Meet Our 2026 Research Symposium Keynote Speaker: Susan Stevens

Join us on Thursday, April 30, 2026 for the 14th Annual Research Symposium - From Evidence to Action: Shaping the Future of Continuing Care – a day of innovative discoveries and thought-provoking conversation!

The Symposium takes place at the Cedar Event Centre, 111 Clayton Park Dr, Halifax, NS for a day filled with groundbreaking discussions and presentations on the latest innovations in continuing care and healthcare. Our event aims to inspire and empower professionals to provide the best possible care for their clients while fostering staff well-being.

Attendees will have the opportunity to network with industry leaders, participate in meaningful discussions, and learn about cutting-edge research that is shaping the future of continuing care and healthcare. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to be a part of the conversation!

Attendees will also receive a swag bag, enjoy a catered break and lunch, and have the chance to win exciting prizes at the conclusion of the event!

As we prepare for the upcoming 14th Annual Research Symposium, we are pleased to share two short videos featuring our keynote speaker, Susan Stevens.

Susan is an Adjunct Professor at Mount Saint Vincent University and the former Senior Director of Continuing Care with Nova Scotia Health. With decades of leadership experience across the continuing care system, she brings a rare combination of research insight, operational expertise, and lived system knowledge.

In the first video, Susan introduces herself and reflects on the path that has shaped her work in continuing care. It’s a thoughtful look at the experiences that inform her perspective on leadership, quality, and system change.

In the second video, she explores an important question: What makes a great healthcare worker?

Her response speaks to more than skills and credentials. She highlights the human qualities at the heart of care — empathy, resilience, commitment, and the ability to connect meaningfully with those we serve. It’s a timely reflection as organizations across the country consider how best to support and strengthen their workforce.

Workforce Well-Being as the Foundation of Quality

Susan’s full keynote, “Workforce Well-Being as the Foundation of Quality: Evidence-Informed Strategies for a Resilient Continuing Care System,” will explore how the well-being of the continuing care workforce underpins every dimension of quality — from safety and experience to organizational performance and long-term sustainability.

Drawing on research evidence, leadership lessons, and system-level reflection, she will challenge us to see workforce well-being not as a supportive add-on, but as a strategic quality imperative.

For those working in healthcare, research, policy, and leadership, this session will offer practical insights and a compelling framework for strengthening continuing care systems through intentional investment in the people who deliver care every day.

We invite you to join us at the Research Symposium to hear Susan’s full keynote.

Next, we have the full agenda for the day, including our other highlighted speakers and panels:

Agenda

08:00 AM - 09:00 AM

Exhibits & Networking

The Exhibits & Networking session offers a chance to connect with attendees, speakers, and professionals. Explore innovative projects and services shaping the future of continuing care, and healthcare, while building relationships and sharing insights over tea or coffee.

09:00 AM - 09:05 AM

Welcome from Northwood's President & CEO

Charbel Daniel

We are honoured to have our President and CEO, Charbel Daniel, open the 14th Annual Research Symposium. As a leader committed to advancing excellence in continuing care and research, Charbel will offer a warm welcome to all attendees and share insights on the importance of research and innovation in improving quality of care. This brief opening will set the tone for the day, highlighting the significance of collaborative efforts, ongoing discovery, and the vital role of research in shaping the future of continuing care.

09:05 AM - 09:50 AM

Keynote: The Well‑Being Advantage: Reframing Quality in Continuing Care

Susan Stevens

Susan’s presentation highlights a simple but often overlooked truth: the quality of continuing care depends on the well-being of the people who provide it. When staff feel supported, emotionally, physically, and psychologically, clients and residents experience safer, more compassionate, and more consistent care. Drawing on current research and real-world insights, Susan will explore practical, evidence-informed strategies organizations can use to strengthen workforce well-being. Participants will learn how improving communication, teamwork, and leadership at every level of the organization directly shapes staff well-being and overall care quality. Rather than treating workforce wellness as an optional add-on, the session reframes it as a core quality priority essential to stability, performance, and sustainability. Attendees will leave with actionable ideas and a renewed understanding of why caring for the workforce is one of the most powerful ways to improve care.

09:50 AM - 10:35 AM

Panel: Innovations in Aging – From Research to Implementation

Dr. Alison Grittner, Dr. Janice Keefe, Dr. Mary Ellen MacDonald

This panel showcases how aging and care research is being translated into real-world practice across Nova Scotia. Attendees will learn from leading researchers about practical applications that improve care delivery, resident quality of life, and workforce resilience in continuing care and community settings.

10:35 AM - 11:05 AM

Nutrition Break with Exhibits & Networking

Enjoy a selection of refreshments to recharge and network with fellow attendees and sponsors.

