Kudos to the EKO Spring Symposium 2025 Working Group

May 01, 2025

EKO is indebted to the members of the EKO Spring Symposium 2025 Working Group for their many contributions to this year’s conference. They took on significant work—advising us from on our first announcement of the event to post-event considerations that will pave the way for success at the next EKO Spring Symposium. Working Group members recommended keynote topics and speakers, offered suggestions regarding our critical path and processes, and dedicated many, many hours to adjudicating the record number of abstracts submitted for concurrent session presentations and posters. The Working Group’s careful consideration of each and every abstract ensured the 30 concurrent sessions and 20 posters addressed a wide range of topics—from providing training and education to members of a local police force, to strategies to manage wait lists and bring more kids into clinical care, using data and AI to drive innovation, onboarding and orientation to enhance retention, supporting the mental health of black caregivers, introducing new technologies like BCI and exoskeleton-assisted physiotherapy, and engaging the whole family, communicating with caregivers and supporting siblings.

The Working Group met monthly for the last year and more frequently in the fall as the program came together, always keeping us focused on delivering the EKO Spring Symposium goals: focus on what’s on the horizon for developmental health, give delegates tools and new insights to bring back to their work, and grow everyone’s networks and perspectives. Each Working Group member contributed making the EKO Spring Symposium 2025 our largest and most successful conference ever.

Thanks to:

Marika Beaumont, Grandview Kids
Angie Cascone, Quinte Children’s Treatment Centre,
Paula Crotteau, Inspire Centre
Lana Goodman, FIREFLY
Tiffany Irwin, Children’s Treatment Centre Chatham Kent
Tara Kidd, George Jeffrey Children’s Treatment Centre
Anchel Krishna, Children’s Treatment Network Simcoe-York
De-Lawrence Lamptey, Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
Samantha Micsinszki, CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research
Tim Ross, Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
Nicole Royle, EKO
Brooke Wardrope, Ron Joyce Children’s Health Centre
Michelle Wan, parent representative

Your hard work paid off and we are beyond grateful!
Shelley Romoff and Wendy Miller
EKO Spring Symposium Co-Chairs