Dr. Neil Arya is a family physician in Kitchener Ontario. He is the Chair of the PEGASUS Institute and PEGASUS Global Health Conference. He is a Fellow at the Balsillie School for International Affairs and the International Migration Research Centre. He is an Adjunct Professor in Health Sciences at Wilfrid Laurier University where he was and Scholar in Residence from 2018-2020. He remains Assistant Clinical Professor in Family Medicine at McMaster University (part-time) and Adjunct Professor in Environment and Resource Studies at the University of Waterloo. He is a past Vice-President of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW). He was the president of the Canadian Physicians for Research and Education in Peace (CPREP), which is now IPPNW Canada and has written and lectured around the world about Peace through Health. He was the founding Director of the Global Health Office at Western University and has conducted research on international experiences as well as the impact of overseas electives on host communities and students. Dr. Arya continues as the Founding Director of the Kitchener/Waterloo Refugee Health Clinic in collaboration with the Waterloo Region Reception House. He was the lead physician developing the Psychiatric Outreach Project, providing mental health for those homeless or at risk in St. John’s Kitchen in Kitchener. In 2011 Dr. Arya received a D. Litt. (Honorary) from Wilfrid Laurier University and the mid-Career Award in International Health from the American Public Health Association.

Meb Rashid is a physician, educator, and leading advocate for refugee health in Canada. He is the founder and medical director of the Crossroads Clinic at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, the city’s first hospital-based clinic dedicated to the care of newly arrived refugees. He also teaches in the University of Toronto’s Department of Family and Community Medicine and works to train future clinicians in refugee health. Dr. Rashid co-founded Canadian Doctors for Refugee Care and played a key role in opposing federal cuts to refugee health coverage introduced in 2012, which were reversed by the Federal Court in 2014. In recognition of his impact, he received the Canadian Medical Association’s Award for Political Advocacy.

Kevin Pottie is a distinguished Professor and Research Chair in Family Medicine at Dalhousie University, where he also earned his medical degree.  He has led a 20-year research program in global health equity and evidence-based guidelines. His systematic reviews and clinical guidelines are transforming the clinical approach to refugee care. During the European refugee health crisis, he worked at the WHO and then led the European Migrant Health Guidelines (ECDC, 2018). He created the Refugee Health e-Learning (www.ccirhken.ca) and, along with other members of the Canadian Refugee Health Network, was happy to contribute to the recent Canadian Family Physician guidelines for refugees and other migrants during COVID-19. He enjoys birding, bike polo, and used to be a professional juggler and unicyclist.

Rachel Talavlikar is a family physician and clinical assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Calgary. She is dedicated to providing equitable, high-quality care for marginalized populations including refugees and immigrants and those who have been failed by our traditional healthcare systems. Trained at the University of Calgary, she is Director of the Calgary Refugee Health Clinic and Society and is Medical Director of the East Calgary Family Care Clinic. She played a founding role in establishing the Canadian Refugee Health Network to build a national community of practice, research and innovation for those caring for newcomers and has a special interest in caring for patients living with chronic Hepatitis B. She was recognized in 2025 with an Alberta Medical Association Section of Family Medicine award for outstanding service.

Chuck Hui, MD, FRCPC, is a Professor of Pediatrics in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa and an infectious diseases consultant at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa. He serves as Chair and is also the co-chair of the Migration Health and Development Research Initiative steering committee, contributing clinical and academic leadership at the intersection of pediatric infectious diseases and migration health. Dr. Hui’s work has been recognized with honors including the American Academy of Pediatrics Special Achievement Award (2025) and the Pediatric Chairs of Canada COVID Leadership Award (2020).

Clare Pain MD, MSc., FRCPC., D.Sc (Hons) Addis Ababa University (AAU), Professor Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto (UofT), and psychoanalyst. Part time staff psychiatrist at Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto and with the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA) Team providing mental health services to the six Cree Nations on the west of James Bay. Psychiatrist for the Canadian Center for Victims of Torture for refugee mental health and for Wanasah, a black youth trauma community agency in Regent Park.  In 2014 she was awarded an honorary doctorate for assisting the development of psychiatry in Ethiopia.  Her clinical focus is the assessment and treatment of individuals including refugees, who continue to suffer from the complex effects of psychological trauma. She has lectured and taught on various aspects of psychological trauma and global mental health. She has published a number of articles and three books.