Canadian Pediatric Dermatology Primer
Delta Dartmouth, Dartmouth, NS
September 11, 2027
Conference Background
The Canadian Pediatric Dermatology Primer is designed to enhance the skills and knowledge of primary health care practitioners in diagnosing and managing skin conditions in children. First held in Saskatoon in 2025, the CPD Primer was developed and presented by Board-Certified Dermatologists to provide practical, evidence-based education to support front-line healthcare providers in delivering high-quality pediatric dermatologic care across Canada.
The 2027 conference will take place in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, bringing this unique educational opportunity to Atlantic Canada. Like many regions across the country, Atlantic Canada continues to experience challenges in accessing dermatology services, particularly for children living in rural, remote, and underserved communities. Long wait times for specialist consultation and geographic barriers to care mean that many common pediatric skin conditions—including atopic dermatitis, infantile hemangiomas, acne, and infectious skin diseases—are diagnosed and managed by family physicians, pediatricians, nurse practitioners, emergency physicians, and other front-line healthcare professionals.
The Canadian Pediatric Dermatology Primer provides attendees with practical, high-yield learning from pediatric dermatology experts, equipping clinicians with the confidence and knowledge to diagnose and manage common and complex skin conditions while recognizing when specialist referral is needed. The conference also fosters collaboration among healthcare professionals from across Canada, encouraging the exchange of best practices and strengthening networks that support pediatric skin health.
We are pleased to welcome participants to Dartmouth for an informative and engaging day of learning. Together, we can improve access to timely, evidence-based dermatologic care for children and support better outcomes for pediatric patients and their families nationwide.
Why Attend?
- Gain insights from top Canadian dermatologists specializing in pediatric dermatology.
- Enhance your ability to manage a wide range of pediatric skin conditions.
- Network with fellow primary care practitioners and dermatology experts.
Who Should Attend
- Dermatologists
- General practitioners
- Family physicians
- Pediatricians
- Nurse practitioners
- Physician assistants
- Pharmacists
- Medical trainees
Canadian Pediatric Dermatology Primer
Delta Dartmouth Hotel
PROGRAM AT A GLANCE
Saturday, September 11, 2027
Check back for updates
SPEAKERS
Updates to be announced shortly.
Sponsors
If you are interested in becoming a sponsor and would like the opportunity to showcase your latest dermatological innovations to local primary care practitioners, please contact us for more information: [email protected]
We are grateful to our 2025 Sponsors for their support!
DIAMOND
GOLD
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Contact Us
For more information, please contact the Conference Secretariat:
Dr. Rachel Asiniwasis
Dr. Rachel Netahe Asiniwasis is a board certified Dermatologist currently practicing in her original hometown of Regina, Saskatchewan since graduating Dermatology residency at the University of Toronto in 2014. She currently operates her own practice within Regina, seeing a wide base of patients in southern Saskatchewan. Since 2015, she and her small team have expanded to service several remote and northern First Nations communities around Saskatchewan in a grassroots initiative. She does this through a mixture of in-person and teledermatology clinics.
Her father is a residential school survivor of nine years, and one of her most recent passions is learning more about health care challenges in remote and First Nations populations and developing proactive approaches to these challenges through a Truth and Reconciliation framework (www.trc.ca).
Dr. Asiniwasis recently graduated in a Master’s degree in clinical and translational research, and with this background hopes to continue to advocate for underserviced populations in Canadian Dermatology. She is the founder of Origins Dermatology Centre based in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Rachel’s area of interest includes medical dermatology, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, skin infections, skin cancer, remote outreach practice to underserviced areas, medical education, translational research, and Indigenous dermatology.
Rachel has been identified as Canada’s first Indigenous Dermatologist by many of her peers and colleagues.
Dr. Jerome Coulombe
Dr. Irene Lara-Corrales
Dr. Irene Lara-Corrales is a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto and a staff physician in Pediatric Dermatology at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada.
