Meet Our Faculty
Passionate Faculty Inspiring the Next Generation of OMPs
The CAO faculty consists of a team of over 30 professors & clinical supervisors. We also have 12 interns in our teacher training program currently. In our sciences our professors are Doctors/Phd’s and experts in their fields, in our osteopathy related subjects all professors are osteopathic manual practitioners who have full private practices outside of their teaching time. Our osteopathy faculty also undergo regular Professional Development training to stay on top of new innovations in osteopathic teaching and treatment. At the CAO, we expose our students to as many faculty as possible over the 4 years they are with us, so that they may benefit from varied knowledge and expertise.
Robert Johnston
Principal & Founder, Director of Program Development
“I’ve always been passionate about instilling a new way of thinking in my classroom. Offering each student a unique learning experience tailored to their individual needs is a critical factor in establishing a successful education program. Our course material isn’t technique-driven or memorized from a textbook. It’s designed to be hands-on...
Wayne Oliver, MOMSC
Director of Labs
Wayne is enthusiastic about nutrition, health, and fitness and has been playing competitive sports since he was young. He began training in martial arts at the age of 16 and hasn’t looked back! He has won nine Grand Champion titles, as well as one national title, in tournaments spanning Canada and USA. Wayne practiced for...
Marc Tellez, M. Ed., MOMSC
Program Integration
Before beginning his studies at the CAO, Marc worked in the field of applied behavioral analysis, first as an instructor-therapist implementing intensive behavioral intervention for children with autism, and later as a group facilitator delivering social skills, communication and parent education curricula. Marc’s interest in...
Ian Fraser, MOMSC
Professor
Having been in the healthcare profession for over 18 years, Ian is in his element when it comes to patient care. Prior to his career as a Osteopathic manual practitioner, he graduated from Sutherland Chan with a degree in Massage Therapy. Ian’s diverse experience resulting in patient well-being has driven his passion to broaden his...
Kristen Jarvis, MOMSC
Director of Clinics
Kristen Jarvis M.OMSc was a Registered Massage Therapist for 18 years prior to graduating the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy in 2017 and has owned and operated her own Health and Wellness clinic in Welland Ontario since 2004. Kristen’s passion for understanding the human body and search for a better system of helping patients to find...
Gustaf Crona, B.Sc. Ost (Hons)
Professor
Professor Gustaf graduated from Skandinaviska Osteopathögskolan in Gothenburg 2012 where he received his BSc ( Hons ) in Osteopathy He has a background of more than 10 years as a professional soccer player at the highest level in Scandinavia. It was through that career that he came in contact with Osteopathy. He has brought the...
Dr. Yasir Rehman, PhD, MD, M.Sc.
Professor
Teaching and presentation are two important aspects of the learning. If you don’t know how to present/ disseminate knowledge, you can’t teach and if you don’t know how to teach, you can’t disseminate knowledge. If something is challenging or difficult to understand, trying to change its meaning and seeing it through a different lens often...
Cole Ruston, MOMSC
Professor
Always looking for the answers to why things happen in the body is what led Cole Ruston down the path of studying Osteopathy, never quite satisfied with the band-aid approach that was offered by the health communities. Sticking true to the belief that the human body is capable of its own healing given the opportunity,...
Heather Vanek, B.Sc. Kin. (Hons), MOMSC
Professor
Heather began her love for health and wellness in her early teens. Going on to the University of Guelph’s Human Kinetics program provided an excellent perspective for what areas of health she wanted to focus on. After university she knew she wanted to work directly with people in helping them to achieve health and wellness...
Lee Jarvis, RPN, MOMSC
Professor
Lee Jarvis was introduced to the practice of Osteopathic Manual Therapy in his teenage years and has been in love with the theory and practice ever since. Commencing in 2006, Lee attended the McMaster/Mowhawk Nursing program with the intention of gaining skills and understandings of the acute medical patient that would eventually come to benefit...
Dr. Kayte Armstrong, DVM, MOMSC
Professor, Director of Animal Osteopathy
Kayte’s journey to osteopathy has been long and winding – she started her adult life in dairy farming, and then gained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1999. Her veterinary career allowed her to gain experience with a wide variety of animals – everything from horses, cattle and companion animals to lions and tigers...
Brandon Stevens, MOMSC
Professor and Clinic Instructor
“My goal is to teach students how to work smarter, not harder.” Brandon is on faculty as a Professor and teaches Osteopathic Principles and Practice/Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine. Before pursuing a career in osteopathy, Brandon earned his honours education in massage therapy at the Shiatsu School of Canada. He then went on to become a respected
Nevena Prostran, BA (Hons), MOMSc., GDAO
Professor
Nevena holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Political Science and Sociology from McMaster University (2010) and has a background in retail management, consulting, and marketing. In 2014, she shifted her focus to Classical Osteopathy after being introduced to the field by a CAO student...
Alex Kus, B. Ec., PGC STMG, MOMSc
Associate Professor, Clinical Supervisor
Alex had an indirect path to his career in Osteopathy, his first experience as a patient stuck with him for years, until his desire to help people more directly inspired a career change. He has a degree in Economics from McMaster University and conducted additional post-graduate studies in Strategic Marketing at George Brown College. This...
Sarah Perkins, B.Sc. (Hons), MOMSc
Clinical Supervisor
Sarah has always enjoyed working with her hands and problem-solving, and so manual therapy was a natural career progression. Her interest in Osteopathy began as she was introduced to the concept while researching medical schools. Osteopathy kept popping up in her searches and its philosophy of empowering the body to self-heal and self-regulate...
Katie Knapp, B.Sc. Kin. (Hons), BA (Hons), MOMSc
Upper Clinic Lead
Having realized at a young age that she wanted a career combining human anatomy with the ability to help people, Katie Knapp completed her Honours Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology at McMaster University, following which she spent a year providing exercise therapy for individuals with profound mental and physical disabilities...
