.Feb. 24 – Dr. Rosemary Sadlier – “An Introduction to Black History in Canada, and Connections to the Present Day”
Dr. Rosemary Sadlier is a renowned Canadian diversity, inclusion, and equity consultant, social justice advocate, researcher, writer, and international speaker specializing in Black History, anti-racism, and women’s issues. With a remarkable 22-year tenure as President of the Ontario Black History Society, she spearheaded the establishment of February as Black History Month nationwide and secured the recognition of August 1st as Emancipation Day. As an educator, she has contributed to African Canadian curriculum development, national exhibits, and publications, authoring seven books on African Canadian history. Committed to social justice, Sadlier uses the lens of Black History to educate and empower others
An Introduction to Black History in Canada, and Connections to the Present Day – There is a Black history in Canada that is uniquely our own. It is not as well-known in this country nor globally in part because we do not have required Black History education in our Canadian school system. Unless it is your lived experience, your awareness of the important role that people of African descent have played may be overlooked or hidden. As a consequence, this session is an opportunity to receive an overview of that contribution and achievement over time, while simultaneously making reference to current social realities.
Mar. 3 – John Geiger – “The Last Ship: Exploring Sir Ernest Shackleton’s QUEST”
John Geiger was appointed Chief Executive Officer of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society and Canadian Geographic Enterprises in 2013.
Prior to that, he served on the Society’s Board of Governors for 8 years, culminating with his election as its 13th President in 2010.
As CEO, John leads the organization, overseeing all operations and, in conjunction with the Board, provides strategic direction. He is the internationally bestselling author of seven books, including Frozen In Time: The Fate of the Franklin Expedition, The Third Man Factor: Surviving the Impossible, and Chapel of Extreme Experience: A Short History of Stroboscopic Light and the Dream Machine. William S. Burroughs called him “a fellow writer of exploration literature.” His work has been translated into fourteen languages.
John has lectured widely, including at the Bristol Festival of Ideas, Edinburgh Book Festival, IdeaCity, Canada Club, London, Sonic Acts, Amsterdam, Mystic Seaport Museum, Explorers Club, N.Y. and Wellcome Centre for the History of Medicine, University College, London. In 2014, he presented the Roald Amundsen Memorial Lecture, Fram Museum, Oslo. He has appeared on many television and radio programs, and has been featured in major documentary films including ‘Arctic Ghost Ship’ on PBS Nova, ‘The Angel Effect’ on National Geographic Channel’s Explorer, and ‘Flicker’ on Bravo. John graduated in history from the University of Alberta, and is a Senior Fellow at Massey College, Toronto. He holds a Doctor of Laws honoris causa from the University of Calgary. John Geiger sits on the Advisory Board of the Bay Ecotarium in San Francisco, the National Advisory Council of The Walrus Foundation and is a National Champion of the Trans Canada Trail. He is the former chair of the Editorial Board of The Globe and Mail. In 2015 John received the Polar Medal.
In 2018 he was made Honorary Fellow of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society and Honorary Member of the James Caird Society. In 2021, Geiger was awarded with the Order of Canada, in 2023 he received the RCA Medal from the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and in 2024 he was made a Commander of the Order of Civil Merit by the King of Spain.
The Last Ship: Exploring Sir Ernest Shackleton’s QUEST – a commentary on Ernest Shackleton’s nautical career as a heroic explorer, how his values and legacy remain present in contemporary times, and the RCGS’ hunt to find QUEST and why it remains relevant for Canada and Canadians.
Mar. 10 – Dr. Adrien Viens – “Am I My Brother’s Keeper ?”
Dr. A.M. Viens is an Associate Professor of Global Health at York University. He has degrees in philosophy and law from the Universities of Toronto, Oxford, and London. His research specialization focuses on global health ethics and global health law, with a particular interest in demonstrating how philosophical analysis, legal epidemiology, and regulatory theory should shape how we approach different issues within global health policy, practice, and research (especially infectious diseases, disasters and emergencies, and health promotion). His latest book is Public Health Law: Ethics, Governance, and Regulation, co-authored with John Coggon and Keith Syrett (Routledge, 2017). He is an Investigator in the Global Strategy Lab and a member of the WHO Collaboration Centre on the Global Governance of Antimicrobial Resistance. He is also an Honorary Member of the UK Faculty of Public Health, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health, and Editor-in-Chief of Health Care Analysis.
Am I My Brother’s Keeper ? – How far do we interfere in other people’s lives to keep them healthy ?
Mar. 17 – Dr. Sophiya Benjamin – “Sleep Disorders and Insomnia – Understanding and Managing These as We Age
Dr. Sophiya Benjamin is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University and the Schlegel Chair for Mental Health in Aging. She is the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of GeriMedRisk, a publicly funded, not-for-profit organization that optimizes medications in older adults through clinical consultations in Ontario and education of clinicians nationally and internationally. Dr. Benjamin’s work focuses on implementing and integrating evidence informed solutions at a system level for common challenges in older adults such as polypharmacy and insomnia. She was the inaugural Co-Medical Director at the Provincial Geriatrics Leadership Ontario and serves as a system leader in geriatric psychiatry. Her clinical practice is in the Waterloo region of Ontario.
Mar. 24 – Ross King – The Accidental Masterpiece: Leonardo da Vinci and the Painting of The Last Supper’
Ross King is the author of numerous books on Italian and French art and history, including Brunelleschi’s Dome, Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling and, most recently, The Shortest History of Italy. He has lectured across Europe and North America, and worked as a consultant and speaker on many film and television productions, including Ken Burns’ 2024 miniseries on Leonardo da Vinci.
