Introducing our CAHNference 2026 Speakers!
Kara Evers, NP
Kara Evers is a Nurse Practitioner and Coordinator of the Halifax Obesity & Bariatric Surgery Clinic in Nova Scotia.
Kara is a Certified Bariatric Educator with a specialized focus on obesity medicine, chronic disease prevention, and metabolic wellness. Recognizing obesity as a complex, chronic disease rather than a result of a lack of willpower, Kara is committed to helping patients break the cycle of traditional “dieting” and achieve sustainable, long-term health.
Barbara Goudreau, NP
Barbara is a dedicated Masters trained Pediatric Nurse Practitioner with primary care and acute care clinical skills, and biomedical research experience. Barbara‘s nursing background is in neonatal and pediatric intensive care nursing, and prior to nursing she worked in cancer research and development. Barbara has been a part of the Pediatric liver transplant and intestinal rehabilitation service at the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton Alberta for the past twelve years, in an inpatient role. She received her Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Nursing, and her Master of Nursing Degree with Child Health Nurse practitioner Focus at the University of Alberta. Barbara has a passion for children’s health and strives to work collaboratively with her colleagues to improve patient outcomes in children with cholestatic liver disease. Barbara brings a wealth of compassion and expertise to her role and is excited to share her knowledge and learn from her peers across Canada. Outside of her busy career she enjoys time with her family and two dogs, and running.
Dr. Kristel Leung
Dr. Kristel Leung is a Core Faculty member at the Health Services and Policy Research Institute (HSPRI), Assistant Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology, Dept. of Medicine at Queen’s University, and hepatologist at Kingston Health Sciences Centre. As a clinician-scientist with expertise in rare and immune-mediated liver diseases and advanced cirrhosis care, Dr. Leung’s research spans population-level epidemiology, health services research, and outcomes evaluation, with an emphasis on scalable, data-driven approaches bringing clinicians, researchers, and health system partners together to advance liver disease care across multiple settings.
Lindsay Myles, NP
Lindsay Myles is a Nurse Practitioner with a decade of experience specializing in liver health and primary care. As clinical lead of the Simcoe Liver Centre, she has focused on the prevention, assessment, and management of chronic liver disease, with particular expertise in metabolic dysfunction steatotic liver disease. Lindsay also runs a private practice dedicated to helping patients optimize metabolic health through evidence-informed care. She is the Past President of the Canadian Association of Hepatology Nurses and collaborated with the Fatty Liver Alliance to support development of the Liver Health Awareness Centre in Toronto.
Michelle Pittman, NP
Michelle Pittman is a Nurse Practitioner with a focus in addiction medicine, mental health, Hepatitis C, and sexual health. She holds a Bachelor of Nursing from the University of New Brunswick and a Master of Nursing from Athabasca University. Michelle is an Addictions & Mental Health NP at RECAP Health Services in Fredericton, one of Atlantic Canada’s injectable opiate agonist therapy (iOAT) programs. She also started a nurse-led Hepatitis C treatment program that has achieved World Health Organization eradication targets within the iOAT population. She is an advocate provincially, nationally and internationally, serving with Action Hepatitis Canada, the nurse’s committee with International Network of Health & Hepatitis in Substance Users, Nurse Practitioners of New Brunswick, the Canadian Association of Hepatology Nurses, CanHep C’s New Brunswick co-lead for the provincial road map, and most recently as a board member for CATIE. She is also a proud wife and mom to an adventurous 5-year-old.
Dr. Meaghan O'Brien
Meaghan O’Brien works as a hepatologist in Fredericton, New Brunswick as well as at Upper River Valley hospital. She completed her undergraduate studies at Acadia University obtaining a bachelor science in 2002. She then completed a master’s in health services administration at Dalhousie University in 2005. She then continued at Dalhousie University where she obtained her MD with distinction in 2009. She moved cross country to Winnipeg to do her internal medicine residency at the University of Manitoba followed by a 2-year Hepatology fellowship. She then moved back to her home province of New Brunswick and has been working as a hepatologist in the province for 12 years. As part of her practice, she is involved in teaching medical students as well as residents through both Dalhousie University and Memorial University. She also has research interests in viral hepatitis and primary biliary cholangitis.
