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MC IBD Advisory Committee
Dr. Vivian Huang (Program Chair and Moderator)
MSc, MD, FRCPC
Gastroenterologist, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Specialist
Mount Sinai Hospital
Associate Professor, Clinician Investigator, University of Toronto
Director, Preconception and Pregnancy in IBD
Clinical Research Program
Dr. Vivian Huang is an Associate Professor and Clinician investigator in the Division of Gastroenterology at Mount Sinai Hospital and the University of Toronto. Dr. Huang completed medical school and Internal Medicine residency at Queen’s University, followed by a gastroenterology fellowship at the University of Toronto, and an Advanced IBD fellowship at the University of Alberta. She practices P4 (predictive, preventive, personalized, participatory) medicine to optimize maternal, fetal and neonatal outcomes in IBD through clinical innovations in patient and physician education, and e-health strategies.
Dr. Huang is the Founder and Director of the Mount Sinai Hospital Preconception and Pregnancy in IBD clinical research program in Ontario. She also developed the Northern Alberta Preconception and Pregnancy in IBD clinical research program, and she created the Multidisciplinary Care in IBD (MCIBD) CME program for clinicians who care for people with IBD. Dr. Huang received the Crohn’s and Colitis Canada and Pfizer Canada Women in IBD: Emerging Researchers Award in 2020 and the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology Young Scholar in Quality Innovation Award in 2023 for her work in Pregnancy and IBD management and education.
She is lead author or co-author of over 60 research articles and 2 book chapters, and is one of only two Canadian committee members of the Global Consensus Conference: Pregnancy and IBD.
Dr. Vipul Jairath
MBCHB, DPHIL. FRCP, FRCPC
Professor of Medicine,
Division of Gastroenterology
Western University, Ontario, Canada
Dr. Vipul Jairath is a Gastroenterologist and Professor of Medicine in the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry and holds the John and Susan McDonald Endowed Chair in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Clinical Research at Western University, Canada.
Dr Jairath leads the IBD Center at University Hospital (London Health Sciences Center) and is Director of the IBD Clinical Trials Unit, Director of the IBD Fellowship program and Research Chair for the Department of Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry.
His research interests are centered around design, conduct and execution of clinical trials, outcome measures and index development and validation for use in clinical trials, including patient reported outcome measures, as well as methodological research in the design and analysis of clinical trials. He has over 500 peer reviewed publications. He has supervised multiple students and research fellows at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Dr. Jairath is principal investigator for multiple randomized controlled trials in IBD including investigator-initiated trials, collaborative trials and industry sponsored trials. He has served on multiple clinical trial steering committees, data monitoring committees and trial management groups.
Dr. Dharini Mahendira
MD, FRCPC, MScCH​
Clinician-Teacher, Director and Founder,
Rheumatic Disease and Pregnancy Clinic, St. Michael’s Hospital
Associate Professor, Rheumatology,
University of Toronto
Dr. Dharini Mahendira is a Clinician-teacher at St. Michael’s Hospital, and an Associate Professor in the Division of Rheumatology at the University of Toronto. She is also the Program Director for the Adult Rheumatology training program at the University of Toronto. Upon completion of her rheumatology residency training at the University of Toronto, Dharini subsequently pursued further training in her clinical interest of managing rheumatic diseases in pregnancy. She is the founder and director of the Rheumatic Diseases and Pregnancy Clinic at St. Michael’s Hospital. Her clinical research in this area has been presented nationally and internationally.
Additionally, Dharini is an award-winning teacher, with extensive involvement in post-graduate rheumatology teaching and curriculum development. Her teaching awards include the Canadian Rheumatology Association “Emerging Teacher-Educator” of the Year as well as the University of Toronto “William Goldie Prize and Travel Award for Teaching."
Dr. Cynthia Maxwell
MD, MBA, FRCSC, RDMS, DABOG, DABOM, CHE
Maternal Fetal Medicine & Obesity Medicine Specialist Associate Scientist,
Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health Professor,
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Toronto
Dr. Cindy Maxwell is a Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital and Women’s College Hospital, and Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Toronto. Her clinical and research interests are focused on acute and chronic disorders of pregnancy with an emphasis on pregnancies affected by obesity, malignancy, and gastrointestinal disorders. She is the Vice President, Medical Affairs & System Transformation and Lead Medical Executive at Women’s College Hospital at University of Toronto.