Ranjan Bobby, FLMP, IHN, MOMSc
Assistant Professor, Clinical Supervisor
Ranjan Bobby is one of Toronto’s preeminent personal trainers, known for his winning personality and results-oriented fitness philosophy. Originally from Trinidad, Ranjan has distinguished himself here during his academic and professional career as someone who makes a difference to people’s lives— whether coaching a team to victory in highly...
Dan Renaud, Adv. FLBU, MOMSc
Teaching Assistant, Clinical Supervisor
Dan loved lifting weights and Anatomy, so naturally he earned his diploma in the Physical Fitness Management program at Cambrian College. Realizing that he wanted to continue with his education, Dan started to research which profession would be the best fit for him in order to help patients in the best way possible. After discovering...
Bianca D’Alessandro, B.Sc. Kin. (Hons), MOMSc
Teaching Assistant, Clinical Supervisor
Bianca has always been interested in health and wellness from a young age. This led her to pursue these interests by earning her Honours Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology at McMaster University. During this time, Bianca travelled to Peru, meeting with Amazonian shamans who introduced her to natural healing and plant medicine...
Patrick Suwala, B.Sc. Kin., MOMSc
Teaching Assistant, Clinical Supervisor
Graduating with a Bachelor’s of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo in 2015, Patrick then committed to four years at the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy. Patrick found his passion for learning the anatomy and physiology of the human body during his undergraduate studies and while swimming competitively and playing water polo...
Rachel Jeffers, B.Sc. Kin. (Hons), MOMSc
Teaching Assistant, Clinical Supervisor
Prior to her schooling at the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy, Rachel completed her Bachelor of Science at the University of Guelph majoring in Human Kinetics. Rachel’s diverse experience with working with individuals who are medically fragile ignited her passion for helping others as well as deepening her understanding of anatomy and physiology...
Mitchell Fitzpatrick, B.Sc. Kin, MOMSc
Teaching Assistant, Clinical Supervisor
Before beginning his studies at the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy, Mitchell received his Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Kinesiology and Diploma in Fitness and Health Promotion at the University of Guelph-Humber. Through years of study his original interest in sports science evolved into a passion for human anatomy specifically in relation to...
Tommy Gorecki, B.Sc., MOMSc
Teaching Assistant, Clinical Supervisor
Tommy attended McMaster University from 2012-2016 where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in the Life Sciences program. He graduated from the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy in the fall of 2020 where he got his M.MOSc degree. Having played competitive sports throughout his life, Tommy knew that he wanted to pursue a career that...
Stephanie VanDyk, B.Sc. Kin. (Hons), MOMSc
Teaching Assistant, Clinical Supervisor
Stephanie’s passion for osteopathy stems from a lifelong interest and involvement in both athletics and rehabilitative sciences. Osteopathy allowed Stephanie to bridge her passions of athletics, biomechanics, anatomy, physiology and helping people into a very successful and rewarding career. Studying Osteopathy in its purest form has provided her..
Melissa Jeffreys, B.Sc. Kin., MOMSc
Teaching Assistant
Melissa’s athletic career had her in and out of clinics since the time she was young, sparking her curiosity about the human body & healing, and leading her to study Kinesiology to learn more. She spent many hours volunteering in multidisciplinary clinics, but noticed gaps in the way patients were treated. Cookie-cutter approaches, and patients...
Chad Van Ellenberg, MOMSc
Teaching Assistant
Before starting his education in Osteopathy, Chad worked in the health and fitness industry coaching exercise and nutrition. Injuries led him to osteopathy and after seeing the healing benefits of osteopathic care, he went on to complete his Master’s of Practice in Osteopathic Manual Sciences at the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy. In addition...
Curtis Woodley, B. Psych., FRMs, MOMSc
Teaching Assistant
Curtis’ studies before the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy found him with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from St. Mary’s University in Halifax. After a change of fate found him in Calgary, Curtis began a career in Health and Wellness as a Personal Trainer and Thai Massage practitioner before being introduced to a wide variety...
Amanda Lum, BPHE, MOMSC
Teaching Assistant, Clinical Supervisor
Amanda Lum M.OMSc was an athletic therapist before graduating from the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy in 2022. Amanda’s fascination for understanding the human body and search for a better way to find the cause of patients ailments and meet them where they were at in finding health led her to change careers and enrol at the CAO...
Graham Nishikawa, CAO Graduate
Teaching Assistant, Clinical Supervisor
Graham has always been fascinated by people, the human body, and its ability to self-heal. Before beginning his studies at the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy, Graham graduated from McMaster University with a degree in Kinesiology. He began his clinical career as a kinesiologist in the hospital systems working with patients in complex pain states.
Emily Hobbes, MOMSC
Teaching Assistant, Clinical Supervisor
A former national rhythmic gymnast and professional dancer, Emily has always been passionate about exploring the capacities of the human body and finding ease in movement. Prior to graduating from the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy in 2022, Emily spent over a decade teaching Pilates, helping people move with greater awareness and freedom.
Zachary Marchildon MOMSC
Teaching Assistant, Clinical Supervisor
Zachary graduated from the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy in March of 2023. Falling in love with Osteopathy and the culture at the CAO through the 4 year program, upon graduation Zack decided to start in the internship program where he completed his 1000 hours in July of 2024...
Leslie McIntosh
Clinic Administration
Having lived in Hamilton her entire life, Leslie has two children, a son and daughter that are both adults. She also has one granddaughter who is 15 years old (how time flies!). Leslie spends five months of the year during her time off at her trailer enjoying swimming, boating, biking and hiking. She is an...