Thank you for supporting the Okanagan Sleep Wellness & Asian Cultural Fair!
All proceeds from the event will go to KGH Foundation.
May 28, 2022 | 12:00 NN – 5:00 PM
@ Grizzli Winery
land acknowledgement
We would like to acknowledge that we will be holding this event on the traditional and unceded territory of the Okanagan Syilx people. We recognize, honour, and respect the presence of Indigenous people, past, present, and future. Grouse and Pamela Barnes, members of Westbank First Nation and Syilx knowledge keepers, will be present to provide a territorial welcome at the opening of the event.
Official Sponsors
About the Event
Okanagan residents’ sleep health has been hit hard by the pandemic over the past two years. Understanding the importance of this issue, the Kelowna Taiwanese Cultural Society has partnered with the Kelowna General Hospital Foundation and local sleep clinic Tranq Sleep Care to raise funds and awareness for people to improve their sleep.
The first Okanagan Sleep Wellness Fair will be organized at Grizzli Winery on May 28 and will have talks on sleep-related health topics such as pediatric and adolescent sleep, sports and concussions and sleep, and the effects of the increasingly popular medical cannabis on our sleep. To make the event fun and family-friendly, the Kelowna Taiwanese Cultural Society will also celebrate Asian Heritage Month by offering Taiwanese food from local Taiwanese restaurants and having several Taiwanese cultural displays and culturally related games.
Sleep Educational Talks
Pediatric and Adolescent sleep
More and more children and adolescents are having sleeping issues. Vinicio Delgado will talk about why this is a problem, what factors have been contributing, and what sleep deprivation for children and adolescents can result in. Dr. Wendy Hall will then speak about age-appropriate sleep duration for children and talk about the importance of proper sleep for their growth and development, in addition to how it affects parents, and go over the factors that promote and inhibit children’s sleep.
Sports, Concussion, and sleep
Sleep often gets overlooked when people talk about health. Dr. Amy Bender will explain the importance of sleep for athletic performance, discuss the 3 keys to optimal sleep, and present actionable sleeping strategies. Dr. Maya Libben will then discuss how sleep is affected by concussions, and discuss the role of neuropsychological assessment and psychological treatment in helping people understand and deal with long-term concussion symptoms.
Research on Cannabis and Sleep
Since its legalization in 2018, more and more people are taking interest in understanding the medical effects of cannabis. Neuroscientist Kathleen Scullion will explain how cannabis affects the brain, Rob Velzeboer will review the current evidence on how cannabis affects sleep and discuss what research we need in the future, and cannabis educator Michael Koehn will finish the talk by discussing his years of experience treating patients with cannabis formulations.
Speakers
Dr. Amy Bender
Dr. Bender is Director of Clinical Sleep Science at Cerebra Medical and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary. She received her PhD and Master of Science degrees in Experimental Psychology from Washington State University specializing in sleep EEG. She has helped develop the only validated sleep screening tool for athletes.
Dr. Wendy Hall
Dr. Wendy Hall’s research program aims to increase parental confidence, competence, and wellbeing and promote healthy child development (over 100 publications). She served as panel at American Academy of Sleep Medicine to develop evidence-based sleep duration guidelines for 0-to-18-year-old children. Wendy received 11 teaching awards, including two UBC Killams, and remains deeply committed to students’ learning, critical thinking, and wellbeing.
ROB VELZEBOER
Rob graduated from the London School of Economics with a Master’s of Science. He has been working as a clinical research assistant at Tranq Sleep Care for over a year, doing a systematic review on the effects of cannabis on sleep and working together with Interior Health on a cannabis trial.
Michael Koehn
Michael is a passionate speaker and cannabis educator who built the CannSolve Community of local patients - a peer support opportunity for new and experienced cannabis users to support one another to maximize cannabis success. He conducts mobile clinics for seniors and special interest groups to improve access to information about cannabis.
Dr. Maya Libben
Dr. Maya Libben is an Associate Professor of Psychology and the lead investigator of the PLAN Lab at the University of British Columbia – Okanagan. She is also a registered clinical psychologist (#2167) with the College of Psychologists of British Columbia. Dr. Libben has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from McGill University and completed a post-doctoral followship at Harvard Medical School.
Vinicio delgado
Vinicio is the acting Physician Assistant and Co-Director for the Sleep Technologist program at Tranq Sleep Care. As an advanced practice health care provider, he is involved in patient assessment, implementation of diagnostic procedures and therapeutic interventions as well as education and counsel relating to sleep disorders and their prevention.
Kathleen Scullion
Dr. Scullion completed her PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Calgary where she performed novel investigations into the effects stress and cannabinoids on movement representations in the brain. She is currently the practice Lead on Cannabis Research & Knowledge Translation.
Moderators
Dr. Wayne Lai
Dr. Wayne Lai is a Neurologist and a Sleep Specialist. Dr. Wayne Lai has practiced medicine both in the United States and Canada since 2006. Dr. Wayne Lai completed his internal medicine training at Seton University in South Orange, New Jersey, and his Neurology and Sleep Medicine training at Case Western Reserve University – University Hospital of Cleveland, in Cleveland Ohio, USA. In 2010 he returned to Canada and opened his practice in Kelowna, BC.
Shayne Theriault
Shayne successfully achieved over 30 years of practical experience in the healthcare, emergency response, and business administration fields. He incorporated several areas of practice throughout his career such as direct patient care delivery, sales/marketing, operations management, and entrepreneurial business ownership.
Ruel Pangan
Ruel is a graduate of Bachelor of Science major in Medical Technology from University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines. Board-certified as Cardiovascular Perfusionist by the College of Perfusion Scientist of Great Britain and Ireland and by the European Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion. Currently holding registration as Certified Respiratory Educator from Canadian Network for Respiratory Care and Certified Clinical Sleep Health educator from Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologist.
special guest
Jay Christensen
Jay has a background of 10 years in professional football where he had a great deal of success, winning the Grey Cup in 1993 with the Edmonton Eskimos, and also spending time with the Calgary Stampeders, BC Lions and Ottawa Rough Riders. In 1990 with the BC Lions Jay was the Most Outstanding Canadian, the Extra Effort Player of the Year, and Tom Pate nominee for CFL Man of the Year. He Coached the Okanagan Sun for 10 years helping to win a National Championship in 2000. Jay continues to share his passion for football by serving on the Board of Directors of the Okanagan Sun.
Moderator: Shayne Theriault Speaker: Dr. Wendy Hall, Vinicio Delgado
Moderator: Ruel Pangan Speaker: Dr. Amy Bender, Dr. Maya Libben
Moderator: Dr. Wayne Lai Speaker: Rob Velzeboer, Kathleen Scullion
Outdoor activities
- Wellness Booths
- Artisan Booths
- Live Music
- Activities for Kids
- Food trucks
Outdoor Stage Performances
Performers
Auction Items
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