9th Annual Patient-Centered Approach to Clinical Trials Conference
RESEARCH IS CARE AND CARE IS RESEARCH: Unlocking faster innovation for better access, outcomes and hope

Elements Strategy is a strategic management consulting firm providing services to the healthcare industry where transformation through person and patient focused innovation is critical to success. Our core expertise is in leadership and facilitation of planning and innovation initiatives and thought leadership projects including roundtables and conferences. Since 2017, Elements Strategy has been a strategic advisor to Colorectal Cancer Canada. Founded in 1997, Anne Marie Wright has led Elements Strategy in select time periods while also engaged in full time roles as a senior healthcare executive in private, public and not for profit organizations. She has served clients across many sectors including the Pharmaceutical and MedTech industries, Retail Pharmacy, Healthcare Professional Associations and Venture Capital Firms. She works collaboratively and in partnership with many Advisory groups and is a member of the International Association of Facilitators. Today, Elements Strategy also educates and advises organizations on the power of population aging and the new longevity economy. She is an advisor on AGE-WELL NCE’s National Aging Policy and Strategy working group and a member of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging Advisory Council.

Mr. Barry D. Stein, B.Com., B.C.L., LL.B., graduated from McGill University. An accomplished lawyer, he has been a member of the Bar of Quebec since 1981. Barry sits on the Board of Directors of several corporations, not-for-profit organizations and foundations. He is a founding member of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer National Colorectal Cancer Screening Network. As the president of Colorectal Cancer Canada, Barry represents the interests of cancer patients and speaks regularly to medical professionals, industry, government, and patient groups both in and outside of Canada. Barry has been a key advocate for population-based colorectal cancer screening initiatives, patient and physician education and multidisciplinary health professional consensus guidelines to improve patient outcomes across Canada.As a survivor of metastatic colorectal cancer diagnosed in 1995, Barry was obliged to seek health care outside of Canada to fight the disease. His judgement, obtained in the Superior Court of Quebec, serves as a leading precedent for the reimbursement of out of country health care.

Dr. Laupacis is Consulting Editor of CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) and a specialist in internal medicine; he also practiced palliative care. He has published over 370 peer-reviewed articles covering a variety of topics in clinical epidemiology, health services research, health technology assessment and health policy. He was founder of the web site www.healthydebate.ca.Dr. Laupacis is Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto. He has held faculty appointments at the University of Western Ontario (1986-1991), University of Ottawa (1991-2000) and the University of Toronto (2000-present). He has served as Director of the Clinical Epidemiology Unit, University of Ottawa (1991-2000); CEO of ICES (formerly the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences) (2000-2006) and Executive Director of the Li ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto (2006-2018). He has served on numerous academic and non-academic committees, including serving on the Boards of Alberta Health Services, Cancer Care Ontario and Health Quality Ontario. He is currently a board member of the Waterloo Regional Health Network. Dr. Laupacis has been awarded the Justice Emmett Hall Laureate (2010), the Health Services Research Advancement Award from the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (2011), the CIHR’s Barer-Flood Prize in Health Services and Policy Research (2013), the University of Toronto President’s Impact Award (2018), the Carolyn Tuohy Impact on Public Policy Award, University of Toronto (2018) and the FNG Starr Award of the Canadian Medical Association (2018). He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (2015) and Officer of the Order of Canada (2022).

Michelle is an experienced lawyer, public affairs professional and leader in both the corporate and not-for-profit sectors. Over the past 20 years, Michelle   has provided strategic counsel and leadership to a wide array of organizations in the health and life sciences sector, including health charities, health research organizations, hospitals, pan-Canadian government-funded health organizations, and pharmaceutical and health technology companies.  Having led the development of many national communications, stakeholder engagement and government relations strategies and campaigns, she is best known as a skilled and strategic advocate who has secured significant policy and funding commitments at the federal level. Michelle previous leadership roles include General Manager at Hill + Knowlton Strategies, one of Canada’s largest public affairs agencies, and Vice President at the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

