BIO: Dr. Robert Buren is a behavioural scientist, keynote speaker, and Canada's first paraplegic Ironman. He holds a PhD from the University of British Columbia, where his research focused on what actually helps people manage chronic pain and rebuild function after spinal cord injury. He is one of the rare speakers who researched the science of how people change, then lived the hardest test of it.
Robert hasn't always been in a wheelchair. On October 5th, 2008, at age 37, married with two young daughters and building a career with Microsoft Canada, a mountain biking accident left him a paraplegic. Determined to keep living fully, and to show his girls that what matters is not what happens to you but how you respond, he has set and completed goal after goal, from para-sports to motorsports.
Using only his arms, he completed his first full Ironman in 2013, the 226km triathlon, in 12 hours and 32 minutes, becoming the first Canadian paraplegic to finish the distance. In 2016 he became the first Canadian paraplegic to race the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, earning 2nd place in his division on his first attempt.
Today Robert speaks to corporate, healthcare, and insurance audiences across North America, and to the researchers and clinicians in his own field. His talks pair an honest, often funny account of life after spinal cord injury with the science behind real change, giving audiences something they can use, not just something they felt.
The following images are for use in speaking promotion and media.
