DC Talks: Innovation and Resilience in Healthcare

About this class

Join us on March 25 for the next DC Talks event, featuring a panel of four Durham College (DC) graduates who are shaping the future of care across diverse and vital areas of the health sector.

This hybrid event will explore how innovation, lived experience, and community-driven approaches are strengthening healthcare systems locally and globally.

Panellists will share insights from their work in mental health and addiction services, occupational health and workplace wellness, community paramedicine, and HIV prevention. Through these perspectives, the discussion will highlight resilience in the face of complex challenges, the importance of equity-centered care, and emerging practices that are redefining how health services are delivered.

Open to students, employees, and community members worldwide, this event offers a unique opportunity to learn from alumni, engage in meaningful dialogue, and reflect on the evolving role of healthcare in a rapidly changing world.

Register for this event online using Eventbrite.

Panellists

Beth Brannon

Registered Nursing, Class of 1994

Beth Brannon is a seasoned healthcare leader and registered nurse with over 30 years of experience in mental health and addictions care, including more than two decades in progressive leadership roles across acute and specialty settings. As Senior Director, Mental Health and Addictions at Lakeridge Health, she leads transformative initiatives to strengthen integrated, patient-centered systems of care.

Known for her collaborative and evidence-based approach, Beth has advanced quality improvement, operational excellence, and workforce engagement across complex healthcare environments. She is deeply committed to fostering integration across hospital and community sectors, ensuring continuity of care for individuals with complex mental health and addiction needs. Passionate about developing future leaders, she continues to champion high-quality, recovery-oriented care that connects people, systems, and communities.

Matthew Canning, BScN, MN, NP-PHC

Practical Nursing, Class of 2009

Matthew began his nursing career at Hospital for Sick Children. He later expanded his scope as a Nurse Practitioner in the Emergency Department and has worked in diverse roles including primary care, virtual care, cosmetic injectables, prescription cannabis, and academia.

Presently, Matthew serves as the Clinical Director of Ontario’s largest in-person PrEP clinic, where he leads a multidisciplinary team in delivering comprehensive HIV prevention and treatment services. He has played a key role in the development of the clinic’s HIV treatment program, which provides both HIV-focused and primary care to a largely uninsured population. Matthew is deeply committed to equitable access to HIV treatment and prevention for all people and to advancing the critical role of Nurse Practitioners in achieving this goal.

In addition to his clinical practice, Matthew is a contributing author to the HIV Prevention and HIV Treatment sections of the Canadian Family Practice Guidelines (2nd edition) and a contributing member of the scientific steering committee for Canada’s first Injectable PrEP (CAB-LA) guide. He has also been actively involved in research focused on real-world evaluation of HIV Post-Exposure Prophylaxis-in-Pocket (PIP), Injectable PrEP implementation in Canada, and HIV prevention and treatment in women.

Tamara Dus, RN, MN, CHE

Registered Nursing, Class of 1993

A seasoned healthcare executive, Tamara Dus brings more than 30 years of expertise that bridges clinical practice, program leadership, and transformative health system strategy. In her current role as Senior Director of Health Services, People and Culture at University Health Network (UHN), she leads the organization’s staff health and wellbeing portfolio for Canada’s largest academic health science centres. Tamara’s visionary leadership has been instrumental in driving major initiatives, such as spearheading UHN’s pandemic response and advancing real time monitoring tools that bolster safety for both patients and providers.

Tamara is also an adjunct lecturer at the University of Toronto and has contributed extensively to health education across multiple academic institutions, including serving as a course instructor at both Durham College and Ontario Tech University.

Guided by values-based leadership and a passion for equitable, community driven care, Tamara brings to this panel insightful perspectives on resilience, innovation, and the evolving needs of patients, providers, and health systems locally and globally.

J.D. Heffern

Advanced Paramedic, Class of 2013

J.D. Heffern has served as a front-line Advanced Care Paramedic, Paramedic educator, Community Paramedic, and in multiple Paramedic service leadership roles. His professional interests include Community Paramedicine, Paramedic practice with vulnerable populations, Paramedic identity and culture, and international trends and best practices. He is particularly passionate about connecting with like minded individuals and organisations to advance the profession.

He serves as the Canadian representative on the Board of Directors for both the International Roundtable on Community Paramedicine and the Paramedic Foundation, and locally sits on the Board of the Ottawa Valley Family Health Team.

In January 2026, J.D. retired from his role as Chief Paramedic for the Government of Canada within Indigenous Services Canada. He continues to contribute to the profession through a casual leadership position with the County of Renfrew Paramedic Service and as Managing Principal of Wider Lens, a consulting firm supporting government, NGOs, and private-sector clients. J.D. is currently a student at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and a Fellow with the McNally Project for Canadian Paramedicine Research.