Dr. Jennifer Zelmer is the inaugural President and CEO of Healthcare Excellence Canada, the new organization formed in 2020 through the amalgamation of the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement and Canadian Patient Safety Institute to achieve safer, higher quality and more coordinated patient-partnered healthcare. Jennifer's long-standing commitment to improving healthcare quality and safety, as well as expertise in spreading and scaling innovations that deliver better outcomes, will help to create this new organization with an expanded capacity to improve healthcare for everyone in Canada. Jennifer previously joined CFHI as its President and CEO in September 2018.  She has been a C.D. Howe Research Fellow for several years and is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Victoria, as well as a member of several health-related advisory committees and boards.Previously, as President of Azimuth Health Group, Dr. Zelmer was a strategic advisor to leaders who sought to advance health and healthcare at local, national, and international levels. Before that, she held senior leadership positions with Canada Health Infoway, the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organization, and the Canadian Institute for Health Information.Jennifer served on the first (2004) Safer Healthcare Now! National Steering Committee convened by CPSI when she was at CIHI. She also served on CPSI's former Health System Innovation Advisory Committee, and more recently, Jennifer served on the National Patient Safety Consortium Steering Committee during her time at Infoway.Dr. Zelmer received her PhD and MA in economics from McMaster University and her B.Sc. in health information science from the University of Victoria.

Diagnosed with  Stage 3 B CRC October 2020 at 36 years old. My initial treatment consisted of surgery and 6 months of chemotherapy (FOLFOX)  2 weeks after my last chemotherapy treatment my wife and I adopted a beautiful baby girl Kira Marie ! While adjusting to becoming a dad , my wife and I were left to pick up the pieces of the emotional , physical , mental, and financial toll cancer took on me and my family. After being NED for almost 2 years, this September 2024, 2 nodules were found on my lung. Fortunately thanks to a great medical team, I underwent SBRT as opposed to a major surgery, and now back on surveillance.  Cancer has taken so much from me and my family  but has also been a beautiful experience. I have had some incredible opportunities to grow , learn , and give back within the community.  Cancer took  my confidence, trust in my body and it’s ability , and  introduced constant self doubt and worry which has been a challenge to navigate.  Although many things have changed in the past 4 years,  I’m proudly still working full time , spending time with family and friends, and being able to run again which is a huge passion and tool to keep me physically and mentally strong.  Since being diagnosed 4 years ago I have been actively involved in advocacy, peer support, story telling, and bringing awareness to young onset CRC. Currently I serve as Retreat Director/ Canadian Lead  with Man up to Cancer, sit on the Community Advisory Board of the Ottawa Cancer Foundation, the Patient Advisory Council with CCRAN, Special Advisor on a upcoming initiative to educate Canadian Firefighters on the heightened risks of CRC, in addition to many storytelling appearances at a variety of community and international events.

Michelle Audoin is an experienced and passionate patient advocate and community collaborator. She uses her living experience of cancer to shine a light on some of the disparities Black women experience when navigating a breast cancer diagnosis. Her advocacy work has also brought her to the research community where she contributes her knowledge and experiences to support clinical trials and cancer research, including roles at CCTG as the Patient Representative Committee Chair, OICR PFAC, 3CTN, All.Can Canada, Princess Margaret and Women’s College Hospital.After attending her first cancer conference, Michelle understood the importance of partnerships between both the research and patient advocate community, noting that knowledge empowers patients to not only understand cancer biology, but also to help set priorities regarding the future of cancer research and treatments. She also sees the impact these relationships have on researchers who gain insights into the experiences of people living with or supporting someone with a cancer diagnosis and how to make their work more accessible and generalizable to diverse communities.Michelle uses her background as an elementary school teacher to educate by sharing her story and experiences on podcasts, panels, and awareness campaigns. She is most proud of raising two amazing and compassionate kids who support her cancer advocacy and patient engagement work.

Martine Elias is the CEO at Myeloma Canada, the only patient-driven, grassroots organization bringing the Canadian myeloma community together and promoting a strong, unified national voice for people living with multiple myeloma. She has been with the organisation since 2016. In addition, Martine is the Co-Chair of the Access to Treatment and Innovation Oncology Network (ACTION), a Canadian based organisation. In 2019 Martine was one of three patient representatives on the PMPRB Guideline Development Steering committee. Martine believes intentional collaboration is key to evolving the knowledge of myeloma for the betterment of patients. In February 2020 she was invited to join the International Myeloma Foundation Board of Directors and more recently she was appointed Chair to their Governance and Nominating Committee. She also serves to represent Canada on the Myeloma Patient Europe Community Advisory Board since 2019 where patient advocates address key challenges patients face in accessing diagnosis, monitoring, treatment, care and clinical trial at an international level. Martine started her career in clinical research in the pharmaceutical industry and has since dedicated her professional life to patient advocacy, empowering the patient voice, and helping patients gain access to essential medical treatments. She is passionate about ensuring that the patient voice is included in all aspects of health policy decisions. Previously, Martine was Director Access, Advocacy and Community Relations at Myeloma Canada where she developed, led and executed all advocacy strategies and programs.Prior to that Martine held roles as National Director of Community Relations at Janssen Inc., and Market Access and Health Economics team leader at GSK.

