NSB Logo Dr. Katharine Smart Dr. Katharine Smart

Dr. Katharine Smart

Speaker Exclusive

Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada

Medical Leader & Advocate Against Misinformation

Dr. Katharine Smart is an experienced medical leader and speaker advocate who constantly challenges the status quo in medicine. She’s the former president of the Canadian Medical Association, a role held as were in the pandemic.  A pediatrician in Canada’s north, her work focuses on innovative and collaborative partnerships between community and government to serve marginalized youth in rural and remote areas. An outspoken advocate against misinformation, Dr. Smart uses her voice to bring evidence and facts to the forefront of health communication.

Health Youth & Campus Leadership

In the News

Dr. Katharine Smart in the media January 1, 2024
Dr. Katharine Smart | The Globe and Mail January 1, 2024

Keynote Speeches

Virtual Keynotes & Webinars
Contact us for more information about this speaker & their virtual presentations. Click here for some of the most popular formats for virtual events.
Leadership As A Way of Being - Antidotes to Burnout

As we emerge from the collective trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are witnessing escalating rates of burnout and quiet quitting in the workplace. 

In this session, Dr. Katharine Smart discusses:

  • Burnout and how it can be reframed as an impact of chronic trauma
  • The biggest drivers of professional satisfaction for people in an organization
  • Our best protection against traumatic stress and how we need to develop and encourage trauma-informed leadership throughout our systems and organizations
  • How leadership and advocacy can be an antidote to burnout
  • Addressing burnout and the trauma in our systems and organizations
Misinformation & Social Media: Emerging Threats to Health and Democracy

As misinformation continues to pose an increasing threat to health and civil society, trust in experts has decreased, and with it, our ability to build trust in health measures. 

The result? Unnecessary suffering and loss of life that could have been prevented.

During the pandemic, the rise of misinformation coupled with increasing political polarization, decreasing civil discourse, fear, cynicism, apathy, and extremism, are all of which threaten our social cohesion and arguably democracy itself. 

Nowadays, social media is infiltrating every aspect of our lives as more and more people get their news about their families, communities, and now their health, online. 

This has created a fertile ground for the spread of misinformation; research shows 87% of social media posts about health contain misinformation. 

Key Outcomes:

  • Why misinformation is a powerful currency
  • What drives misinformation
  • How to combat misinformation
  • How to develop critical thinking skills in our children and youth
Leveraging Social Media for Influence: The Power of Storytelling for Effective Advocacy

Medicine is storytelling, and we can use storytelling to share ideas and experiences to build relationships for effective influence and advocacy.

Today, social media has become a reality in our professional lives, and by considering and curating our personal personas, we can leverage social media for impact; it is the new town hall and we must be present in these spaces to have influence, participate in dialogue, and compel change.

The Canadian Healthcare System

As a Pediatrician and Past President of the Canadian Medical Association, Dr. Smart is an expert on the Canadian healthcare system and children’s health, and can speak to any desired topic under these themes.

Audience reviews:

  • Dr. Smart provided the keynote address at the Alberta Association of Nurses' inaugural conference. Her ability to speak naturally and freely gave her instant credibility with the audience and ensured that her message was well received. Katharine spent a full day at the conference, where she was open and approachable for further discussions and interactions, creating even more audience impact, long after her talk concluded. - Chief Executive Officer, Alberta Association of Nurses
  • In April 2023, Dr. Katharine Smart was invited to present a keynote for the Don Clogg Memorial Lecture at the Alberta Children's Hospital, in Calgary, Alberta. She presented on burnout and leadership in the pandemic as the past-president of the Canadian Medical Association. As a previous physician working at our hospital, she delivered an impassioned presentation and really touched upon many themes that resonated with our physicians and allied health professionals. She has a gift for storytelling and connecting with her audience that makes watching her such a delight. I left the lecture feeling inspired and rejuvenated in my path in medicine. - Program Director, Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  • Exceptional speaker! Dr. Smart was dynamic, engaging, and passionate. She ensured that her talk was not only directly applicable to our audience, but also wove in specifics to our organization. Feedback from attendees was universally positive and they were grateful for her considered answers to difficult questions. - Past President, Canadian Women in Medicine
  • Children's Healthcare Canada invited Dr. Smart to lead a keynote address at our national conference, convening health systems leaders responsible for delivering healthcare services for children. Dr. Smart was accessible to our team throughout all aspects of planning, collaborating with us to ensure her remarks addressed conference objectives. Dr. Smart's delivery of her address was dynamic - she is a seasoned professional who keeps her audience engaged. Beyond her on-stage presentation, Dr Smart made herself available to delegates who wanted to follow up one on one. As far as health systems experts go, you won't be disappointed working with Dr. Smart. - President & CEO, Children’s Healthcare Canada and Executive Director, Pediatric Chairs of Canada

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Speaker Biography

Dr. Katharine Smart is the past president of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), where in 2021, she became the 10th woman to serve in the organization’s 155-year history.  A fierce and authentic leader, she has become a recognized and respected medical voice in Canada. Dr. Smart has been recognized as one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women, with the Medical Post’s Changemaker Media Award and the Waterfalls Global Award.

In recognition of her advocacy for primary care and family medicine she received an honourary membership from the Canadian Family Physicians of Canada. She has held many leadership positions including president of the Yukon Medical Association and sits on the board of Ronald McDonald House charities and Actua, Canada’s largest STEM outreach organization.

Dr. Smart is a passionate communicator and sought-after media expert, keynote speaker, panelist and podcast guest. She is the host of SPARK: Conversations, Children’s Healthcare Canada’s monthly podcast series.

Dr. Smart’s clinical work has spanned the breadth of Pediatrics. She started her career as a pediatric emergency medicine physician at the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary. She has worked in Australia, Vancouver and across Canada’s north. Her current clinical focus is providing care to children who have experienced adverse childhood events using a model of social pediatrics in the Yukon.

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