Darren Joslin – Board Chair
Darren Joslin retired from the Government of Alberta with 31 years of service in the Social Services and Health sectors. His experience has included direct services delivery as well as both program and strategic policy development and implementation. His work has focused on a number of different areas including Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), Mentoring and Youth Homelessness.
Darren was the Co-Chair of the FASD Cross-Ministry Committee during the development and initial implementation of Alberta’s FASD 10-Year Strategic Plan. As a member of the Canada Northwest FASD Partnership he was involved in the establishment of the Canada FASD Research Network.
Alan Bocking, MD, FRCSC
Dr. Bocking is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Toronto. He is the former Gordon C. Leitch Chair of the University of Toronto, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Chief of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Mount Sinai Hospital, the University Health Network and Women’s College Hospital (2003 – 2013). Prior to that, he was the Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Western University and Chief of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph’s Health Centre, London, Canada.
Dr. Bocking served as the Scientific Advisor for CanFASD from 2014 to 2019 and has conducted research previously on the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on fetal development in animal models. He was the Founding Director of the Ontario Birth Study which is a prospective longitudinal pregnancy cohort based at Sinai Health System in Toronto as well Founding Director of the Academic Model for Provision of Access to Health Care – Reproductive Health Program, (AMPATH-RH) from 2008 – 2014. AMPATH is a North American Consortium dedicated to the enhancement of clinical care, research and teaching at Moi University School of Medicine in Eldoret, Kenya. He has published his research findings in over 100 peer-reviewed publications and currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Molly Towell Perinatal Research Foundation.
David Brown
David Brown (PhD) is a consultant serving agencies and jurisdictions across Canada in the areas of harmful substance use research, program evaluation, knowledge exchange, and prevention education. David has worked as a research scientist with both BC Mental Health and Addictions Services and with the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. David’s focus for the past decade has been on the challenges of early identification and intervention for risky drinking, particularly in primary care settings.
Carol Anne Cheechoo, B.A., B.Ed., M.A. (Humanities)
Edgar M. Jimenez, BSc MD FRCP(C)
Dr. Edgar M. Jimenez is a dedicated Developmental Pediatrician with extensive experience in diagnosing and supporting individuals and families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Initially drawn to cardiology, Dr. Jimenez’s career path shifted profoundly due to formative experiences as part of a foster family caring for children with FASD. This personal connection inspired a lifelong commitment to advocating for children with visible and invisible disabilities.
Dr. Jimenez has contributed to the FASD field through clinical care, early screening, and work within the justice system via institutions such as Sunny Hill Health Centre and the Asante Centre. He currently serves as the pediatric lead at the Autism Integrated Medical Services clinic, part of the ABLE Clinic, where he has championed the inclusion of FASD alongside autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders in clinic language and practice.
With a passion fueled by lived experience—supporting his own brothers with FASD—and professional mentorship from renowned experts like Dr. Christine Loock, Dr. Jimenez combines clinical insight with deep empathy. He has participated in and presented at national FASD conferences and sees continued involvement in the Canada FASD Research Network as an opportunity to re-engage, contribute, and help shape supportive policies and practices for individuals with FASD across Canada.
In addition to FASD, Dr. Jimenez has a keen interest in other developmental disabilities including autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, learning disabilities, and in mental health. His practice also involves general pediatric care. Dr. Jimenez is a qualified pediatrician for diagnostic assessments of autism spectrum disorder assessments and of other complex developmental and behavioural conditions. In his time off, Dr. Jimenez is an avid soccer player who plays locally and for the Canada Medical Football Team at international tournaments. He also enjoys cycling. He is a proud father of two young children who keep him very busy.
Shana Mohr
Shana is the Training Manager for the FASD Network of Saskatchewan. She has trained hundreds of professionals, caregivers, and individuals with intellectual disabilities about the complexities of FASD. Through her experiences, she has developed an intimate understanding of the services available for individuals with FASD. Shana believes in the need for more research to fill the gaps in these services and to increase the accessibility for individuals with FASD and their caregivers. Shana is also the mom to an amazing daughter with FASD and motivates her unlimited passion for the cause. She is where Shana’s dedication started and continues to be her most important teacher in the complex world of FASD.
Tammy Roberts
Tammy Roberts is the Executive Director of Home Base Yellowknife and the Foster Family Coalition of the Northwest Territories. She is deeply committed to ensuring that youth services for youth in foster care and who may be experiencing homelessness are inclusive, accessible, and responsive to the diverse needs of young people in the North. Tammy’s passion comes from being a devoted caregiver, providing both emergency and long-term care to approximately 250 foster children and youth across the Northwest Territories. Her caregiving experience spans a wide range of abilities, and she continues to provide long-term care to neurodivergent individuals who were prenatally exposed to drugs and alcohol, both as a foster and adoptive parent. Tammy is known for her compassionate leadership, strong advocacy, and unwavering dedication to supporting youth and families.
Howard Sapers
Howard Sapers currently consults domestically and internationally on correctional policy and practice and the intersection between mental health and criminal justice. Between 2004 and 2016 he was the Correctional Investigator of Canada. Mr Sapers led a two-year (2016 -2017) review of Ontario Corrections that resulted in 3 reports making over 160 recommendations. On April 15, 2021, the federal government appointed Mr. Sapers Chair, Structured Intervention Units Implementation Advisory Panel. Mr. Sapers is a Visiting Professor at the University of Ottawa Department of Criminology and an Adjunct Professor in the Simon Fraser University School of Criminology. Mr. Sapers is a member of the CAMH Board of Trustees and Chair of the Governance Committee.
Christian Whalen
Christian Whalen is a native of Fredericton and holds degrees from Carleton University (BA ’87); the University of New Brunswick (LLB ’89) and from l’Université de Strasbourg III (D.E.A. ’92). Following his call to the bar, Christian worked as a lawyer in private practice and as legal counsel to the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission before joining the Office of the Ombudsman in 2005. He has been responsible for systemic investigations and acted as lead investigator on several reports of Ombudsman and the Child and Youth Advocate. He was also the project lead on the Advocate’s annual State of our Children and Youth reports and annual Children’s Rights and Well-being Framework. He served as Acting Child and Youth Advocate for New Brunswick from April 1, 2011 to August 1, 2013, during which he developed an International Summer Course on child rights, a child rights data monitoring framework and a child rights impact assessment process for New Brunswick. He served as founding chair of the Canadian Bar Association’s National Sections Council Committee on Children’s Law and initiated the development of their online Child rights toolkit. In 2014 he received the Children’s Rights Champion Award from the Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children and in 2015 was awarded the John Tait Award for distinguished service as public sector counsel by the Canadian Bar Association.