Allen Chankowsky is an acclaimed author, sought-after international speaker, and a resilient 34-year cancer survivor. His continued survivorship of a 2016 terminal diagnosis of an ultra-rare, Androgen Receptor positive salivary duct carcinoma makes him one of the longest survivors with this disease. Best known for his multi-award-winning & best-selling book, "On the Other Side of TERMINAL," Allen inspires his audience with a powerful narrative of hope and resilience against one of life's gravest challenges. Allen's contributions to the field extend far beyond his personal journey. An expert in sales promotion and marketing, he leverages his platform to actively champion the cause of precision medicine in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. His compelling insights have earned him keynote invitations to prestigious events, including the TargetCancer Foundation's 2022 gala, 2024 Think Tank, and a global conference on precision medicine, where he addressed leading figures in oncology and molecular pathology. Beyond the lectern, Allen's advocacy takes multiple forms: He is currently serving as a molecular tumour board member (representing the patient’s voice) on ASCO’s TAPUR flagship clinical trial in the United States.He was the focus of an international documentary published by OncoDaily in the Fall of 2024.He is a patient mentor with Creative Destruction Lab as a member of the Cancer Patient Contribution Group, providing the patient perspective to early-stage oncology-focused companies to help them as they build and scale their businesses for next-generation clinical solutions.He has lent his voice to a television campaign for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation and has been featured in film trailers and various international news publications and podcasts.Allen was spotlighted on the cover of the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation's 2023 Annual Report, acknowledging his extraordinary survivorship as a source of inspiration for cancer patients worldwide. A devoted family man, Allen attributes his remarkable survival journey to the unwavering support of his long-term girlfriend, Cynthia, and their four children. In his leisure time, he channels his competitive spirit into backgammon where he clinched the Intermediate Division title at the 2021 US Open held by the United States Backgammon Federation. Allen was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, and now resides in Toronto, Ontario. To learn more about his life, advocacy, and professional endeavors, visit AllenChankowsky.com

Mr. Barry D. Stein, B.Com., B.C.L., LL.B., graduated from McGill University. An accomplished lawyer, he has been a member of the Bar of Quebec since 1981. Barry sits on the Board of Directors of several corporations, not-for-profit organizations and foundations. He is a founding member of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer National Colorectal Cancer Screening Network. As the president of Colorectal Cancer Canada, Barry represents the interests of cancer patients and speaks regularly to medical professionals, industry, government, and patient groups both in and outside of Canada. Barry has been a key advocate for population-based colorectal cancer screening initiatives, patient and physician education and multidisciplinary health professional consensus guidelines to improve patient outcomes across Canada.As a survivor of metastatic colorectal cancer diagnosed in 1995, Barry was obliged to seek health care outside of Canada to fight the disease. His judgement, obtained in the Superior Court of Quebec, serves as a leading precedent for the reimbursement of out of country health care.

Dr. Pascale Landry is an accomplished clinical research professional with over two decades of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, specializing in clinical trial operations and site engagement. She has worked extensively across therapeutic areas, including oncology, with a strong focus on high-quality clinical trial execution and advancing patient-centric research. Most recently, she has worked on GSK’s AZUR program.Passionate about attracting more clinical trials locally, Dr. Landry is dedicated to providing patients with greater access to innovative treatment options, regardless of their location. Throughout her career, she has built close relationships with clinical trial sites, offering strategic insights and tailored support to align with local needs and ways of working.Dr. Landry is committed to fostering collaboration between stakeholders to streamline processes, simplify trial participation, increase diversity, and ensure equitable access to cutting-edge therapies for all patients.

