Medical Advisory Board

Dr. Laura Cruz trained at the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine and has been a Sport and Exercise Medicine Physician since 1996. She is the Medical Director of LiveActive Sport Medicine Health and Performance, and on staff at Women’s College Hospital, and St. Joseph’s Health Centre. Dr. Cruz is the League Physician for the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL), a consultant with Hockey Canada Women’s Programme, core physician with Skate Canada and a Past President of the Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine.

Dr. Cruz is actively involved in teaching as current Assistant Programme Director for the University of Toronto Department of Family and Community Medicine PGY3 Sport and Exercise Medicine Fellowship committee. Her Sport Medicine expertise includes concussion management, injury prevention, regenerative medicine, and the care of healthy active women (e.g., Osteoarthritis, Osteoporosis, Exercise and Pregnancy; Female Athlete Triad).

Dr. Rob Meeder is a staff pediatrician at Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital and a member of the Orillia Paediatric Teaching Associates in Orillia, Ontario. Dr. Meeder completed his undergraduate training in physics at the University of Waterloo, followed by a Master’s of Science in Physiology & Biophysics at Dalhousie University. He then completed his Medical Doctor training at McMaster University (valedictorian, Class of ’99) and Post-Graduate Training in Paediatrics at the University of Western Ontario. His practice is focussed primarily on developmental and behavioural paediatrics. As a master level cyclist and director of the Centurion Next Wave Cycling team, Dr. Meeder has blended his passion for sports and developmental paediatrics by focussing on concussion education and treatment, especially post-concussion syndrome. Dr. Meeder resides in Orillia, Ontario with his wife and four children.

Dr. Cameron Marshall is a Doctor of Chiropractic and sports injury specialist who holds a Fellowship through the Royal College of Chiropractic Sports Sciences in Canada. Dr. Marshall’s primary research and clinic practice focuses on evidence-based treatment and management of concussion and post-concussion syndrome. Dr. Marshall has been a keynote speaker at several leading concussion conferences and continuing education seminars as well as serves as a Board member for Brain Injury Canada, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for those living with a brain injury and their families/caregivers. Dr. Marshall has also done peer review work for the Journal of Emergency Medicine and Care.

Dr. Hrkal is a board-certified Naturopathic doctor with a clinical practice in the Toronto area at 2 multidisciplinary clinics. He has a special interest in neurological health, chronic pain and brain injuries, writing and lecturing extensively on these topics which includes over 100 webinar, podcast and live presentations to medical professionals, researchers, and public audiences. He is a member of the scientific advisory board of Complete Concussion Management, an international leader in research-based concussion management education and is the co-founder of the Concussion Fix program. He also has extensive experience in the natural health industry where he has been a scientific advisor and medical director for nearly a decade educating clinicians and formulating science-based products including a number of best-selling formulations.

Follow Dr Hrkal:

Instagram @DrPaulHrkal

Dana Clark trained at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine (department of rehabilitation medicine) and continued to pursue advanced learning earning diploma in Advanced Manual and Manipulative Physiotherapy as well as a diploma in Acupuncture. He is the Director of Sheddon Physiotherapy and Sports Clinic in Oakville, and consulting therapist to the Oakville Soccer Club as well as training centres for elite athletes. He also travels as the therapist for aquatics clubs during national trials. His interest in sports physiotherapy have helped his clinic become leaders in concussion management, injury prevention, and accelerated rehabilitation.

Dr. Shirley Blanc earned her Honours Bachelor of Science and her Doctorate of Optometry designation from the University of Waterloo in 2001.  Over the years, she has worked in various clinical settings, including laser eye surgery centers conducting pre- and post-surgery assessments.  In addition to providing general eye care and contact lens services, she dedicates a significant portion of her practice to assessing and treating patients with visual problems due to acquired and traumatic brain injury, and also has an interest in high-performance sports vision.  She is a Fellow and Advisory Board Member of the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association (NORA), an international multi-disciplinary organization, and is a member of the International Sports Vision Association.

Dr. Blanc has provided vision rehabilitation and high-performance vision services for athletes at all levels, including varsity, national, Olympic, and professional.   Her unique expertise in both rehabilitative and high-performance vision has enabled her to customize solutions for her patients and athletes in determining areas of dysfunction, but also how to maximize one’s vision potential for the task that needs to be performed.  She enjoyed her experience working in the village polyclinic at the 2015 Toronto Pan Am games, conducting eye examinations for international athletes and support staff.

Dr. Blanc has conducted many speaking engagements for organizations including: Brain Injury Canada, Sports Physiotherapists of Canada, Ontario Association of Optometrists, Professional Hockey Athletic Trainer’s Association, and the University of Toronto.  She is an Advisory Board Member and course lecturer for Complete Concussion Management Inc., a resource for health providers, parents, and coaches.  She served as Conference Chair for NORA in 2019, and has contributed to NORA website educational content for patients and professionals.  Her literature review article about visual dysfunction from whiplash injury was published in a peer reviewed Optometry journal, Optometry & Visual Performance.  Dr. Blanc practices with a multi-disciplinary approach, as many systems in the body and brain are connected, particularly when dealing with post-concussion visual dysfunction.  She has established a collaborative network of various professionals, including Sports Medicine physicians, Physiotherapists, Chiropractors, Occupational Therapists, Speech-Language Therapists, Athletic Therapists, and Naturopathic doctors.

Dr. Blanc is an external vision consultant and a co-investigator with the University of Toronto David L. Macintosh Sports Medicine Clinic, with projects such as visual components of baseline pre-season testing protocols for athletes of all sports, and research dealing with visual manifestations of sport related concussion.

Dr. Margaliot holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of Western Ontario and an MD degree from McMaster University. She obtained her specialty certification in Adult Neurology from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 2003, following completion of a 5-year residency program at the University of Western Ontario. In 2004 she completed a one-year clinical fellowship in Neuromuscular Disorders and Electromyography, and holds a certification of competency in Electromyography from the Canadian Society of Clinical Neurophysiologists.  She was a full-time active staff neurologist at the Trillium Health Partners, Credit Valley Site in Mississauga from 2004 until November 2013. She was the director of the electrophysiology lab at Credit Valley Hospital from 2008 to 2013.  In 2017 she obtained her designation as a Sleep Medicine Specialist and is now also practicing Functional Medicine.