Advisory Board

Dr. Michelle Ponti is a paediatrician at the Child and Parent Resource Institute (CPRI), a children’s mental/developmental health facility in London, Ontario. She is also Adjunct Professor at Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at Western University. Dr. Ponti is Chair of the Canadian Paediatric Society’s Digital Health Task Force and actively involved in developing clinical guidance and education for health professionals, as well as education for patients and families. She is an advocate and spokesperson for digital literacy in children and adolescents.

Dr. Patricia Conrod is a clinical psychologist by training and a full professor of Psychiatry and Addiction at the Université de Montréal, where she holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Preventive Mental Health and Addiction, and a Research Chair in Social and Community Pediatrics funded by the Fondation Julien/Jean & Marcelle Coutu. Her research team is based at the CHU Sainte-Justine Mother and Child Hospital Research Centre in Montreal, where she co-directs the CRACHUSJ’s Centre IMAGINE, a paediatric brain imaging research facility. 

Dr. Emma Duerden is a Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience & Learning Disorders and an Associate Professor in Applied Psychology at Western University in London, Ontario. She leads the Developing Brain Lab, where her research examines how early experiences, including digital engagement, stress, and adversity, influence brain development, cognition, and mental health across childhood and adolescence. She conducts multimodal neuroimaging, and longitudinal and cross-sectional studies with an interdisciplinary team, with the goals of informing targeted interventions and guiding evidence-based policy to support child and youth well-being.

Dr. Gary Goldfield is a Senior Scientist at the CHEO Research Institute in Ottawa and founding member of the Healthy Active Living & Obesity (HALO) Research Group. He is a Professor of Pediatrics in the Faculty of Medicine, and cross-appointed as Professor in the Schools of Psychology, Human Kinetics, and Population Health at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Goldfield is also a registered clinical psychologist who provides psychological services to children, adolescents and adults in the community. His research primarily focuses on examining behavioural and biological determinants, treatment and prevention of mental health challenges and obesity in children and youth. His research is funded by several funding agencies, including the Canadian Institutes of Health research, and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. 

Ness Kenalty is the Director of Childhood Development at Waltons Trust, a Canadian grant-making foundation, where she leads the granting portfolio focused on reducing excessive and harmful screen time among children while promoting outdoor play. She holds a degree from the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and a Master’s in Early Childhood Development from Toronto Metropolitan University. Before joining Waltons, Ness worked in both schools and nonprofit organizations, which provided her with a well-rounded perspective on child development, education, and policy.

Dr. Sheri Madigan is a clinical psychologist, professor, and Canada Research Chair in the Determinants of Child Development at the University of Calgary and Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute. She directs the Determinants of Child Development Lab, where she conducts research focused on the multidimensional influences that shape children's learning and mental health. She collaborates with practitioners, caregivers, youth, and community partners to develop practical tools and resources that aim to address the clinical needs of children and families. Dr. Madigan is a principal investigator on several federally funded research projects by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) granting councils. She also contributes to public policy development as a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Digital Ecosystems and Children's Policy and Technical Report team. In addition, she serves on the editorial boards of Development and Psychopathology and JAMA Pediatrics.

Kris Perry is the Executive Director of Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development. She is based near San Francisco, California. Children and Screens is an independent nonprofit dedicated to helping children lead healthy lives in a digital world through research, interdisciplinary dialogue, and information sharing. Prior to joining Children and Screens, Perry held leadership roles at the local, state, and national levels, serving as Senior Advisor to Governor Gavin Newsom and Deputy Secretary of California’s Health and Human Services Agency, where she advanced early childhood programs and systems change efforts. Throughout her career, Perry has championed children’s well-being, expanded early learning opportunities, and played a key role in restoring marriage equality to California, chronicled in her book Love on Trial.  

Dr. Anne Rowan-Legg has been a consultant paediatrician at CHEO in Ottawa since 2009. She currently works on the Clinical Teaching Unit and in outpatient clinics, caring for children with complex medical needs. Dr. Rowan-Legg is also a member of the CPS Board of Directors.

Dr. Tracy Vaillancourt is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in School-Based Mental Health and Violence Prevention at the University of Ottawa where she is cross-appointed as a full professor in Counselling Psychology, Faculty of Education and the School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences. Dr. Vaillancourt is also a member of the Brain and Mind Institute, Faculty of Medicine, and the Centre for Health Law, Policy, and Ethics, Faculty of Law, uOttawa. She is the past president of the International Society for Research on Aggression, a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Chief Editor, Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry – Child Mental Health and Interventions, and a Senior Fellow with the Centre for International Governance Innovation.