Dr. Apte is a Surgical Oncologist & Colorectal Surgeon at the Ottawa Hospital. His clinical expertise includes advanced colorectal cancer, peritoneal malignancies, and soft tissue sarcoma. His research interests focus on pragmatic surgical trials as a means of improving trial efficiency, reducing costs, and studying questions important to patients that are otherwise difficult to study with classical trial design. Dr. Apte helped conceptualize and launch the 'REaCT-NSQIP-Remote' (RNR) pragmatic surgical trials platform. This decentralized trial design dramatically improves trial efficiency by combining remote contact and management, oral informed consent, direct-to-patient delivery of drugs, and automatic data collection via the widely adopted 'National Surgical Quality Improvement' infrastructure. This innovative design not only directly embeds research into daily clinical practice, but also substantially reduces the burden of clinical trial participation for the patient. The RNR platform's inaugural trial investigates the ability of a common and cheap regimen of oral antibiotics prior to colorectal surgery to reduce surgical site infections. Once the trial has completed accrual and analysis in early 2026, its results can be immediately implemented by surgeons worldwide.

 Enrique Sanz Garcia is a medical oncologist and staff physician at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, with a clinical focus on head and neck, and gastrointestinal cancers. He was trained in Madrid, Spain, and completed his medical oncology residency at the Vall d'Hebron Oncology Institute in Barcelona. He also completed his PhD in Medicine, focusing on liquid biopsy in colorectal cancer, at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. In 2020, he moved to Toronto for a 3-year fellowship in drug development and the head and neck program. Upon completion, he was appointed as a staff physician at UHN. His main areas of research include precision medicine based on molecular profiling, liquid biopsy, and early-onset cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. He serves also as the scientific co-lead for the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centre Network program at Princess Margaret, chairs the molecular tumor board for this initiative, and co-chairs the working group for the development of a prospective study to bring precision medicine to cancer patients across Canada.

Elements Strategy is a strategic management consulting firm providing services to the healthcare industry where transformation through person and patient focused innovation is critical to success. Our core expertise is in leadership and facilitation of planning and innovation initiatives and thought leadership projects including roundtables and conferences. Since 2017, Elements Strategy has been a strategic advisor to Colorectal Cancer Canada. Founded in 1997, Anne Marie Wright has led Elements Strategy in select time periods while also engaged in full time roles as a senior healthcare executive in private, public and not for profit organizations. She has served clients across many sectors including the Pharmaceutical and MedTech industries, Retail Pharmacy, Healthcare Professional Associations and Venture Capital Firms. She works collaboratively and in partnership with many Advisory groups and is a member of the International Association of Facilitators. Today, Elements Strategy also educates and advises organizations on the power of population aging and the new longevity economy. She is an advisor on AGE-WELL NCE’s National Aging Policy and Strategy working group and a member of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging Advisory Council.

Stuart joined the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) in February 2020 following the amalgamation with Prostate Cancer Canada (PCC). As Executive Vice President of Mission, he oversees the Research and Advocacy teams.Prior to the amalgamation, Stuart spent 8 years at PCC as Vice President of Research, Health Promotion and Survivorship. He has held leadership roles at several national cancer research institutes and government agencies. Stuart holds a Doctorate in pharmacology from Oxford University.

Elements Strategy is a strategic management consulting firm providing services to the healthcare industry where transformation through person and patient focused innovation is critical to success. Our core expertise is in leadership and facilitation of planning and innovation initiatives and thought leadership projects including roundtables and conferences. Since 2017, Elements Strategy has been a strategic advisor to Colorectal Cancer Canada. Founded in 1997, Anne Marie Wright has led Elements Strategy in select time periods while also engaged in full time roles as a senior healthcare executive in private, public and not for profit organizations. She has served clients across many sectors including the Pharmaceutical and MedTech industries, Retail Pharmacy, Healthcare Professional Associations and Venture Capital Firms. She works collaboratively and in partnership with many Advisory groups and is a member of the International Association of Facilitators. Today, Elements Strategy also educates and advises organizations on the power of population aging and the new longevity economy. She is an advisor on AGE-WELL NCE’s National Aging Policy and Strategy working group and a member of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging Advisory Council.

Mr. Barry D. Stein, B.Com., B.C.L., LL.B., graduated from McGill University. An accomplished lawyer, he has been a member of the Bar of Quebec since 1981. Barry sits on the Board of Directors of several corporations, not-for-profit organizations and foundations. He is a founding member of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer National Colorectal Cancer Screening Network. As the president of Colorectal Cancer Canada, Barry represents the interests of cancer patients and speaks regularly to medical professionals, industry, government, and patient groups both in and outside of Canada. Barry has been a key advocate for population-based colorectal cancer screening initiatives, patient and physician education and multidisciplinary health professional consensus guidelines to improve patient outcomes across Canada.As a survivor of metastatic colorectal cancer diagnosed in 1995, Barry was obliged to seek health care outside of Canada to fight the disease. His judgement, obtained in the Superior Court of Quebec, serves as a leading precedent for the reimbursement of out of country health care.