11:05 AM - 11:35 AM

Making Space for Mental Health in Home & Community Care

Dr. Chelsea Coumoundouros

The Mental Health Conversations Initiative was co-designed to support integration of evidence-informed, non-diagnostic, holistic mental health conversations into routine interactions between home and community care providers and older adults. This presentation shares feedback on the initiative from over 60 providers at 11 home and community care organizations in British Columbia, Ontario and Nova Scotia who tested the initiative with their older adults clients. The initiative was found to have good acceptability among providers and older adults. Interviews showed providers and older adults valued mental health conversations as a way to create space for older adults to talk about their mental health to receive acknowledgement and enhance the provider-client relationship. Providers felt the initiative easily integrated into routines, however continuity of care was a barrier to engaging clients in follow-up conversations.

11:35 AM - 12:05 PM

LGBTQ Aging and Inclusive Care

Dr. Jacqueline (Jacquie) Gahagan

This presentation offers an overview of key barriers and facilitators to inclusive care for older LGBTQ populations. Inclusive care remains a pressing health equity issue for many older LGBTQ individuals who fear moving from independent living into communal care settings, such as long-term care, due to past discrimination in healthcare, housing, and social support. However, there is growing recognition that older LGBTQ individuals require culturally competent care, inclusive policies, and acknowledgment of their unique needs. Findings from recent research suggest that a sense of belonging is possible by creating supportive and affirming environments through policies and programs that recognize identities and histories and promote safe spaces, which in turn can improve health outcomes. Drawing in part from their research and the broader literature, Jacquie’s presentation will highlight promising practices from Canada and several other OECD countries.

12:05 PM - 01:05 PM

Lunch with Exhibits & Networking

During the lunch break, attendees are invited to enjoy a catered meal while continuing the networking and collaborative spirit of the symposium. This is a great opportunity to further discuss the day's presentations, meet new friends, and explore the exhibits at your leisure.

01:05 PM - 01:35 PM

Heat and Health – when more is not better

Dr. Sean Christie

Heat Health is a multi-year national initiative aimed at improving healthcare system resilience to extreme indoor heat and sharing project results with vulnerable populations and health care professionals. This study focuses on understanding how high indoor temperatures impact residents, patients, and healthcare workers in long-term care homes, acute care facilities, rehabilitation facilities, and home care settings across Canada. The participating healthcare sites are in Ontario (Hamilton & Ottawa), British Columbia (Vancouver), and Nova Scotia (Halifax). The study uses temperature monitors, surveys, and interviews to understand more about the environmental and human experiences with heat in these settings. Heat Health is led by the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care, a charity organization that has partnered with Nova Scotia Health, Northwood, academics, and a variety of health organizations and authorities across Canada to assist in the project.

01:35 PM - 02:05 PM

Virtual Reality in the ABLE Village: Unique Experiences of Older Adults

Dr. Derek Reilly, Rowland Goddy-Worlu

Virtual Reality (VR) holds great potential as a medium for older adults to socialize, explore, be creative, and remain active. In this talk, we will share insights and observations from a series of VR workshops held with older adults in Halifax. A different popular VR title was explored in each workshop session, covering an array of genres and activities, including sports, music, dance, and gaming. We find that while current commercial platforms and VR software titles do not adequately accommodate the diverse characteristics of the older adult population, many impediments can be addressed through modest changes in software mechanics and interaction design.

02:05 PM - 02:35 PM

Did Far-UVC Lighting Reduce Respiratory Infections in Long-Term Care

Dr. Caroline King

Respiratory viruses like COVID-19, influenza, and RSV spread easily in long-term care homes, where many residents are older adults with frailty and complex health needs. Far-UVC light can kill viruses in the air in labs without harming people, and has been proposed as a passive infection-reduction method for shared spaces. We tested this in Nova Scotia long-term care homes by randomly assigning resident neighbourhoods to active far-UVC or placebo lamps and tracked laboratory-confirmed respiratory infections over multiple seasons. Across all analyses, infection patterns were nearly identical in both groups. While small effects cannot be ruled out, we found no clear evidence that far-UVC lighting reduced respiratory infections in this setting.

02:35 PM - 02:40 PM

Break

This will be a brief break to prepare for the final presentation, which will be a panel discussion.

02:40 PM - 03:30 PM

Panel: The Future of Research in Continuing Care: From Evidence to Action

Jennifer Tucker , Amy Meister, Dr. Lindsay Wallace , Government Policy Advisor TBA

Panelists will explore how research in Nova Scotia can shape the future of continuing care from infrastructure and technology to workforce and inclusion. Perspectives include a senior continuing care leader, a PhD student /emerging research voice, a policy official from the Nova Scotia Department of Seniors/ Continuing Care Policy Division, and an academic researcher. This session blends frontline experience, policy insight, and emerging research to highlight actionable solutions.

03:30 PM

Concluding Remarks & Prize Draws

As we conclude the 14th Annual Research Symposium, John O'Keefe a member of the Research Symposium Planning Committee will offer closing remarks, reflecting on the day's presentations and discussions. There will also be a number of prizes drawn for participants who remained until the end of the day.

You can register for the event here: https://www.northwoodcare.ca/research-symposium