Dr. Maxwell is a Director on the Board of Directors of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada. Dr. Maxwell leads the Obesity Stream of the FIGO Committee on Impact of Pregnancy and Long-term Health.
Dr. Natalie Morson
MD, MScCH, CFPC, FCFPC
Assistant Professor
Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto
Family Medicine Site Program Director
Mount Sinai Academic Family Health Team
Dr. Natalie Morson is a staff physician practicing comprehensive family medicine including low risk obstetrics at the Mount Sinai Academic Family Health Team. Dr. Morson earned her medical degree from the University of Western Ontario in 2006 and then completed her Family Medicine residency, followed by a Low Risk Obstetrics Fellowship, at the University of Toronto in 2008. Dr. Morson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto and is the Family Medicine Residency Site Program Director at Mount Sinai Hospital.
Dr. Perla Lansang
MD, FRCPC
Staff Dermatologist, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Hospital for Sick Children
Associate Professor, Dermatology,
University of Toronto
Dr. Perla Lansang is a full-time staff dermatologist and associate professor in the Division of Dermatology, University of Toronto. She is based at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre where she served as Division Director for 3 years. Prior to that, she was the Director of Undergraduate Education for the Division of Dermatology for over 10 years. She is cross-appointed at the Section of Paediatric Dermatology at the Hospital for Sick Children where she runs a pediatric psoriasis clinic, and the Division of Obstetric Medicine at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
Dr. Parul Tandon
DO, PhD, FRCPC
David & Elyssa Feldberg and Family Professorship in IBD Research at UHN
Staff Gastroenterologist & Clinician Scientist, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Health Network
Adjunct Scientist, ICES Central
Assistant Professor, University of Toronto
Dr. Parul Tandon is a staff gastroenterologist and inflammatory bowel diseases specialist at the University Health Network. He completed his internal medicine training at the University of Ottawa and adult gastroenterology residency at the University of Toronto. Dr. Tandon is a Clinician Scientist and Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. His research interests include the care of IBD in racial and ethnic minorities as well as access to care for women with IBD during preconception and pregnancy, and for infants born to women with IBD in the first years of life.
Brenda O’Connor
RN, BScN
Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator
Department of Surgery
Mount Sinai Hospital
Brenda O’Connor is a Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator in the Department of Surgery, within the Zane Cohen Centre for Digestive Diseases at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. She is a member of Mount Sinai Hospital’s IBD Centre of Excellence, and involved in Crohn’s and Colitis Canada’s Got to Go, as well as the annual Gutsy Walk. Brenda is also a Community Outreach Coordinator responsible for organizing and participating in peer-led support groups.
Luxin Ye
RPh
Registered Clinical Pharmacist
Mount Sinai Hospital
Luxin Ye is a pharmacist at Mount Sinai Hospital, providing clinical care to inpatients under GI and general surgery service. Luxin’s passion and goals include helping patients to know and optimize their IBD therapies.
Montana Skurka
MT, E-CYT
Research Associate, Integrative Wellness Educator, Patient Advocate
SickKids Hospital
Montana Skurka, MT, E-CYT, is an integrative wellness practitioner, educator, and patient advocate specializing in supportive care for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), chronic illness, and cancer recovery. After developing IBD as an adolescent following surviving childhood cancer, Montana has dedicated her work to bridging the gap between clinical care, patient education, and evidence-informed supportive care.
Montana has extensive experience designing and facilitating programs that address mental health, self-advocacy, and resilience for individuals living with IBD and chronic illness. She served as Patient Programs Coordinator at Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, developing patient education initiatives, webinars, resource guides, and peer support programs, while also supporting social action campaigns. She has delivered talks and workshops at hospitals, research institutes, and community organizations on navigating chronic illness, mental health, and integrative wellness strategies.
In addition, Montana has been invited to speak at multiple MCIBD conferences (2020, 2023, 2024, 2025) and collaborates with hospital teams to deliver trauma-informed, evidence-aligned programming for patients and caregivers. Her approach integrates mindfulness, yoga, somatic practices, and research-informed education to support nervous system regulation, resilience, and quality of life. Montana’s advocacy centers on empowering patients, supporting caregivers, and promoting integrative strategies that complement clinical care while maintaining scientific rigor.
For more information on the speakers, please visit www.mcibd.ca/educational-events-programs/
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