Resources for Professionals

Co-Founder, Director of Analytics

Dr. Eckersley is the Director of Pediatric Cardiology Inpatient Services at the Stollery and Co-Chair of the Connect Care Pediatric Cardiology Subcommittee. Dr. Eckersley’s career has included international appointments in Cardiology at institutions in Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Dr. Eckersley has participated in invitational fetal cardiology teachings at St. Pauls, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (2018), and the Advanced Fetal Cardiac Symposium for bedside fetal cardiology teaching and research collaborative in Sao Paulo, Brazil (2020).

Volunteer Educator

Dr. Deborah Fruitman is a Pediatric and Fetal Cardiologist, and Interim Divisional Chief of Pediatric Cardiology at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. She is also a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine.

She has received numerous awards for her teaching efforts and has served as the Co-Program Director for the University’s Post Graduate Medical Education Program. In addition to her clinical and educational interests, her research interests include fetal cardiology and early detection of congenital heart disease.

Co-Founder, Director of Education

Dr. Lisa Hornberger is a Cardiologist and the Divisional Director of Cardiology at the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton. She was the founder and primary Director of the University of Alberta’s Fetal & Neonatal Cardiology Program (2008-2020) and is the current Section Head of the Stollery Pediatric Echocardiography Program.

As a researcher, Dr. Hornberger’s focus is on prenatal diagnosis, natural evolution, management, and outcome of structural, functional, and rhythm-related cardiovascular disorders detected in utero.

Volunteer Educator

Dr. Angela McBrien is the current Director of the Stollery Fetal and Neonatal Cardiology Program, and previously worked as a Consultant Fetal and Pediatric Cardiologist and Clinical Lead for Fetal Cardiology at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, England.

Dr. McBrien also works as an Associate Professor at the University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, where she helps students prepare for future careers in medicine. She is involved with numerous national and international professional associations, including the Canadian Pediatric Cardiology Association, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society and the Fetal Heart Society.

Secretary

Allison Rose is an Edmonton-based sonographer who trained at NAIT and built her career in obstetrical imaging, where she developed a particular focus on fetal cardiac scanning. Alongside her clinical work, she helps teach sonography students and regularly uses real cases to show why careful fetal heart screening matters.

Allison became involved with Tiny HeartsCan after attending the WeCan Fetal Imaging conference in 2023, where she saw firsthand the difference the Foundation's education makes. She believes the 18 to 22 week scan is one of the most important early medical exams a growing baby receives, and she is committed to helping fellow sonographers build confidence in fetal cardiac screening.