Mrs. Estelle Ethier is an experienced leader in the health and education sectors, recognized for her commitment to innovation and knowledge development. Currently serving as Vice-President, Teaching and Research, as well as Chief Executive Officer of the Institut du Savoir Montfort, she leads the research and education branch of Hôpital Montfort, contributing to the improvement of health outcomes for Canada’s minority Francophone communities.

Deeply engaged in the Franco-Ontarian community, Ms. Ethier has held several senior leadership positions in prestigious Francophone institutions, including Dean of Education at Collège La Cité and Director of the Interprofessional University Clinic at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa.

She also served for six years as a reservist with the Governor General’s Foot Guards. Trained as an occupational therapist, she gained valuable experience working with military and veteran populations, developing a strong understanding of the challenges and issues they face.

Mrs. Ethier has extensive expertise in governance, notably in her role as CEO of the Institut du Savoir Montfort, where she reports directly to an independent board of directors. She further enriches her experience by currently serving on the boards of Hôpital Montfort and the Montfort Foundation. In addition, she contributes actively to the Regroupement des gens d’affaires de la Capitale Nationale (RGA), where she holds the position of Vice-President, demonstrating her ability to provide strategic leadership across diverse organizations and to promote the development of the Franco-Ontarian community.

Holder of a Master’s degree in Education and an MBA, Ms. Ethier also holds the Certified Health Executive designation from the Canadian College of Health Leaders, along with specialized training in negotiation from the Leadership Institute.

Gilles Comeau is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a senior scientist at the Institute of Mental Health Research at The Royal, the founding director of the University of Ottawa Music and Health Research Institute, the director and principal researcher of the Piano Pedagogy Research Laboratory, and a professor at the School of Music at the University of Ottawa. He conducts multidisciplinary research on music and health, including the study of music and wellbeing for people with dementia, the impact of music on individual experiencing mental illness, and the investigation of various interventions for musicians’ mental health.

Dr. Dewar holds a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Quebec in Montreal. She is currently a clinical psychologist in health psychology at Monfort Hospital, a researcher at the Montfort Knowledge Institute, and an assistant professor at the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa. Her research interests focus on psychological adaptation to stressful and traumatic experiences (e.g., moral injury), the well-being of at-risk workers, as well as the development of innovative psychological interventions and psychotherapies. Dr. Dewar is interested in science communication and increasing the accessibility of French-speaking psychological care.

Malika is a doctoral student in clinical psychology at the University of Ottawa, where she conducts her graduate research in the Sleep Research Laboratory under the supervision of Dr. Rébecca Robillard. She also contributes as a research assistant with the Echo for Life project and at the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at The Royal. Her research examines the links between sleep, insomnia, depression, and anxiety in older adults. Dedicated to spreading awareness about the importance of sleep for mental health, she delivers public talks to make scientific knowledge accessible to the broader community. In addition to her academic work, she serves as Financial Director of the 1 in 5 Initiative, a student-led mental health advocacy group focused on raising awareness and reducing stigma surrounding mental health.

Bianca is a doctoral student in clinical psychology at the University of Ottawa and a research assistant for the University of Ottawa’s LaboDIRECT and the Echo for Life project. She is currently conducting her research under the supervision of Dr. Martine Lagacé and Dr. Meredith Rocchi, with a focus on data anxiety and data literacy. Additionally, her research interests include psychological needs, aging, as well as measurement validation. Bianca also serves as Co-President of the 1 in 5 Initiative, a multidisciplinary student-led organization dedicated to promoting mental health awareness and reducing stigma.