Canadian Pressure Injury Summit 2025 Recap

Repositioning Pressure Injuries: Shifting Mindsets and Transforming Culture to Support Practice Excellence

On Friday, November 21, 2025, provincial and federal leaders, healthcare administrators, clinicians, and experts gathered both in person and online for the second annual Canadian Pressure Injury Summit.

This national event united stakeholders from across Canada in a shared commitment to advancing pressure injury (PI) prevention and management through collaboration, education, and collective action.

Held in alignment with Worldwide Pressure Injury Prevention Day on November 20, 2025, the Summit further amplified national awareness efforts, reinforcing the importance of strengthening practice, improving systems, and elevating patient outcomes.

The day opened with a warm welcome and territorial land acknowledgement led by Joshua Moralejo, CPIAP President, alongside Dr. Sharon Gabison, CPIAP President-Elect. Sandra Young, Executive Director of Standards and Education at Health Standards Organization (HSO) delivered opening remarks, highlighting the importance of national alignment in quality and safety standards.

One of the day’s highlights was the keynote presentation by Dr. Joyce Black (NPIAP), whose expertise and leadership in pressure injury research grounded the event in evidence-based practice and global perspective.

Attendees also heard from Mr. Bob Brown, who shared a powerful patient story that underscored the human impact of PI prevention, reminding participants of the importance of patient focused care in every setting.

Throughout the Summit, a series of compelling presentations explored best practices, data strategies, and system-level change. Sessions included:

• Unity Health Toronto’s Journey in Pressure Injury Prevention presented by Janeth Velandia, RN(EC), MClScWH, NSWOC, WOCC(C); Kaitlyn Vingoe, RN, MN; Kaleil Mitchell, BSc, MBA, CAPM; and Phuong (Lisa) Phan, RN, MN

• National Pressure Injury Recommendations to Support Policy Change presented by Dr. Sharon Gabison, PhD, MSc, BScPT, BSc, IIWCC and Dr. Chester Ho, MD

• Blueprint for Pressure Injury Data Collection to Action presented by Christina Hagner, MN, BScN, RN, NSWOC

• Shifting the Culture Around Pressure Injury Prevention in Long-Term Care presented by Dr. Kimberly LeBlanc, PhD, MN, BScN, RN, NSWOC, WOCC(C), FCAN, FNSWOC

• Interactive technology and assessment sessions led by Dr. Sharon Gabison, PhD, MSc, BScPT, BSc, IIWCC and Joshua Moralejo, MScCH:WPC, RN, BScN, NSWOC, WOCC(C), IIWCC

  
  

The afternoon concluded with an engaging panel debate on the question, “Are Pressure Injuries Avoidable?”, featuring voices from nursing, physiotherapy, dietetics, and lived experience, moderated by Dr. Chester Ho, MD. The discussion offered diverse perspectives, encouraging attendees to reflect deeply on the complexities and opportunities within PI prevention.

Networking breaks throughout the day allowed participants to connect with peers and industry partners, fostering meaningful relationships and collaboration across care settings.

This year’s Summit brought together a highly engaged national audience:

• 96 attendees joined in-person at Carleton University

• 574 registered to attend virtually

• 330 individuals participated live on Zoom

We were especially proud to see representation from across Canada. Of the Canadian attendees outside Ontario:

• 18% were from Nova Scotia

• 17% from Alberta

• 15% from British Columbia

• 13% from Quebec

• 11% from Manitoba

• 10% from Newfoundland and Labrador

• The remaining 16% represented all other provinces and territories

Thank you to everyone who joined us, whether in person or online for contributing to this important national conversation. Together, we continue to advance awareness, elevate practice excellence, and shape the future of pressure injury prevention and management across Canada.

The full recording of the Summit is now available on-demand at www.cpiap.com/summit.