Our Team
Board of Directors

Dawn Anderson
Founder & CEO
Dawn Anderson is a very proud mother of 3 gorgeous children, Bryanna (1994), Odin (2017) and Magnus (2021). Magnus was born with bilateral clubfoot and has received exceptional treatment by Dr. Pirani, after unfortunate preventable physical complications were created by his first practitioner. During this process, Dawn has researched and educated herself on the treatment of clubfoot extensively. She founded the Canadian Clubfoot Support Society to provide education to caregivers and awareness to the public. Her overall goal is to prevent any other child from experiencing preventable complications.
Dawn has been a registered nurse since 2004, specializing in emergency medicine. Her passion for helping others is very apparent in her history of volunteering and working in healthcare. In 2015, she was awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal, by the International Committee of the Red Cross, which recognizes exceptional courage and devotion to victims of armed conflict or natural disaster. It also recognizes exemplary service or a pioneering spirit in the areas of public health or nursing education. She is always searching for possible ways to improve care for children and adults alike. When not working, Dawn enjoys traveling, camping, and sewing her kids’ clothing.

Dr. Shafique Pirani
Medical Director
Dr. Shafique Pirani is a Clinical Professor at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of British Columbia Medical School. Dr. Pirani’s major interest is in clubfoot. He is widely known for his clubfoot assessment tool (known as the Pirani Clubfoot Severity Score), for his pioneering work on showing how the Ponseti Method corrects the clubfoot deformity, and for initiating the movement for the use of the Ponseti Method in developing nations. He is the Project Director for both the Uganda Sustainable Clubfoot Care Project (USCCP) and Sustainable Clubfoot Care in Bangladesh (SCCB), both Government of Canada (Global Affairs Canada) supported initiatives to build capacity for sustainable Ponseti clubfoot management throughout their respective countries.
Dr. Pirani has been widely recognized for his work. The World Health Organization has recognized the success of USCCP and recommended its model as a way of helping the disabled worldwide. His awards include the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeon’s Humanitarian Award, the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America Humanitarian Award, the Canadian Orthopaedic Association’s Award for Excellence, the Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North America’s Angie Kuo Award, the University of British Columbia’s Impact in the Community Award, and Fraser Health’s Above and Beyond Award.
Dr. Pirani likes to sail and listening to jazz.

Andrea Engelland
Director of Education
Andrea Engelland is a proud mom to Sophie (2017) and Addison (2020). Addison has bilateral clubfoot and is undergoing exceptional treatment at Royal Columbian Hospital in British Columbia, although her clubfoot journey has not always been easy. Addison had noticeable characteristics at birth, but she was not correctly diagnosed by physicians and had referral delays due to COVID-19. Andrea had to educate herself and advocate for her daughter’s needs, especially when unexpected challenges arose. Andrea hopes the Canadian Clubfoot Support Society can help other parents avoid the difficulties she experienced finding the best care for her child, as well as provide families with education and support for each child’s individual journey.
Andrea is excited to be part of the Canadian Clubfoot Support Society as she has always been passionate about supporting children, young adults, and their families. For over 10 years, Andrea has been an Elementary School Teacher. In 2013, she completed her Master’s Degree in Special Education to help expand inclusion practices in today’s schools. Recently, Andrea enjoyed her role as a Sessional Instructor in UBC’s Faculty of Education. When not working, Andrea spends time with family and friends in the beautiful beach community she lives in with her husband and children. World travel and sailing will always remain a big part of the Engelland family in future years.

Kristy Crompton
Director of Marketing
Kristy Crompton is a proud parent to Roger (2020), who was born with right unilateral clubfoot that was not picked up on the 20-week ultrasound. This came as a surprise and they were sent home from the hospital and told someone will be in touch. They found it very hard to get Canadian resources as the hospitals did not provide any information. There were many times when treatment was not going as instructed and there was no resource or contact to reach out to for help until the next appointment. Now more than ever, her family feels the need for a reliable resource for people to get real-time information regarding treatment and to help new parents prepare for their journey ahead.
Kristy has extensive experience with non-profits in her 10-year marketing career, including FASworld (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) where she launched a province-wide campaign in partnership with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) to spread awareness of the effects of alcohol use in pregnancy. In her current role as Account Director at TDG Marketing, she works with Support Ontario Youth (SOY), a charity committed to helping young people enter the trades and modernizing the oldest form of education (apprenticeships). For SOY, she has delivered a province wide advertising campaign promoting their Tools of the Trades “Boot Camp” that consists of digital marketing, TV commercial production, website development, SEO and print materials. Kristy is passionate about snowboarding and has also been an avid member of the ski patrol community in Ontario, volunteering as a patroller to keep the hills safe.

