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Location
Venue: Victoria Inn Hotel & Convention Centre
Victoria Inn Hotel & Convention Centre
Address:
Lipedema Canada Conference (LipCanCon) 2026
Description:
Join us on September 10–12, 2026 in Winnipeg, Manitoba for LipCanCon, a groundbreaking national conference bringing together patients, advocates, and healthcare professionals. This inaugural event will feature leading research, hands-on clinical learning, and collaborative discussions aimed at advancing lipedema care and shaping the future of healthcare in Canada.
Learning Objectives
- Identify the clinical features and diagnostic criteria of lipedema as a distinct disease entity classified by the World Health Organization (Medical Expert, Scholar, Professional).
- Select evidence-informed management options for lipedema, including conservative, compressive, surgical, and self-directed approaches (Medical Expert, Communicator, Collaborator, Scholar, Professional).
- Evaluate the current gaps in lipedema care delivery within the Canadian healthcare system, including barriers in clinical education, specialist access, referral infrastructure, and policy support (Leader, Health Advocate, Collaborator, Professional).
- Demonstrate patient-centered care approaches that address the stigma, medical trauma, and quality-of-life impacts experienced by persons living with lipedema (Communicator, Professional, Medical Expert, Collaborator, Health Advocate).
- Summarize the current evidence base in lipedema research and the priority directions for future Canadian and international inquiry (Scholar, Collaborator, Leader, Professional).
Agenda:
Thursday, September 10, 2026- Doctor-Is-In Clinic (Pre-Conference)
As part of LipCanCon 2026, attendees are invited to participate in the Doctors-Is-In Clinic Pre-Conference Session taking place on Thursday, September 10, 2026.
This innovative hands-on clinical experience pairs global experts with Canadian clinicians to assess real patients in a collaborative mentorship environment focused on practical diagnosis, assessment, and patient-centered lipedema care.
Please note that participation in this session is limited and attendees must meet specific eligibility criteria for registration and participation.
Registration for this session is separate from the main conference registration.
👉 Click here to view the full Pre-Conference Clinic details, eligibility criteria, and registration information:
Lipedema Canada Conference (LipCanCon) 2026: Doctors-Is-In Clinic (Pre-Conference) – Continuing Professional Development – Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
Friday, September 11, 2026 – Foundations
Day 1 of LipCanCon 2026 focuses on the foundational principles of lipedema care, including disease recognition, diagnostic approaches, clinical assessment, associated comorbidities, and the psychosocial impact of living with lipedema. Sessions are designed to strengthen core knowledge while promoting trauma-informed, stigma-aware, and interdisciplinary approaches to patient care through interactive learning and discussion.
| Time | Program / Presentation | Speaker(s) |
| 07:15 – 08:00 | Registration, Breakfast & Networking | — |
| 08:00 – 08:15 | Opening Address: Welcome and Introductions | PD Dr. med. M. Ghods; Emma Cloney RN, BN |
| SESSION 1 — LIPEDEMA IN THE CANADIAN CONTEXT, BARRIERS, AND BRIDGING | ||
| 08:15 – 08:35 | Lipedema in the Canadian Context, Barriers, and Bridging | Lipedema Canada Board of Directors |
| 08:35 – 08:50 | Patient Keynote: The Matriarchal Lineage of Lipedema: One Family’s Journey of Ancestral Healing through Resilience, Laughter and Advocacy | Erica Sullivan |
| 08:50 – 09:05 | Interactive Learning: Pre-Learning Q&A via Mentimeter | — |
| SESSION 2 — LIPEDEMA 101: DISEASE OVERVIEW — DEFINITION, PREVALENCE, PATHOPHYSIOLOGY | ||
| 09:05 – 09:35 | Lipedema 101 – Differential Diagnoses, Comorbidities and Treatment Options | Dr. Giw Mostofizadeh-Haghighi; Dr. Amier Sweis |
