For more information about upcoming events at CAMRT, including national conferences, visit CAMRT’s events page.
Interested in speaking at a future CAMRT-ATL event? Fill out this form to have your information and potential presentation added to our speakers bureau:
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CAMRT-ATL EVENTS
The Current 2025 (Charlottetown, PEI) - October 25
Save the Date!
The Current 2025
October 25, 2025
The Rodd Charlottetown
75 Kent Street Charlottetown, PE Canada C1A 7K4
We have secured a discounted rate of $183 per night for a executive room at the conference hotel. Booking instructions for securing this rate will be shared this spring/summer.
Volunteer for the Program Committee
Are you passionate about helping us deliver Atlantic specific, profession-focused education sessions to your fellow MRTs? Then consider joining The Current 2025 Program Committee!
Sponsorship Opportunities
Interested in sponsoring a CAMRT-ATL event? Click below for more information.
The Current 2025 Registration Rates
Registration will open this spring/summer.
Conference Pass: In- Person
| CAMRT-ATL Member | $60.00 |
| CAMRT Member (outside of ATL) | $75.00 |
| CAMRT-ATL Student Member | $20.00 |
| CAMRT Student Member (outside of ATL) | $30.00 |
| Non-Member | $110.00 |
Awards Ticket
Those who register for any in-person pass have this included in their ticket price.
| CAMRT ATL Member | $ 20.00 |
| CAMRT Member (outside of ATL) | $ 25.00 |
| Non-Member | $ 30.00 |
Conference Pass: Virtual
| CAMRT-ATL Member | $30.00 |
| CAMRT Member (outside of ATL) | $40.00 |
| CAMRT-ATL Student Member | $10.00 |
| CAMRT Student Member (outside of ATL) | $15.00 |
| Non-Member | $75.00 |
The Current 2023
The Current was be held on September 23, 2023 in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Program
Dr. Amanda Bolderston
Unheard Voices: Systems of Oppression and (In)Equitable Healthcare
1. Define systems of oppression and how they relate to (in)equitable healthcare 2. Discuss examples of storytelling from historically underrepresented groups
Dr. Amanda Bolderston is a radiation therapist, educator and researcher. She teaches at the University of Alberta in the radiation therapy undergraduate program. Prior to that she worked in Toronto, the UK, British Columbia and the Netherlands in clinical, educational and leadership roles. She is a past President of CAMRT and the current Editor in Chief of the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences (JMIRS). Amanda is also a co-founder of the CIHR funded website Queering Cancer for LGBTQ2S+ patients and their loved ones affected by cancer. Amanda has developed numerous courses, publications and presentations on the topic of LGBTQ2S+ affirming care in the medical radiation sciences.
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Cynthia Sweeney
Trans-Positive Healthcare: A New Lens for Beyond Binary Inclusive Spaces
- Understand how to build trust with intention in Trans inclusive patient care.
- Define the anatomy of verbal and non-verbal inclusive communication.
- Discuss ways to advocate for trans inclusive patient care in our workspaces.
Cynthia Sweeney (she/her) is Lead Consultant and Founder of Simply Good Form Inc., an inclusion, equity and belonging consultancy specializing in gender-identity-based inclusion and strategic change-management supporting private and public sector organizations with policy development and best-practices for 2SLGBTQ+ welcoming and brave spaces.
As a socially-focused business owner, Cynthia values a lived-experience approach working with a team of trans and non-binary educators. She is a parent of a transgender child and through commitment to community, has earned a reputation for being a key influencer by her peers. Cynthia was recognized by the CGLCC as an LGBT+ Business Advocate of the Year finalist in 2022. Her consultancy, SGF was a Best New Business finalist in the 2023 Halifax Business Awards.
Cynthia’s served on panels with PRIDE Health Nova Scotia, Pride At Work Canada and IWK Integrated Trans Health Symposium for youth into adulthood. She is the Halifax chapter lead of Pflag Canada, a national non-profit supporting anyone on their journey around gender identity or sexual orientation.
