Dr. Mishra is an Associate Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Dalhousie University. A Halifax native, she completed her medical training and ophthalmology residency at Dalhousie, followed by a fellowship in vision rehabilitation at Harvard/Mass Eye and Ear and a Master of Science in Health Professions Education. Her work focuses on medical education, mentorship, accessibility, and healthcare barriers for people with vision loss. She has received several awards for her contributions to medical education and the vision loss community, including the AFMC Young Educators Award, VLRC Distinguished Community Partner Award, and King Charles III Coronation Medal.

A retired nurse, she worked for more than 30 years in her ophthalmologist husband’s office, primarily conducting visual field testing. Now living in Halifax, she enjoys knitting, sewing, swimming, and volunteering in her community. Diagnosed with AMD in one eye, she brings both professional experience and personal perspective to the lived experience of vision loss.

Pamela Grant lives in Bedford, Nova Scotia, and is a retired Early Childhood Educator, mother of two, and grandmother of three. She enjoys spending time with her grandchildren and embracing life’s simple pleasures, from connecting with friends over coffee and gardening to painting. Pamela brings the “real” to conversations, constantly balancing human need to have accurate and relatable information.

Dr. James Whelan is an Assistant Professor at Memorial University and Chief of the Division of Ophthalmology at Eastern Health, with a Retina Fellowship from the prestigious Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. He serves as a Retina Surgeon at both Eastern Health and the Janeway Child Health Centre, focusing on the diagnosis and surgical treatment of retinal diseases across Newfoundland and Labrador.

Ahsan Kaleem holds an MBA from Memorial University of Newfoundland and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Management Sciences, with research focused on human resources challenges in the information technology sector. A student and disability rights advocate, Ahsan serves on Memorial University’s Accessibility Steering Committee and has previously worked with the Government of Canada and represented graduate students with disabilities. Ahsan is also an active participant in Fighting Blindness Canada’s Young Leaders Program.

Susan Winter is a social worker from Newfoundland and Labrador who was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) in 2010. She is a mother of two young daughters and has worked as a social worker since 2010, after returning to Newfoundland and Labrador following her university studies in New Brunswick.