| 09:35 – 09:55 | Diagnostic Tools – Ruling Lipedema In or Out | Dr. Delphine Boury |
| 09:55 – 10:15 | Interactive Learning: Q&A with Audience and Submitted Questions via Slido | Moderator TBD |
| 10:15 – 10:30 | Coffee / Snack Break | — |
| 10:30 – 10:45 | (Unaccredited Session)
Special Remarks from the Honorable Manitoba Minister of Health |
Hon. Minister Uzoma Asagwara |
| SESSION 3 — CLINICAL ASSESSMENT: STRUCTURED HEAD-TO-TOE EXAMINATION | ||
| 10:45 – 11:45 | Live Clinical Assessment: Head-to-Toe Assessment of Patient Volunteers Using a Standardized Method | PD Dr. med. M. Ghods; Dr. Amier Sweis; Dr. Giw Mostofizadeh-Haghighi; Dr. Kaitlin Cyr; Dr. Delphine Boury |
| 11:45 – 12:00 | Interactive Learning: Panel Discussion with Audience and Submitted Questions via Slido | Moderator TBD |
| 12:00 – 12:45 | Lunch & Networking | — |
| SESSION 4 — LIPEDEMA IN CONTEXT: ADDRESSING COMORBIDITIES AND INTERSECTING HEALTH NEEDS | ||
| 12:45 – 13:00 | Lipedema Comorbidities – Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome | Melissa Seaton FNP-C |
| 13:00 – 13:10 | Patient Speaker: The Weight of Silence – A Call for Change in Canadian Lipedema Care | Janelle-Marie Emond |
| 13:10 – 13:25 | Multimodal Cross-Disciplinary Teams – Care of Lipedema Patients with Comorbid Obesity | Apostolos Siafliakis M.D. |
| 13:25 – 13:35 | Patient Speaker: “But I’m Not a Woman”: A Transgender Perspective on Living with Lipedema | Ashland Kearns |
| 13:35 – 13:45 | Interactive Learning: Q&A with Audience and Submitted Questions via Slido | Moderator TBD |
| 13:45 – 14:00 | Break | — |
| SESSION 5 — LIPEDEMA AND MENTAL HEALTH: TRAUMA-INFORMED AND STIGMA-INFORMED APPROACHES TO CARE AND COMMUNICATION | ||
| 14:00 – 14:10 | Patient Speaker: The Centaur: A Hybrid-Poetic Investigation of Lipedema | Alyssa Woodbridge |
| 14:10 – 14:30 | An Occupational Therapy Perspective on Chronic Pain and Mental Health in Lipedema Care | Cindy Campbell OT; Katie Young OT |
| 14:30 – 14:40 | Patient Speaker: From Survival to Thriving: How Doing a Deep Dive into the Research on Lipedema Led to Me Uncovering What I Found to Be the Missing Link for Me | Laura Kerr |
| 14:40 – 15:00 | Beyond Borders: Understanding the Fears, Complexities, and Nervous System Needs of Patients Travelling Abroad for Lipedema Surgery | Dr. Norina Cornelius, MD |
| 15:00 – 15:15 | Interactive Learning: Q&A Followed by Moderated Empathy Exercise – Sharing Lived Experience via Slido | Raena Zapp RPN — Moderator |
| 15:15 – 15:30 | Your Body Is Still on Your Side – Learning to Trust Your Body Again with Lipedema | Julie Newbry CPT MSAPK |
| 15:30 – 15:45 | Coffee / Snack Break | — |
| SESSION 6 — NAVIGATING THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM: COVERAGE, DOCUMENTATION, ACCOMMODATIONS, AND REFERRAL PATHWAYS | ||
| 15:45 – 16:00 | Patient Speaker: Beyond the Weight Limit: Accessibility, Dignity, and Living with Lipo-Lipedema | Diana Dimmock |
| 16:00 – 16:20 | Applying for Insurance Coverage (Public and Private) for Lipedema Treatment – Compression Garments, Surgery and More | Emma Cloney RN, BN; Holly Head |
| 16:20 – 16:45 | Clinical Documentation: A Clinician’s Guide to Documenting a Lipedema Diagnosis in the Canadian Landscape | Dr. Kaitlin Cyr; Dr. Delphine Boury |
| 16:45 – 17:00 | Interactive Learning: Facilitated Case Study Learning Activity and Participant Discussion | Dr. Kaitlin Cyr; Dr. Delphine Boury |
Saturday, September 12, 2026 – Treatments
Day 2 of LipCanCon 2026 explores current and emerging treatment approaches in lipedema care, including conservative therapies, movement, nutrition, pharmacotherapy, surgical management, and interdisciplinary care planning. The day concludes with discussions focused on research advancements, future directions, and collaborative strategies to improve access, education, and patient outcomes in Canada and internationally.