She is the Author of the inclusive children’s book, The Pink Balloon; a book about gender identity and shining as your true self, and co-host of two podcasts: Hey, Cis!; a beyond binary talk-show about building better humans, and Trans Canada Stories.
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Leslie MacLennan RTT
The other side: An MRT’s experience as the patient.
1) Discuss an MRTs experience as the patient 2) Define ways for fellow MRTs to consider the persepctive of the patient in their departments 3) Recognize strategies to advocate for individualized patient care
Leslie MacLennan, BHS RT(T), has been a Radiation Therapist at the Saint John Regional Hospital since 2007. In 2018 Leslie was diagnosed with breast cancer. She returned to work in 2019 after completing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Leslie brings her experience as a patient to inform her practice as an MRT.
Leslie has helped to develop specialized breast treatment techniques in Saint John, and volunteers within the oncology department on the Survivorship Committee. She is also a volunteer educator with the Know Your Lemons Foundation, helping to teach the 12 signs and symptoms of breast cancer.
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Victoria Levack
I Know My Body Best: Lessons on Better Healthcare for Persons with Disabilities
1) Describe what Cerebral Palsy is and how it has effected my life 2) Discuss challenges I have experienced in the health care system as well as specific examples in medical imaging. 3) Provide recommendations on providing higher quality care for persons with disabilities.
Victoria Levack is a first voice advocate for those in the
disability community, specifically those forced to live in
long-term care. At the age of 21, she was told in order to
access the necessary types of support she would need to
survive — she must move into a seniors home. Since then
she has fought tirelessly to make sure no other person with
a disability will be forced to make this choice.
Victoria is also very passionate about educating others regarding the intersectionality between sexuality and disability. She is the current spokesperson for the Disability Rights Coalition of Nova Scotia and Media Liaison for the Permanent Accessible Dignified Safe Housing Community Advocacy Network (PADSCAN). She also plans to run for Halifax city Council in 2025.
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Dr. Brent Young
Dismantling Anti-Indigenous Racism in Healthcare
1. Recognize the various manifestations of anti-Indigenous racism in healthcare. 2. Identify and implement strategies for disrupting anti-Indigenous racism in healthcare.
Dr. Brent Young is an Anishinaabe family physician and member of Sandy Bay First Nation. His mother is a Sixties Scoop survivor, and his grandmother was a Residential School survivor. He is the academic director of Indigenous health at Dalhousie Medical School, and he is the founding clinical lead of Wije’winen Health Centre, the first Indigenous-specific primary care clinic to serve Kjipuktuk (Halifax, NS). He also practices at Sipekne’katik Health Centre.
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The Current 2022
The Current 2022
The Current 2022 took place in St. John’s Newfoundland on October 22, 2022.
Speaker & Session Descriptions
Tonya Whittle
Tonya Whittle
A New Way Forward
Tanya Whittle
09:00-10:00
Old ways won’t build new roads. In a post pandemic world, we are faced with creating a new way of living and working. The world changed. We changed. We can’t go back. We can’t stay here. We must move forward. Tonya will share a message of empowerment as we embrace a New Way Forward.
Tonya is an author, speaker and guide whose mission, as a high-performance coach and women’s empowerment coach, is to inspire greatness by helping women achieve their full potential. An expert in human behaviour, Tonya understands the social, emotional and mental blocks that hold people back from their own greatness and helps them overcome these blocks so they can live with more purpose and passion, realizing their fullest potential.
Karren Fader
Karren Fader
Encouraging Insights, Uncomfortable Truths: A Career as a MRT
Karren Fader
10:30 – 11:30
Throughout our careers we have all encountered times when it has been challenging to be an MRT. What takes us to work each day are those times when it feels great to be an MRT! A key component of bringing our best selves is the MRT community, from which we can draw encouraging insights and strength. With audience participation, this session will explore the difficulties and positives of practice, in this critically important profession.
Karren has been active in the profession during her career through informal and formal leadership roles. Whether working at a small rural hospital, an acute care facility or as an educator of future technologists, she believes we all have the capacity to play a part in contributing to, advocating for and advancing the profession. Having experience in the health education, regulation and association worlds, Karren has recently entered the next phase of her career as a consultant and is looking forward to the next challenges and exciting adventures ahead.
