Join this important webinar exploring the unique experiences of children from military-connected families and how these experiences shape access to health care and clinical research. The session begins with key demographic and contextual insights—highlighting the impact of frequent relocations, parental deployments, and service-related injuries on continuity of care and mental health.

Drawing on comparative perspectives between Canada and the U.S., this session will examine:

• Structural barriers to timely, specialized care

• Gaps in access to clinical trials

• The importance of military cultural competence in research

• Advocacy strategies for inclusive research practices

The presentation will conclude with actionable policy, practice, and research recommendations aimed at strengthening equity, continuity of care, and health outcomes for military-connected children and their families.

Register now to be part of this meaningful discussion.

Susan Docherty-Skippen, PhD is a Knowledge Translation Specialist at the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMVHR) at Queen’s University, where she advances the mobilization of evidence to inform policy, practice, and education in military, Veteran, and family health. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience in health and education research, Susan has a strong track record in translating complex findings into practical, accessible formats for diverse audiences.

Susan began her research career in the pharmaceutical industry as a Quality Systems Trainer and Compliance Associate, where she led regulatory audits, quality investigations, and large-scale training initiatives. She later joined McMaster University Medical Centre’s Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine as a Clinical Research Associate, managing multi-site clinical trials and patient education programs in nutrition, metabolism, bone health, and rheumatology. In this role, she coordinated research protocols, ethics submissions, participant recruitment, data collection, and dissemination—working closely with physicians, researchers, patients, and families.

Her academic credentials include a PhD in Education, a Master’s in Leadership and Administrative Education, and a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. She has also completed post-doctoral research in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Western University, focusing on caregiver education in dementia care.

Susan’s professional expertise is complemented by her lived experience as the mother of a Canadian Armed Forces Veteran. This personal connection fuels her commitment to ensuring equitable access to research participation and health innovations for military and Veteran families.

Nora Spinks is the CEO of Work-Life Harmony, a consulting firm focused on expediting the translation of research into practice to help individuals achieve and maintain well-being and quality of life—regardless of age, life stage, or work and family experience.

From 2011 to 2021, Nora served as CEO of the Vanier Institute of the Family. During her tenure, she co-hosted a Families in Canada Roundtable with the Governor General, Canada’s Commander-in-Chief, which helped catalyze national attention on Military and Veteran Families. She co-chaired roundtables and co-hosted conferences and strategy sessions with the Ministers of Defence and Veterans Affairs, the Chief of Defence, the Chief of Military Personnel Command, and the Director of Military Family Services (MFS).

Nora established the Award for Excellence in Military and Veteran Families Research and initiated an annual Military and Veteran Roundtable held at the CIMVHR Forum. She has collaborated with numerous military and civilian organizations to support Military and Veteran families across Canada.

Currently, she chairs the Minister of Veterans Affairs Family Advisors Group and serves as an advisor to the Garnet Families Initiative, the Military Family Research Group at Queen’s University, and the Advisory Group for the Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University.