| Time | Program / Presentation | Speaker(s) |
| 07:15 – 08:00 | Registration, Breakfast & Networking | — |
| KEYNOTE ADDRESS | ||
| 08:00 – 08:30 | The LipLeg Study: First RCT in Lipedema Surgery | PD Dr. med. M. Ghods; Dr. Giw Mostofizadeh-Haghighi |
| 08:30 – 08:50 | Interactive Learning: Q&A Following the Keynote Presentation | — |
| SESSION 7 — PHYSICAL AND COMPRESSIVE THERAPIES, AND LIPEDEMA-SAFE MOVEMENT | ||
| 08:50 – 09:00 | Patient Speaker: Aqua Therapy for Lipedema and Lymphedema | Susan O’Hara |
| 09:00 – 09:10 | Patient Speaker: The Athletic Lipedema Patient: Navigating the Intersection of Multimorbid Conditions through Self-Advocacy | Katerina V. Pappas, BA (Hons) |
| 09:10 – 09:25 | Lipedema Management: A Rehabilitation Framework from Foundational Principles to Evidence-Informed Practice | Marie-Eve Letellier, PhD |
| 09:25 – 09:40 | Resistance Activity to Control Inflammation and Lipedema Using the Pilates Method | Larissa Musso de Magalhães; Dr. Lusanere Cruz, MD |
| 09:40 – 09:50 | Hypermobility and Lipedema: Physiotherapy Perspectives on Safe and Sustainable Movement | Kelsi Abbott BMRPT, CLT |
| 09:50 – 10:05 | Specialized Lipoedema Management Course – UK | Jane Wigg |
| 10:05 – 10:25 | Interactive Learning: Q&A | — |
| 10:25 – 10:40 | Coffee / Snack Break | — |
| SESSION 8 — NUTRITION AND PHARMACOTHERAPY | ||
| 10:40 – 10:50 | A Role for Eating Attitudes and Behaviours in Symptoms of Lipoedema | Amy Roberts BPsychSci(Hons); Professor Talitha Best; Associate Professor Melissa Oxlad |
| 10:50 – 11:05 | Lipedema and Inflammation: What Nutrition and Lifestyle Can Really Influence | Virginia Ziulu Adv. DipNT mNTOI |
| 11:05 – 11:20 | Change in Inflammatory Patterns in Patients with Lipedema Using GLP1 Analogue | Dr. Lusanere Cruz, MD |
| 11:20 – 11:35 | Advancing Lipedema Care: Insights from the Irish Clinical Experience with Tirzepatide & Targeted Nutrition | Virginia Ziulu Adv. DipNT mNTOI |
| 11:35 – 11:50 | Interactive Learning: Q&A | — |
| 11:50 – 12:30 | Lunch & Networking | — |
| SESSION 9 — RESEARCH REVIEW AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS ROAD MAPPING | ||
| 12:30 – 12:40 | Patient Speaker: Bridging the Gap: Why Evidence-Informed Practice Matters to the Lipedema Patient | Katrina Njie LPN |
| 12:40 – 12:55 | What the Most Recent Literature Says About Lipedema Reduction Surgery (LRS) | Thomas Wright, MD, FACP, FAVLS, RVT |
| 12:55 – 13:10 | Newest Basic Research Insights into Lipedema | Dr. Katharina Morawitz; Dr. Sabrina Gohlke |
| 13:10 – 13:25 | Quantifying Lipedema Using Near-Infrared Light Spectroscopy with the Intention of Diagnosis | Thomas Kedra; Evan Chow; Noah Deniaud |
| 13:25 – 13:45 | Interactive Learning: Moderated Discussion and Q&A | — |
| SESSION 10.1 — SURGICAL MANAGEMENT: METHODS, ANESTHESIOLOGIST PERSPECTIVE, PATIENT SELECTION CRITERIA AND CARE PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS | ||
| 13:45 – 14:00 | Potsdam Concept and Hybrid Method | Dr. Giw Mostofizadeh-Haghighi, MD. PD Dr. med. M. Ghods; |