She completed her medical training and pediatric residency at the University of Costa Rica, in San Jose, Costa Rica and her pediatric dermatology training at the Hospital for Sick Children. She obtained a Master in Science degree from the University of Toronto.
She is involved in numerous clinical and research endeavours, as well as in teaching commitments. She co-directs the Genodermatoses, Epidermolysis Bullosa, Vascular Tumors and Café-au-Lait Screening clinics at SickKids. She is currently the Pediatric Dermatology Research Lead at SickKids. Her research interests include genodermatoses, inflammatory diseases and vascular anomalies.
Dr. Rebecca Levy
Dr. Levy’s clinical interests include managing skin concerns in children with cancer, pediatric hidradenitis suppurativa and laser therapy for vascular birthmarks. Current research endeavours include exploring the management of skin toxicities to targeted anti-cancer therapies, characterizing cutaneous late effects in children who have undergone bone marrow transplantation, studying novel treatments for pediatric inflammatory disorders such as psoriasis, and creating local, regional and national networks to improve the care and transition of adolescents with hidradenitis suppurativa.
Dr Levy is active in education at all levels, and is passionate about community capacity building through education initiatives. She is co-Director of the biennial SickKids Pediatric Dermatology Update conference, and is the fellowship director for the clinical pediatric dermatology fellowship program at SickKids.
Dr. Kirsten Walker
Dr. Kirsten Walker is a community and academic dermatologist in Saskatoon Saskatchewan. She is the medical director at Walker Dermatology, and the principal investigator at Skinsense Medical research.
Dr. Walker completed her dermatology residency program at the University of Toronto in 2020. She holds a combined honours BSc in Immunology and Biochemistry, an MSc in Community Health and Epidemiology, and an MD all from Dalhousie University in Halifax.
Dr. Walker is an Assistant Professor at the University of Saskatchewan, with a leadership role in the undergraduate medical education program. She provides medical students and medical residents with both didactic lectures and hand-on clinical training. Dr. Walker also works as a Consultant Physician at the Saskatoon hospitals.
Dr. Walker has been a principal investigator in over 30 phase 2 and phase 3 clinical trials investigating novel therapies in the areas of atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, prurigo nodularis and hidradentitis suppurativa. She looks forward to continuing to provide novel treatment options to patients of Saskatchewan with complex and difficult to treat skin disease.
Dr. Elena Pope
Dr. Elena Pope is a Professor in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto and Division Head of Pediatric Dermatology at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. Her clinical interests are in medically complex and rare pediatric dermatology diseases. Dr. Pope has instituted innovative approaches to the care of these patients by establishing/running interdisciplinary clinics in Epidermolysis Bullosa, Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, Vascular Tumors, Morphea and Genodermatoses, some of them unique to Canada and abroad. Her research interests are aligned to her clinical interests and focus on advancing the field of Paediatric Dermatology by expanding the therapeutic repertoire of common and orphan diseases, developing new outcome measures and participation and international leadership in collaborative research. Dr. Pope is committed to education in all its aspects and has been the recipient of local and international teaching and mentorship awards.
Dr. Pope has held executive leadership positions in PeDRA (Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance), is the current Committee Chair for Strategic Development of Society for Pediatric Dermatology (SPD) and Executive Board member of the International Society for Pediatric Dermatology (ISPD).
Dr. Michele Ramien
Dr. Michele Ramien is a first generation Canadian whose immigrant parents’ experiences and examples of grit inspired to work for equity and excellence. She completed undergraduate (2000) and postgraduate (2003) training then medical school (2008) at McGill University, dermatology residency in Toronto and Ottawa (2013), and a pediatric dermatology fellowship at CHU Ste-Justine (2014).
In the years since, she has leveraged the exposures and knowledge she gained from diverse Canadian and international preceptors to foster trainees in her academic roles as an Assistant then Associate Professor at the Universities of Ottawa then Calgary. She is inspired by the ‘aha’ moments of her trainees and finds joy in continuing to learn with them.
