Digital Health Task Force

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. Stacey Bélanger is a developmental paediatrician at CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital in Montreal, where she works with patients with neurodevelopmental and mental health conditions. She is also Associate Professor of Medicine at Université de Montréal, where she teaches about mental health and mental illness. Dr. Bélanger authored a book on mental health and has published in peer-reviewed journals on mental health disorders in children and youth. Dr. Bélanger is a former member of the CPS Board of Directors, former chair of the CPS Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Committee, and the author of several CPS position statements.

Dr. Janice Cohen is a clinical health psychologist at CHEO in Ottawa, and former Clinical Lead of the Mental Health Consultation Liaison Service. She is a clinical professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa, and an investigator at the CHEO Research Institute. Dr. Cohen’s clinical and research activities have focused on children with co-existing medical and mental health conditions. She has also been involved in training psychologists and is a past chair of the Canadian Psychological Association’s Accreditation Panel. Dr. Cohen was also a member of the Canadian Paediatric Society’s Mental Health Task Force.

Dr. Michelle Jackman is a paediatrician and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary and Clinical Lead at the Pediatric Centre for Wellness & Health at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. Dr. Jackman’s special interest is paediatric obesity. She is also a Certified Executive Coach and provides coaching services to physicians. 

Matthew Johnson is the Director of Education for MediaSmarts, Canada’s centre for digital and media literacy based in Ottawa. He is the author of many of MediaSmarts’ lessons, parent materials and interactive resources, a lead on the Young Canadians in a Wireless World research project and architect of the Use, Understand, Engage: Digital Literacy Framework for Canadian K-12 Schools. He has also served on several other expert panels, including those convened by the Sexual Information and Education Council of Canada and the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.

Dr. Janice Heard spent 40 years in community paediatrics in Calgary before recently retiring from clinical practice. Later in her career, she had a special interest in neurodevelopmental disorders and working with less privileged families. As an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Calgary, she continues to teach and evaluate medical students and paediatric residents. She has had an ongoing school and medical project in Laos, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) for over 20 years. Dr. Heard is also a member of the CPS Public Education Advisory Committee and is a regular spokesperson on child health issues.

Dr. Katherine Matheson is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at CHEO and Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa. She leads the CHEO Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health team, where she sees firsthand the mental health impacts of unhealthy screen use on young children. She is particularly concerned with what screen time displaces—namely, quality serve-and-return interactions with caregivers that strengthen attachment, time spent outdoors in nature, physical activity, and opportunities to tolerate boredom and other uncomfortable emotions.

Dr. 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. Alyson Shaw is a paediatrician at CHEO in Ottawa. She is the author of the Canadian Paediatric Society position statement on promoting early literacy, helped to develop the CPS Read, Speak, Sing program, and has been a spokesperson and advocate for the importance of introducing babies to books and language from birth. Dr. Shaw is also a member of the Canadian Children’s Literacy Foundation’s health leaders council.

Dr. Richard Stanwick retired from Island Health (Victoria, BC) in 2021 as Vice-President, Population Health and Chief Medical Health Officer. During his 25 years of service, Dr. Stanwick’s work was responsible for many public policy advances, including those related to smoking, bicycle helmets and tanning beds. Before his retirement, Dr. Stanwick also led the region’s efforts in navigating the opioid crisis and the pandemic. Dr. Stanwick is a past president of the Canadian Paediatric Society and has held many positions with the CPS including chair of the Injury Prevention Committee, chair of the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program’s Steering Committee, and member of the Paediatrics & Child Health’s Editorial Board.

Jackie Van Lankveld is the Clinical Manager of Autism Services at Niagara Children’s Centre in St. Catharines, Ontario. A speech language pathologist by training, she has been with the centre for 34 years. She is also affiliated with Brock University, teaching part-time for over 20 years in the Department of Applied Linguistics. Ms. Van Lankveld has multiple publications in early literacy and language development.

Dr. Lisette Yorke is an adolescent medicine physician at Children’s Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre and Assistant Professor in Paediatrics at Western University. Her research and clinical interests are in eating disorder care, support for gender diverse youth, sexual health care, and caring for teens with comorbid mental and physical illness. Dr. Yorke is passionate about healthy active living for optimal mental and physical health and hopes to bring this perspective to the Digital Health Task Force.