| 14:00 – 14:15 | Skin Removal Following Lipedema Surgery: Indications and Timing | Dr. medic Adrian Zaharie, MD |
| 14:15 – 14:30 | Anesthesiologist’s Perspective | Dr. Nornia Cornelius, MD |
| 14:30 – 14:45 | Lipedema Surgery Abroad: Aftercare | Dr. lakovos Georgiou, MD |
| 14:45 – 15:00 | Lipedema in the Arms: Staging and Treatment | Dr. Ana Carolina de Nadai, MD |
| 15:00 – 15:15 | Coffee / Snack Break | — |
| SESSION 10.2 — SURGEONS MODERATED PANEL DISCUSSION: INTERACTIVE LEARNING | ||
| 15:15 – 15:45 | Interactive Panel Discussion: Let’s Talk Lipedema Surgery | PD Dr. med. M. Ghods; Dr. Giw Mostofizadeh-Haghighi, MD; Dr. Thomas Wright; Dr. med. Brigitte Habermalz; Dr. Apostolos Siafliakis M.D; Dr. Ana Carolina de Nadai MD; Dr. lakovos Georgiou MD; Dr. Nornia Cornelius MD |
| 15:45 – 15:55 | Interactive Learning: Post-Learning Q&A via Mentimeter | — |
| CLOSING CEREMONY AND PHOTO OP | ||
| 15:55 – 16:10 | (Unaccredited Session)
Lipedema in Practice: Tools and Resources for Patients and Clinicians from the Lipedema Foundation |
Stephanie Galia, MPH |
| 16:10 – 16:30 | (Unaccredited Session)
Future Directions — Research and Planning Discussion |
Stephanie Galia, MPH — Moderator |
| 16:30 – 16:40 | Interactive Learning: Commitment-to-Change Activity | Dr. Kaitlin Cyr, MD; Dr. Delphine Boury, MD |
| 16:40 – 16:50 | Conference Photo: Let’s Make History! | — |
| 16:50 – 17:00 | Closing Ceremony | Lipedema Canada Board |
Study Credits
This event was co-developed with the CPD Medicine Program at the University of Manitoba and was designed to ensure scientific integrity, objectivity, and balance.
This one-credit-per-hour activity meets the certification criteria of the College of Family Physicians of Canada and has been certified by the CPD Medicine Program, University of Manitoba for up to 14 Mainpro+® Certified Activity credits.
SECTION 1 ACCREDITATION STATEMENT
This event is an Accredited Group Learning Activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and approved by CPD Medicine Program, University of Manitoba. You may claim a maximum of 14 hours.
Registration also provides access to the recording post event. Recordings will be accessible in your CPD account ~ 7-14 days after the session date.
Connection details will be emailed to registered participants ~24 hours prior to each event date. Please ensure that your email address is up to date in your CPD profile and add cpd.programs@umanitoba.ca to your safe sender list, if possible. Contact your organization’s helpdesk or IT department if you are not receiving email messages from us.
Cancellation Policy
In accordance with CPD Medicine policy:
- More than 21 days’ notice: A refund will be issued, minus a 20% administrative fee (up to a maximum of $200).
- Less than 21 days’ notice: No refund will be provided.
Special refund requests may be submitted to the event coordinator for consideration by the Scientific Planning Committee Chair, CPD Director or the Managing Director.