Speakers

Adam Douglas – Sports Science and Performance Director, Club de hockey Canadien, Inc.

Prior to joining the Canadiens, Adam Douglas served as the Manager, Sports Performance for Hockey Canada Men’s High Performance Teams and as IST Lead, Strength and Conditioning for Hockey Canada Women’s High Performance Teams. Alongside his work with Hockey Canada, Douglas also served as an Applied Sport Scientist with the Catapult Sports agency. He worked with their hockey clients to ensure that they maximized the usage of wearable technology as well as further driving research and innovation of wearables in the sport.

During his association with Hockey Canada, Douglas was a member of the Canadian teams that won gold medals at the 2015, 2018, and 2020 Men’s World Juniors, Sochi 2014 Olympic Games, and 2012 Women’s World Championship. In this role, Douglas was in charge of overseeing all elements of physical preparation for Hockey Canada’s high-performance programs.

A native of Mississauga, ON, Douglas holds a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and Health from Queen’s University, a master’s degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science, as well as a doctorate in Philosophy, Kinesiology and Exercise Science. Douglas completed his master’s degree and Ph.D. from the ranks of the prestigious York University.

Kharma Foucher – Associate Professor, Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition, University of Illinois at Chicago

Kharma Foucher, MD, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and the Associate Director of Education and Professional Development in the UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science. She received an S.B. degree in Engineering Sciences from Harvard University and her PhD in Bioengineering and MD degrees from the UIC. Her research uses biomechanics to understand, predict, and improve person-oriented osteoarthritis outcomes. Current projects examine the impact of osteoarthritis-related gait impairment on physical activity. Dr. Foucher is a standing member of the the NIH Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Sciences study section and is the Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee of the Orthopaedic Research Society. At UIC, she teaches tissue mechanics and gait mechanics at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

David Moher – Professor, School of Epidemiology and Public Health, uOttawa; Senior Scientist and Director, Centre of Journalology, Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

Dr. David Moher is a senior scientist, Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, where he directs the Centre for Journalology. He is also a Professor, School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, where he holds a University Research Chair. Dr. Moher is an associate director of the International Congress on Peer Review and Scientific Publication. Dr. Moher received an MSc in epidemiology and PhD in clinical epidemiology and biostatistics. Dr. Moher is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Katja Mombaur – Professor and Canada Excellence Research Chair in Human-Centred Robotics and Machine Intelligence, University of Waterloo

Professor Katja Mombaur is the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Human-Centred Robotics and Machine Intelligence. She holds a diploma degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Stuttgart and a Ph.D. degree in Mathematics from Heidelberg University.

Her research focuses on understanding human movement by a combined approach of model-based optimization and biomechanical experiments and using this knowledge to improve motions of humanoid robots and the interactions of humans with exoskeletons, prostheses and external assistive devices. Her goal is to endow humanoid and wearable robots with “motion intelligence” which allows them to operate safely in a complex human world. Professor Mombaur has been working in optimal control for more than 20 years and is one of the pioneers in inverse optimal control and its applications in biomechanics and robotics. She and her team also have a large experience in efficient mechanical modeling of humans and robots and their interactions.