Engaged & Empowered 2026

Advancing Person-centred
Care Summit

Apr. 27-28, 2026
Edmonton EXPO Centre, Edmonton, Alberta

About the summit

Engaged & Empowered took place April 27–28, 2026. The event brought together healthcare professionals, patients, residents, families and caregivers to share ideas and strategies that strengthen how we engage with those we serve.

Thank you to everyone who attended. We look forward to hosting Engaged & Empowered again in the near future.

2026 in numbers

Engaged & Empowered ran for the first time in April 2026.

244

people at our first summit

47

speakers, presenters and facilitators

38

sessions over two days

97%

Would attend another summit

Sessions included 4 workshops, 9 lectures, 11 rapid-fire talks and 14 immersive displays. Attendees rated the keynote speakers 5 out of 5.

Moments that mattered, drawn

A graphic recorder spent both days of the summit in the sessions, drawing each conversation as it happened. These four recordings are the result.
Pick any recording to open it full size.

World Cafe: Tables worked through three questions on family caregivers. Where do they matter most in a hospital stay? What helps staff partner with them? And what should change in the next 12 to 18 months?

Welcome and the outrage cure: Dr. Alika Lafontaine opened the summit with a keynote on anger. Anger is not outrage, he said. Let people be angry, then listen to them. The land acknowledgement, lived experience and the President's Reception fill out the rest.

Prof. Brian Dolan asked the question people kept repeating afterwards. How many of your last 1,000 days would you choose to spend in hospital? Care will always be more important than cure. The six parts of caregiver-centred care sit alongside.

Stephen de Groot closed the summit on stories. Understand what a story means and you understand the person. Understand the person and you can help them get better. Along the bottom, in their own words, is what attendees took home.

2026 Featured speakers

Meet the leaders and innovators who are shaping the future of person-centred care and transforming how we engage with patients, residents and families.

Prof Brian Dolan

OBE, FFNMRCSI, FRSA, RN
Director, The Braver Group,
Professor Coventry University and Honorary Adjunct Professor of Innovation in Healthcare, Bond University

Brian Dolan is a registered nurse whose work focuses on valuing patients’ time, preventing and addressing hospital acquired deconditioning, and leadership.

Dr. Alika Lafontaine

Indigenous Physician | Healthcare Leader and Changemaker

Dr. Alika Lafontaine is one of the most prominent voices in healthcare transformation today. Named 2023's Maclean's Health Care Innovator of the Year, he became the first Indigenous physician and the youngest doctor to lead the Canadian Medical Association.

Brenda Badiuk

Chief Operating Officer, Brivia Consulting

Brenda Badiuk is a healthcare leader with extensive executive experience and is known for her coaching-based, people-focused leadership approach. She currently serves as Chief Operating Officer at Brivia Consulting.

Stephen de Groot

President and Co-Founder, Brivia Consulting

Stephen de Groot is the President and Co-Founder of Brivia and an author and leadership specialist. He has worked with hundreds of organizations worldwide, with a recent focus on coaching and developing healthcare professionals and leaders.