderston, RT(T), MSc, FCAMRT. Amanda is Provincial Professional Practice and Academic Leader for the BC Cancer Agency. She is a researcher, educator and former CAMRT President and has worked in the UK, Holland and Canada. Amanda has authored numerous articles and presented extensively nationally and internationally. Her current interests are in advanced practice and the recognition and development of practice-based judgement.

Ken Baird is the Senior Director, Diagnostic Imaging and Pathology & Laboratory Medicine at the Nova Scotia Health Authority. He will be speaking on the importance of MRTs in the present and future health care system.

As an inspiring and thought-provoking end to the conference, Reverend David Maginley will share his expertise on Compassionate Communication. David is the interfaith staff chaplain for the cancer program, palliative care and MSICU at the QEII Health Sciences Centre. He received his BA in comparative religion and philosophy at the University of Saskatchewan, and Masters of Divinity at Lutheran Theological Seminary, Saskatoon, but his real education came from dealing with Pheochromocytoma, a rare condition that led him to explore meditation, compassion and the nature of consciousness. David has served as an advisor to the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, helped develop Distress Management Guidelines, and has lectured throughout Canada, conducting workshops with healthcare staff and the public on spirituality, cancer, grief, and aspects of emergent and integrative spirituality. He is a member of the International Association for Near Death’s Studies, and contributes to research on patient experiences at end-of-life. He will be speaking on compassionate communication.

Carol-Anne Davis is a radiation therapist currently working at the Nova Scotia Cancer Centre as a Clinical Educator. Carol-Anne worked as a radiation therapist for 15 years before taking on education and clinical practice roles in the department of radiation oncology. After completing her diploma in Radiation Therapy, she moved on to complete her BSc and her MSc in Radiation Oncology. In 2014 she was appointed Lecturer in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Dalhousie University and recently became a Fellow of the CAMRT. Carol-Anne’s clinical interests reside in RT for H&N cancer population, imaging, scopes of practice and stereotactic body radiotherapy. Research interests include positron-emission-tomography, peer–review and RT outcomes. Her presentation on Getting Started in Research…Big ‘R’ and Little ’r’ will be the opening presentation on Sunday.

Dr. Nicole B. Dhanraj is the recipient of the International Speakers Exchange Award, which provides a speaking opportunity at the CAMRT conference to an outstanding member of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists. Her presentation The Big and Small Issues of the Disproportionate Patient: Technical and Safety Challenges in Radiology is sure to be enlightening. She began her career in radiology as a diagnostic imaging and CT technologist in the US Army where she spent four years before advancing to position as Technical Director for a small radiology outpatient practice in the civilian world. Her background also includes IR and MRI. She is considered a subject matter expert on the technical, managerial and operational aspects of healthcare. She is dedicated to issues such as global radiology, macroeconomics, poverty, entrepreneurship, and women affairs. She currently works as a researcher, educator and radiology professional. Nicole received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from St. Martin’s University and her Master’s in International Relations, graduating magna cum laude from Troy State University. She earned her doctorate with an emphasis in Organizational Management from Capella University.

Her presentation is entitled The Big and Small Issues of the Disproportionate Patient: Technical and Safety Challenges in Radiology.