Dr Kurt Lackovic is the CEO of Cancer Trials Australia, a position he has held since 2017.  Kurt has overseen Cancer Trials Australia’s significant growth, expanding its reach and impact within the Australian clinical trials ecosystem.   He has built a career in medical research that spans both academic and commercial settings.  Kurt holds a PhD in chemistry, has completed international post-doctoral work in medical genomics and early-stage drug discovery, and earned an MBA from Melbourne Business School.  He has published >25 peer-reviewed articles across diverse medical research areas and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Kurt is also an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Society for Clinical Research Sites and sits on AusBiotech’s Clinical Trials Advisory Group as well as the Research and Development Task Force.  Beyond his role at Cancer Trials Australia, Kurt also serves as a Director for both the Australian Physiotherapy Council and Deadly Science, where he also Chairs their Audit and Risk sub-committees.

Susan Marlin is a trusted leader in Canada’s research ethics and clinical trials community. As the President and CEO of Clinical Trials Ontario (CTO), she collaborates to strengthen the clinical trials environment while maintaining the highest ethical and quality standards.Susan was foundational in establishing CTO’s streamlined research ethics review system to enable a single review for multi-site clinical trials and health research studies in Ontario. Now widely adopted, the system has more than 11,000 users, 160 participating sites, 300 pharmaceutical and medical device companies, and 20 qualified research ethics boards. Building on her record of uniting partners to streamline clinical trials, Susan is advancing key projects across Canada. She is the nominated principal investigator for the Canada-wide CHEER project, supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to streamline ethics reviews for child health research. She is also the nominated principal applicant for the CanReview collaboration to establish a pan-Canadian single research ethics review system, supported by the CIHR-funded Accelerating Clinical Trials (ACT) Consortium.  Prior to CTO, Susan served as the Associate Vice-Principal at Queen’s University, working with the Canadian Cancer Trials Group to coordinate clinical trials and lead the development and implementation of the Ethics and Regulatory Office. Susan has served as President of the Canadian Association of Research Ethics Boards, and as a member of the CIHR Research Integrity Committee, the Ontario Cancer Research Ethics Board, and the Tri-Agency Panel on the Responsible Conduct of Research. Susan sits on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of Life Sciences Ontario. She serves on the Operations Committee and is co-chair of the Ethics Committee for the ACT Consortium. She is on the Management Team for the Ontario Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research Support Unit, and she is an Adjunct Lecturer at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.

Dr Stuart Nicholls is Scientist in the Methodological and Implementation (MIR) program at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and where he leads the Office for Patient Engagement in Research Activities (OPERA). His research focuses on understanding the implementation of patient engagement in practice and improving patient engagement approaches. He is co-chair of the Accelerating Clinical Trials (ACT) Consortium Patient Engagement Committee and co-leads a working group for the World Health Organization to deliver on patient and community engagement goals set  forth in the WHO Global action plan for clinical trial ecosystem strengthening (https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/B09338). He is also the purveyor of many dad jokes which are generally tolerated by colleagues and his three teenage children.

Senior Scientist and Deputy Scientific Director for Clinical Research, Ottawa Hospital Research InstituteFull Professor, Department of Medicine, and School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of OttawaEndowed Chair - Ottawa Hospital Research Institute & University of OttawaScientific Lead, Ontario SPOR Support Unit (OSSU)Dr. Dean Fergusson is an international leader in evidence-based transfusion medicine and clinical trial methods. Dr. Fergusson has conceived, designed, and conducted randomized trials in transfusion medicine that have advanced knowledge and practice in defining the optimal blood product to transfuse, establishing when to administer transfusions, and evaluating transfusion alternatives. His work on clinical equipoise, post-randomization exclusions, ethical use of placebos, innovative trial design, and statistical approaches has influenced the practice and reporting of clinical trials globally. Dr. Fergusson established the Ottawa Methods Centre at the Ottawa Hospital and has led its participation in major provincial and national enterprises such as the Ontario SPOR Support Unit (OSSU) where he currently serves as Scientific Director, as well as the national CIHR-funded Accelerating Clinical Trials (ACT) Consortium. He also co-founded the BLUEPRINT translational research group which has focuses on developing novel approaches to designing and optimizing protocols for early-phase human clinical trials. Over his career, he has received over $362 million in peer reviewed research grants with over $145 million as a principal investigator. He is an ardent supporter of patient and community engagement in biomedical research and has helped establish supportive infrastructure and policy.  

