On January 23, the Mindfulness Research Symposium 2026 started off Day 2 with a welcome by Dr. Debby Wilson Danard, Anishinaabekwe Traditional Knowledge Practitioner. Dr. Ronald Cohn, President and CEO of The Hospital for Sick Children, and Bhishuni Ckhân Sắc Nghiêm from Plum Village, France, braided sweetgrass together, with the assistance of Anishinaabekwe New College librarian, Mikayla Redden.
The day featured distinguished researchers from the fields of neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and contemplative and behavioural sciences, along with pragmatic activities and practices led by contemplative practitioners. Co-directed by Dr Elli Weisbaum (BPMH and Faculty of Medicine) and Sara Ahola-Kohut (Hospital for Sick Children), the Symposium was an example of the strength and richness of interdisciplinary collaboration and decolonial action.
The Symposium was presented by The Mindfulness Project at SickKids with the support of the University of Toronto’s New College Initiatives Fund, the Buddhism, Psychology and Mental Health Program, the Buddhism and Psychology Student Union, and the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Studies.