Dr. Kyle Fortinsky
Dr. Kyle Fortinsky, MD, MBA, FRCPC is a gastroenterologist and hepatologist at Royal Victoria Hospital. He completed Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology training at the University of Toronto, and pursued a therapeutic endoscopy fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He serves as Regional Colorectal Screening/GI Endoscopy Lead for the Simcoe Muskoka Regional Cancer Program. Dr. Fortinsky also holds an MBA from UC Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business and is the CEO and co-founder of CleverConsult, a Canadian AI platform built for specialists.
Elizabeth Martin, MN-NP
Elizabeth Martin is a Nurse Practitioner and Hepatology Team Lead with more than a decade of experience in liver care. Her clinical interests include viral hepatitis, MASLD/MASH, cholestatic liver disease and cirrhosis. She is passionate about nurse-led models of care, improving access to liver services, and supporting nurses to work to their full scope of practice. Elizabeth currently serves as President of the Canadian Association of Hepatology Nurses (CAHN).
Meghan MacIntosh, NP
Meghan MacIntosh is a Nurse Practitioner from Nova Scotia who currently practices in General Hepatology in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In her role, Meghan provides care to patients across the spectrum of liver disease, with a particular focus on individuals living with decompensated cirrhosis. Her practice includes leading paracentesis clinics and providing specialized post-discharge follow-up care for patients recovering from hospitalizations related to hepatic decompensation.
Prior to specializing in hepatology, Meghan spent five years working as a Family Practice Nurse Practitioner, building a strong foundation in comprehensive primary care and chronic disease management.
Meghan is passionate about improving outcomes for patients with complex liver disease through accessible, patient-centered care and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two young children, traveling with her family, playing board games, and taking advantage of Nova Scotia’s beautiful outdoors.
Dylan Shepherd, NP
Dylan Shepherd is a Nurse Practitioner in Halifax, Nova Scotia, practicing at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in hepatology. His clinical work focuses on the management of complex liver disease, with a special interest in metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and end-stage liver disease, emphasizing patient-centered care.
He completed his Master of Nursing at Dalhousie University in 2024 after earning his undergraduate degree from St. Francis Xavier University in 2019, and holds a certificate in critical care.
Dylan has been a member of the Canadian Association of Hepatology Nurses (CAHN) since 2023 and is excited to join the executive team. Outside of work, he enjoys hiking with his dogs and golfing.
Dr. Giada Sebastiani
Giada Sebastiani is a Tenured Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology of Hepatology at McGill University and Clinician Scientist at the Research Institute of McGill University Health Centre. She is the President of the Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver (CASL) 2026-2028 and Fellow of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). She received a medical degree and specialized in internal medicine at the University of Padua, Italy. She had research training at Harvard Medical School (US), University College of London (UK), University of Bordeaux (France). Her work focuses on steatotic liver disease (MASLD), liver fibrosis and non-invasive diagnostic tools in liver disease. She is author of 220 articles in peer-reviewed journals (including Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Lancet Regional Health, Lancet HIV, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Journal of Hepatology, Clinical Infectious Diseases, Diabetes Care; h-index 56), 14 book chapters. Dr Sebastiani is co-founder of the Canadian MASLD Network,
Co-Chair of the first MASLD chapter of Diabetes Canada guidelines and panelist of the first guidance on MASLD of the Canadian Association for the Study of the
Liver. She is the sole North American representative in the guidelines of the uropean AIDS Clinical Society as primary reviewer of the Liver Group. Dr Sebastiani hold the prestigious Merite Clinical Research Salary Award from Fonds Recherche Sante Quebec. Her research program is funded by the Canadian Institute for Health Research, Fonds Recherche Sante Quebec, CIHR, Crohn’s Colitis Canada, and the Montreal General Hospital Foundation.
Vanessa Wojtala
Vanessa Wojtala is the Founder and President of Liver Awareness Foundation (LAF), a registered Canadian charity dedicated to empowering young adults with liver health knowledge through evidence-based education, digital advocacy, and public awareness.
A survivor of catastrophic liver failure and alcohol-related hepatitis, Vanessa combines her lived experience with a background in multimedia journalism, marketing, and digital strategy. She translates complex medical research into accessible, evidence-based health information designed to meet young adults where they are.
Guided by the Foundation’s principle, Mind Your Liver. It Needs You.®, Vanessa leads the Foundation’s strategic vision and advances its mission to empower young adults with liver health knowledge, break stigmas, and combat the silent threats of liver disease.