Rebecca began her career as a cancer researcher and, over the past 15 years, has held a range of leadership roles dedicated to strengthening health research capacity within Canada. She specializes in building innovative and sustainable systems that enhance research excellence, while fostering meaningful engagement with diverse interest-holders. Prior to joining N2 Canada, Rebecca played a key role in leading in leading the Canadian Tissue Repository Network and advancing research engagement at Vancouver Island Health Authority, where she managed the CIHR Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) initiative for the Vancouver Island region. Most recently, she served as Director of the Office of the Vice-President Research and Innovation at the University of Victoria. Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Master’s degree in Environmental Toxicology/Carcinogenesis.

Dr. Sushmita Pamidi is a respirologist and sleep physician, and an Associate Professor of Medicine at McGill University. She is a clinical scientist with expertise in epidemiology and health outcomes research using observational and clinical trial designs. She completed her medical degree at the University of Toronto, her internal medicine and respirology residency at the University of Western Ontario, and sleep medicine training at the University of Chicago (2009-2011). Dr. Pamidi joined McGill University in 2011 to complete a master’s in epidemiology and has remained actively engaged in clinical and translational research since. Her research program focuses on cardiometabolic disease as it relates to obstructive sleep apnea, in both the general adult population and during pregnancy.Dr. Pamidi is co-chair of the Accelerating Clinical Trials Consortium’s Clinical Trial Unit (ACT-CTU) at the Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, and was recently named Research Priority Leader in Clinical Trials as part of the Institute’s 2030 strategic vision, which identifies clinical trials as a core research priority. She previously held the role of Director of the Respiratory Epidemiology and Co-Leader of the Translational Research in Respiratory Diseases Program. Her work emphasizes patient-centered, operationally feasible, and methodologically rigorous trials, with a focus on enabling research to directly inform clinical care.

DON HUSEREAU is an Adjunct Professor of Medicine at The University of Ottawa. He does freelance health care research, and works with private and public sector life sciences organizations to help them understand the value of health technology and its implications for health and innovation policy.

Dr. Sébastien Perreault is an Associate Professor in Pediatric Neurology and Neuro-Oncology at CHU Sainte-Justine. In addition to general pediatric neurology, he has developed expertise in the treatment and long-term follow-up of patients with brain tumors and plexiform neurofibromas. He leads a clinic and research program focused on neurofibromatosis and targeted therapies for brain tumors. As a clinician-scientist, Dr. Perreault has developed significant expertise in clinical trial design. He has launched three national multicenter phase II studies on the treatment of refractory low-grade gliomas and plexiform neurofibromas. His research mainly focuses on targeted/personalized therapies and reducing long-term neurological side effects.

Senior Scientist and Deputy Scientific Director for Clinical Research, Ottawa Hospital Research InstituteFull Professor, Department of Medicine, and School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of OttawaEndowed Chair - Ottawa Hospital Research Institute & University of OttawaScientific Lead, Ontario SPOR Support Unit (OSSU)Dr. Dean Fergusson is an international leader in evidence-based transfusion medicine and clinical trial methods. Dr. Fergusson has conceived, designed, and conducted randomized trials in transfusion medicine that have advanced knowledge and practice in defining the optimal blood product to transfuse, establishing when to administer transfusions, and evaluating transfusion alternatives. His work on clinical equipoise, post-randomization exclusions, ethical use of placebos, innovative trial design, and statistical approaches has influenced the practice and reporting of clinical trials globally. Dr. Fergusson established the Ottawa Methods Centre at the Ottawa Hospital and has led its participation in major provincial and national enterprises such as the Ontario SPOR Support Unit (OSSU) where he currently serves as Scientific Director, as well as the national CIHR-funded Accelerating Clinical Trials (ACT) Consortium. He also co-founded the BLUEPRINT translational research group which has focuses on developing novel approaches to designing and optimizing protocols for early-phase human clinical trials. Over his career, he has received over $362 million in peer reviewed research grants with over $145 million as a principal investigator. He is an ardent supporter of patient and community engagement in biomedical research and has helped establish supportive infrastructure and policy.  

