Speakers
Dr. Shimi Kang
Dr. Shimi Kang is an award-winning psychiatrist, researcher, and expert in neuroscience, specializing in innovation, leadership, and motivation. With 20 years of clinical experience, she offers science-based solutions for health and achievement. Dr. Kang is a clinical associate professor at the University of British Columbia, founder of Future-Ready Minds, and principal investigator for Canada's first research on psychedelics for addiction, depression, and PTSD. A bestselling author of The Dolphin Parent and The Tech Solution, she is also the host of Mental Wealth on YouTube. Featured in BBC, TIME, and NPR, her TEDx talk on adaptability has millions of views. Dr. Kang has earned five national mental health awards, the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award, and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for community service.
Dr. Lori Desautels
Dr. Lori Desautels is an Assistant Professor at Butler University, specializing in undergraduate and graduate courses in the College of Education. Formerly an
Assistant Professor at Marian University, she founded the Educational Neuroscience Symposium. Lori integrates social and relational neurosciences into her teaching, focusing on Applied Educational Neuroscience to support trauma-
sensitive education. She created the global Applied Educational Neuroscience
Certification for educators, counselors, and clinicians working with at-risk children
and adolescents. Her work has been featured in Edutopia and the Brain Research Journal. Lori, the author of four books, including Intentional Neuroplasticity and Connections over Compliance , has worked with over 150,000 educators globally, applying her research to enhance classroom procedures.
Dr. Michael Yellow Bird
Dr. Michael Yellow Bird, a citizen of the Three Affiliated Tribes, is an expert in mindfulness, neurodecolonization, and Indigenous wellness. With extensive personal and professional experience in mindfulness meditation, he combines traditional Indigenous practices with neuroscience to promote healing in Indigenous communities. Dr. Yellow Bird has taught mindfulness to diverse groups, including Native students, teachers, health professionals, and incarcerated populations, exploring its impact on the brain. He has held faculty positions at several universities and is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Manitoba. The author of numerous scholarly articles and co-editor of influential books like Decolonizing Social Work, he focuses on Indigenous mind-body health, colonization, and decolonizing practices to empower communities through neuroscience and traditional knowledge.