Judy Anderson
Treasurer
Judy Anderson is a proud Grandmother of 3 amazing grandchildren, Bryanna (1994), Odin (2017) and Magnus (2020). Magnus was born with bilateral clubfoot in the Yukon. Disappointedly he was not treated properly and ended up with a complex foot. When her daughter decided to create this society, she knew that she would be able to offer her support as a treasurer.
Judy has extensive experience in bookkeeping and accounts. She is excited to be able to offer her talents to the Canadian Clubfoot Support Society. On top of maintaining all the finances as treasurer, she also has taken on the distribution of products that are sold by the Canadian Clubfoot Support Society. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, sewing, and spending time with her grandkids.

Leeanna VanLoon
Secretary
Leeanna VanLoon was born and raised in Whitehorse, Yukon. She grew up knowing that she wanted a career in the medical field. In 2003, she couldn’t wait to leave the small town behind and head to the big city of Vancouver to attend BCIT, where she completed her diploma in Nuclear Medicine Technology. She quickly realized the city wasn’t for her and couldn’t wait to get back home again. Since then, she has worked at Whitehorse General Hospital. During the past 15 years, she has also completed two more Medical Imaging Certificates, in CT and MRI.
She has spent most of her career as a CT Technologist. However, over the past few years she has taken an interest in planning and development. Her imaging background and passion to help patients and their families, as well as patient advocacy, has led her to join the board for the Canadian Clubfoot Support Society. Her first child was born in (2020), Zane, enhancing the passion to help children. From one parent to another, she hopes the Canadian Clubfoot Support Society is beneficial to all those that need it.
Members At LARGE

Lisa Bennett
Orthotist
Lisa Bennett, B.H.K, C.O.(c). is a Canadian Certified Orthotist with a Bachelor of Human Kinetics from the University of British Columbia (UBC). She completed the Clinical Methods of Prosthetics and Orthotics program at George Brown College in Toronto, Ontario. Following graduation in 2001, Lisa completed her residency in British Columbia with a strong focus on pediatric work.
In 2011 Lisa started her own company called Orthos Orthopaedic Solutions Inc. She is the sole owner and operator, which makes for a busy office. Lisa has been part of the weekly Clubfoot and Baby Hippy clinics with Dr. Shafique Pirani for approximately 17 years and has a true passion for the work she does. She is generous with her time by supporting brace donation, repair and reuse as well as assisting families with access to funding as required. When starting bracing for clubfoot babies Lisa’s past experiences suggest starting with the minimum (just the boots and bar) and problem solve by changing one thing at a time, should issues arise. Parents with newly fitted devices will find her accessible if they need help.
Lisa also enjoys the challenge of meeting the dynamic needs of older children with neuro-muscular and skeletal challenges. Lisa is an active member of children’s clinical teams with thoughtful and innovative ideas. Lisa is happy to collaborate closely with orthopaedic surgeons, physicians, and therapists to provide customized treatment plans to meet patients’ needs. Her ultimate goal is to provide optimal orthotic bracing outcomes to improve children’s mobility.
When not working, Lisa enjoys spending time with her family biking, hiking, skiing, and climbing. When she has time to relax, she enjoys snuggles with her daughter and kitties!

Lexy Miller
Physiotherapist
Lexy Miller is a Paediatric Physical therapist working out of British Columbia. She has a bachelors of science degree from Dakota State University and a Masters degree in Physiotherapy from the University of British Columbia. During her schooling at UBC Lexy had several Pediatric placements which ultimately led her to a career path working with children. Lexy is passionate in working with babies to teens at all ages and stages. Lexy works at Kids Physio Group in Vancouver and treats children with Neurological, congenital and musculoskeletal disorders as well and injuries and sports related rehab. Clubfoot is one of Lexy’s interests and is lucky to get to work with Clubfoot patients from various parts of British Columbia.
Lexy loves the challenge of getting creative to make physio fun and engaging, finding new ways to assess and treat conditions and injuries as well as educating parents on a variety of topics including how to incorporate physio into functional play at home! Lexy strives to help improve children’s function and quality of life!
Lexy has a special interest in working with Clubfoot as each case is unique and allows her to help families navigate what can be quite overwhelming. Lexy loves that physiotherapy allows for continued learning and is always working on new ways to help kids get their best results. Lexy is so excited to be on the board to help answer questions regarding anything from positioning or toys and equipment to exercise and prevention strategies!
When she isn’t working Lexy enjoys all things outside including Hiking, running, biking, swimming and snowboarding. Lexy loves to travel and is excited to get back to planning trips in the near future. Lexy’s latest trip was to Brazil and she is actively learning Portuguese.

Deb Olthof
Lawyer
Deb Olthof is mom to three children, including Nolan (2016), who was born with bilateral clubfeet. Nolan’s clubfeet became complex soon after treatment started, but happily his feet were corrected after switching care providers and receiving skilled treatment from Dr. Pirani. Deb initially found it hard to know what good clubfoot treatment entails, and decided to get involved with the Canadian Clubfoot Support Society to help other parents have the know-how to access the best clubfoot treatment for their child.
Deb is a lawyer with a general solicitor’s practice. When not working, she enjoys gardening, baking and spending time with friends and family.