In this free webinar to be taking place on June 8, 2024 at 1:00 pm EDT, you will hear from people living with or affected by arthritis, Indigenous communities, and researchers. This webinar is a unique collaboration between the patient and research communities with the goal of creating a forum to discuss what we can do to address the needs of patients and people in their network of support. Register today and take part in the conversation about parenting and arthritis! 

This webinar is for people living with arthritis and their partners, health care providers, decision-makers, and researchers. A range of topics will be discussed including:

• • • Navigating the different stages of parenting – from newborn, infancy, childhood and adolescence
    • Drawing from community supports and learning from Indigenous communities
    • What research tells us on experiences with having arthritis and parenting

We will be bringing together this amazing line-up of speakers:

Mariah Leach is a writer, patient advocate, and mom of three who has been living with rheumatoid arthritis since the age of 25. After learning firsthand the challenges of pregnancy and motherhood with chronic illness, she founded Mamas Facing Forward, an informational website (www.mamasfacingforward.com) and support group for women with chronic illness who are or want to become mothers.

Ashley Hayward is a PhD candidate in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Manitoba and a 2020 CIHR funded Vanier Canada Graduate Scholar. She has broad interests in Indigenous health, the social determinants of health, culture as a health intervention, and human rights. Her doctor research supports the She Walks With Me project, a pilot initiative focused on creating an urban Indigenous doula program at Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre of Winnipeg. She is specifically looking at supporting the sexual and reproductive health needs of women and birthing people in unstable housing. Ashley is currently Research Manager for Kishaadigeh Collaborative Research Centre housed at the University of Winnipeg led by Dr. Jaime Cidro. She is a wife, and mother to two daughters as well as a community engaged researcher working in partnership with a range of Indigenous organizations. She also lends her time to participating on the board of directors for Mediation Service, Agape House – Eastman Crisis Centre, and the Standards Committee of the College of Midwives of Manitoba. 

Catherine Backman, PhD, FCAOT, is Professor Emerita, Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, at the University of British Columbia and Senior Scientist at Arthritis Research Canada. An occupational therapist, her research primarily investigated the impact of arthritis on people’s participation in paid and unpaid work, including parenting, household work, employment, and social roles. Other work examined the effects of rehabilitation interventions.