Robert Meaney
Robert Meaney
Connect with Me: A Patient Perspective
Robert Meaney
12:30-13:30
While navigating the hospital system after being diagnosed with cancer, Robert has many insights to share from the patient perspective. Since volunteering with Eastern Health, he has become familiar with MRTs and the contributions they have to the continuum of care. In his talk Robert will be sharing his patent journey and sharing the message on how important it is to connect with each and every patient MRTs encounter.
Robert works with Bell as a Senior Project Manager and resides in St. John’s with his wife and son. Robert is a cancer survivor and recently celebrated his 8-year cancer free (remission) milestone. He is currently a Newfoundland Provincial Cancer Care Patient and Family Advisory Council volunteer. Robert’s role as an advisor sees him engaged in many meaningful activities. These include supporting increased awareness of and access to cancer care patient navigators, promoting early access to palliative care, enhancing medical imaging processes, participating in planning for client experience week events and patient safety week activities, and suggesting website enhancements to ensure easy access to information for patients and their families.
Melissa Sponagle
Melissa Sponagle
We are Resilient! MRIPs during pandemic: what we learned and where we go from here
Melissa Sponagle
13:45-14:45
During this presentation we will explore MRIP resilience, compassion, empathy, and willingness to work during the pandemic. We will use our real-world data to discuss relationships of demographics, intrapersonal traits, and job roles to develop an understanding of how this can help inform future interventions. Moving forward this data can support enhancement of individual and health system resilience during crisis.
Melissa Sponagle is a proud MRT from the east coast! Upon graduation from her MRT program she worked both in a nuclear medicine department and a cyclotron and radiochemistry facility while completing a Masters of Education in Lifelong Learning. In 2017 she joined the Health Sciences team at Dalhousie as an educator before taking on the role of interim Director of Education at CAMRT last year. Currently, Melissa is a Senior Legislative Policy Analyst with the Nova Scotia Government’s Department of Health and Wellness working on all regulated health profession files. Her interests include health policy modernization, peer capacity building, citizenship, and lifelong learning. When not volunteering or working she can be found on her patio taking in the fresh salt air and a sunset with her family.
Brenda Robinson
Brenda Robinson
Bringing the Joy and Laughter Back to What We Do
Brenda Robinson
15:15-16:30
How important is laughter in your life? How important is laughter in your workplace? Positive relationships often begin with laughter and fun. Do we maintain relationships with the same ingredients? We don’t always have to go “out” or “out of your way” to have fun. Learn to bring more joy, laughter and fun into your everyday life and work. We don’t stop laughing when we grow older, we grow older when we stop laughing.
Topics:
- Laughter is contagious
- Laughter is shared
- Laughter is motivational
- Laughter increases productivity
- Laughter increases positivity
- Celebrate laughter
Brenda Robinson has been fortunate enough to work for over 30 years in the training and development field. She has spoken at conferences, developed and delivered workshops, provided organizational consulting and coached people for success in their roles on teams and in their diverse workplaces. Brenda’s passion is for creating positive, productive learning environments. Her research and development focus is on “people skills”. She works tirelessly to build resources to support people to communicate more effectively, work together more productively, and get the best results possible for themselves and their organization. She continues to address new challenges to provide services to assist individuals and teams to effectively manage change, stress, priorities, and develop new work habits for a changing working world. Brenda has a positive approach to everything she does. She believes in balancing who we are and what we do. She puts equal energy into her work and her family. Her grandchildren are her treasures. She and her husband Len have been married for over 40 years. Their 5 children continue to be their focus. Brenda grew up on a farm close to Minnesota, Manitoba and values the rural experience. She stays connected to family in Manitoba and now spends time in two settings – Sherwood Park and Victoria. Her desire to share her research and resources has lead to the publication of two books. She also markets an audio CD set and has video currently in the works. Brenda received her Bachelor of Arts from Brandon University in Brandon, Manitoba (Major in English) and her Masters of Education from Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C. Join Brenda to listen, laugh and learn about other people, about yourself, and about other stuff we may need and want to know.