Brian Canter is an Assistant Research Director on the Biomedical Innovation team working on policy solutions to improve development, regulatory review, and evidence generation for broadening access and availability to medical products. He manages one of the Biomedical Innovation team's cooperative agreements with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Brian's portfolio of work spans several key areas within the biomedical innovation space. As the lead researcher on regulatory considerations to enable greater competition for biologics, he has evaluated the value of the interchangeability designation and derived strategies to foster future biosimilar development for cell and gene therapies. Supporting the Institute's thought leadership to modernize clinical trials, Brian guides the policy work for the Coalition for Advancing Clinical Trials at the Point of Care. Brian has also managed several projects within the Institute's regulatory science work, including public meetings convened with FDA to advance clinical trial innovation and premarket safety analytics. In addition to biomedical innovation, Brian has done extensive work within the Institute's 21st Century Public Health and Population Health portfolio. He oversaw a project focused on addressing the burden of respiratory viruses through reduction of disease transmission. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Brian led the Institute's work to maximize adoption of therapeutics, with a focus on Test-to-Treat pathways. Prior to joining Duke-Margolis, Brian completed a PhD in Biomedical Sciences with a focus in Biomedical Engineering from Rutgers University. His thesis research focused on utilizing radiation therapy systemically to treat metastatic breast cancer that spread to bone. Brian also graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Tufts University.

Stephen has over 25 years of experience in clinical trial operations and health programs' leadership. His clinical research expertise includes roles in pharma, CRO and academic settings involving the conduct of Phase 1-3b drug, biologic, and device trials across a wide range of therapeutic areas. The Canadian Cancer Clinical Trials Network (3CTN) maintains a Portfolio of over 800 multi-centre academic cancer clinical trials and mobilizes and supports a pan-Canadian community of over 250 investigators, clinical research professionals and patient partners across its 60 pediatric- and adult-member Cancer Centres in improving shared aims for equitable access, accrual and the efficient, high-quality conduct of trials.

Stuart joined the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) in February 2020 following the amalgamation with Prostate Cancer Canada (PCC). As Executive Vice President of Mission, he oversees the Research and Advocacy teams.Prior to the amalgamation, Stuart spent 8 years at PCC as Vice President of Research, Health Promotion and Survivorship. He has held leadership roles at several national cancer research institutes and government agencies. Stuart holds a Doctorate in pharmacology from Oxford University.

Mr. Barry D. Stein, B.Com., B.C.L., LL.B., graduated from McGill University. An accomplished lawyer, he has been a member of the Bar of Quebec since 1981. Barry sits on the Board of Directors of several corporations, not-for-profit organizations and foundations. He is a founding member of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer National Colorectal Cancer Screening Network. As the president of Colorectal Cancer Canada, Barry represents the interests of cancer patients and speaks regularly to medical professionals, industry, government, and patient groups both in and outside of Canada. Barry has been a key advocate for population-based colorectal cancer screening initiatives, patient and physician education and multidisciplinary health professional consensus guidelines to improve patient outcomes across Canada.As a survivor of metastatic colorectal cancer diagnosed in 1995, Barry was obliged to seek health care outside of Canada to fight the disease. His judgement, obtained in the Superior Court of Quebec, serves as a leading precedent for the reimbursement of out of country health care.

Mr. Barry D. Stein, B.Com., B.C.L., LL.B., graduated from McGill University. An accomplished lawyer, he has been a member of the Bar of Quebec since 1981. Barry sits on the Board of Directors of several corporations, not-for-profit organizations and foundations. He is a founding member of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer National Colorectal Cancer Screening Network. As the president of Colorectal Cancer Canada, Barry represents the interests of cancer patients and speaks regularly to medical professionals, industry, government, and patient groups both in and outside of Canada. Barry has been a key advocate for population-based colorectal cancer screening initiatives, patient and physician education and multidisciplinary health professional consensus guidelines to improve patient outcomes across Canada.As a survivor of metastatic colorectal cancer diagnosed in 1995, Barry was obliged to seek health care outside of Canada to fight the disease. His judgement, obtained in the Superior Court of Quebec, serves as a leading precedent for the reimbursement of out of country health care.