Dr. Katharine Smart

We are witnessing escalating rates of burnout and quiet quitting in the workplace. 

In this session, Dr. Katharine Smart discusses:

• Burnout and how it can be reframed as an impact of chronic trauma
• The biggest drivers of professional satisfaction for people in an organization
• Our best protection against traumatic stress and how we need to develop and encourage trauma-informed leadership throughout our systems and organizations
• How leadership and advocacy can be an antidote to burnout
• Addressing burnout and the trauma in our systems and organizations

This session centers on early awareness, prevention, and timely support – principles that apply whether you’re a parent, educator, employer, or community member trying to help someone you care about.

Dr. Katharine Smart offers a clear roadmap for accessing mental health care, walking attendees through the pathways available – from primary care and community resources to specialized and support services – and how these systems work together.

Throughout, the tone is one of hope and action. Attendees leave with practical knowledge, greater confidence, and a clearer sense of how to reduce stigma and support to better mental health outcomes – for young people and for the communities around them.

As misinformation continues to pose an increasing threat to health and civil society, trust in experts has decreased, and with it, our ability to build trust in health measures. 

The result? Unnecessary suffering and loss of life that could have been prevented.

During the pandemic, the rise of misinformation coupled with increasing political polarization, decreasing civil discourse, fear, cynicism, apathy, and extremism, are all of which threaten our social cohesion and arguably democracy itself. 

Nowadays, social media is infiltrating every aspect of our lives as more and more people get their news about their families, communities, and now their health, online. 

This has created a fertile ground for the spread of misinformation; research shows 87% of social media posts about health contain misinformation. 

Key Outcomes:

• Why misinformation is a powerful currency
• What drives misinformation
• How to combat misinformation
• How to develop critical thinking skills in our children and youth

Medicine is storytelling, and we can use storytelling to share ideas and experiences to build relationships for effective influence and advocacy.

Today, social media has become a reality in our professional lives, and by considering and curating our personal personas, we can leverage social media for impact; it is the new town hall and we must be present in these spaces to have influence, participate in dialogue, and compel change.

How Canada Can Renew Its Most Defining Social Promise

As a Pediatrician and Past President of the Canadian Medical Association, Dr. Smart is an expert on the Canadian healthcare system and children’s health, and can speak to any desired topic under these themes.