Kathryn Woodcock received her Bachelor of Applied Science and Master of Applied Science degrees from the University of Waterloo in Canada, with a specialization in human systems design. For eight years Woodcock was Vice President of Hospital Services at Centenary Hospital in Scarborough, Ontario. At the time of her Edmund Lyon lecture, Woodcock was a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto in the Department of Industrial Engineering.

Kathryn was also the first deaf president of the Canadian Hearing Society and a founding member of the Canadian Deafened Persons Association. Her work deals with breaking down barriers by designing systems in public and private spaces to accommodate people with disabilities.