Dr. Ramien has research interests in eczema, genodermatoses, and severe skin reactions and a strong publication history. She enjoys the challenge of creating a ‘good talk’ that translates complex science into digestible tidbits, and is frequently invited to speak at home and abroad.
Leadership roles have also been a large part of Dr. Ramien’s career trajectory where she has endeavoured to live into the values of excellence and equity.
She currently lives in Calgary with her husband, 3 sons, and 3 dogs and escapes to forest bathe and ski in the nearby Rocky Mountains as often as she can.
Dr. Wingfield Rehmus
Dr. Wingfield Rehmus is a Clinical Associate Professor at University of British Columbia, currently serving as the head of the division of pediatric dermatology at BC Children’s Hospital where she has been in practice since 2009. Dr. Rehmus is originally from the United States, where she completed all of her training and a Master’s degree in public health with a focus on international health. After finishing her dermatology training at Stanford University, she remained on faculty doing clinical research for 5 years. Prior to moving to Canada, she lived in the Republic of Palau, a small Pacific Island nation, where she practiced dermatology and led strategic planning for the Bureau of Public Health for 2 years.
Dr. Rehmus has focused her work on expanding access to dermatology care for under-resourced and remote areas through education, outreach, and telehealth. She leads a bi-annual 6 session case-based pediatric dermatology course modeled on ECHO, has created a pediatric dermatology primer, which is available in print and on-line through UBC Pressbooks, and is an active participant in RICHER, the social pediatrics program in downtown Vancouver.
Dr. Cathryn Sibbald
Dr. Cathryn Sibbald is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto and a full-time staff physician in the Division of Dermatology at the Hospital for Sick Children. She also works at several community sites including St Joes and Bloorkids. She completed her dermatology residency training at the University of Toronto followed by fellowship training in Pediatric Dermatology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She has interests in autoimmune and inflammatory skin conditions and impacts on quality of life, and co-lead alopecia, morphea and Hidradenitis specialty clinics at SickKids.
Dr. Brittany Waller
Dr. Brittany Waller is a board-certified dermatologist in both Canada and the United States, currently practicing in Regina, Saskatchewan. Dr. Waller is an Assistant Professor and Program Director for the University of Saskatchewan’s dermatology residency program, currently in its inaugural year. Dr. Waller is also active at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons level, serving as a member of the Specialty Committee in Dermatology and is a past Royal College examiner. In addition to outpatient practice and academic responsibilities, Dr. Waller provides inpatient dermatology consultation services for Southern Saskatchewan.
Growing up in the prairies, Dr. Waller obtained both a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology with Great Distinction and a Medical Degree at the University of Saskatchewan. She completed her 5-year dermatology residency and a subspecialty fellowship in Laser Surgery and Aesthetic Medicine through the University of Toronto Dermatology Program.
Dr. Waller has experience in clinical trials and has given many presentations at scientific conferences both locally and abroad. She has also won awards in medical education and quality improvement. Dr. Waller’s numerous publications have been features in peer-reviewed journals including JAMA Dermatology/Archives of Dermatology, Dermatologic Surgery, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Canadian Medical Association Journal, Pediatric Dermatology, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery.
Dr. Miriam Weinstein
Dr. Weinstein received her FRCPC in both Paediatrics and Dermatology from the University of Toronto. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto and a staff physician at Sick Kids Hospital.
Dr. Weinstein’s clinical interests include atopic dermatitis and laser therapy. She has developed and runs the dermatology laser program at Sick Kids and co-developed the Eczema Management and Advocacy Program for patients and families.
She is involved in educational administration and currently chairs the Continuing Professional Development Awards Committee for the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto and the Visiting Professorship sub-committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section of Dermatology.
She is a Section Editor for Pediatric Dermatology Journal.
She has a passion for teaching and lectures extensively from the local to international level.