I love public speaking, and I especially love giving talks on topics I’m passionate about! I’ve been honing my skills as a speaker since I was a nerdy, creative elementary schooler competing in public speaking competitions. I sometimes joke that public speaking and going to the library were my favourite sports as a kid. I’m a lot more athletic now but I’m still passionate about public speaking (and libraries).
There’s something special about how it feels to connect with an audience when I’m sharing a talk with them. Before each one, I spend a lot of time reflecting, reading and writing about what I want to say. My talks weave together research evidence, experiential knowledge, stories and self-reflection to inspire and educate. Want to see an example of one of my talks? Check out my blog.
The topics I speak on include:
How health care providers, providers-in-training and health systems can offer more liberatory health care to LGBTQ+ people and communities
How LGBTQ+ people can survive, thrive and advocate for their own wellness and the wellness of their communities
The leadership skills and competencies we need to create change in complex systems
How to tap into your core purpose, values and the resources you need to feel healthy, grounded and joyful while doing social change work over the long-term
How organizations and grantmakers can embed equity, diversity and inclusion into their programs and strategies while remaining purposeful, accountable and adaptive
Here are a few examples of recent talks:
I was invited to be a keynote speaker at the Rainbow Health Ontario 2020 conference (Niagara Falls, ON, April 2020). (The conference was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.)
I was an invited speaker during the orientation for the incoming class of medical students at the Stanford University School of Medicine (Stanford, CA, August 2019). The entire class received a copy of my book The Remedy from the Dean of Medicine.
I was the keynote speaker at the Q-Med: Building LGBTQI+ Leaders in Health Care conference hosted by the Yale School of Medicine (New Haven, CT, March 2019).
I was a keynote speaker at the Access, Advocacy and Empowerment: Health and Well-Being of LGBTQ Youth symposium co-sponsored by the Law School, the Center for Bioethics, and the Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies Program at the University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA, October 2018).
I was a plenary speaker at Sexual Health 2017, a continuing professional development conference for health care providers hosted by the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC, March 2017).
I was the keynote speaker at the Days of Pink Gala hosted by the Rainbow Coalition of Yellowknife (Yellowknife, NWT, April 2017).
I was the keynote speaker at the LGBTQ Health Forum for students, health care providers and community members hosted by the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary (Calgary, AB, November 2015).