Dr. Rebecca Auer is the Executive Vice-President of Research and Innovation at The Ottawa Hospital and the CEO and Scientific Director of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. She also holds the position of Surgical Oncologist at The Ottawa Hospital, Senior Scientist in the Cancer Research Program at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and Professor in the Department of Surgery and the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Ottawa.  

Dr. Auer is an international leader in perioperative cancer therapeutics. She has led six clinical trials of cancer immunotherapies based on preclinical discoveries made in her research lab. She has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications and received over $30 million dollars in peer-reviewed funding as PI to support her work.  

Dr. Auer is an international leader in the field of Surgical Oncology. She has served on the executive of the Canadian Cancer Trials Group, the Society of Surgical Oncology, and the Canadian Association of General Surgeons, where she is the Chair of the Research Committee. She is also a member of the NCI GI Steering Committee and the Canadian Cancer Society, where she sits of the Advisory Council. Dr. Auer believes that research IS care and is dedicated to ensuring all patients are provided an opportunity to participate in research. In 2024 Dr. Auer was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network for her research and advocacy work in cancer.

Craig Ivany is a health services executive and laboratory services strategist with 40 years of experience influencing healthcare. His depth of practice includes a legacy of leadership across Canada, including Hospital Executive Director in rural Newfoundland, Executive Director of Operations, Canadian Blood Services, VP role with DynaLIFE in Alberta, VP role with Dynacare Laboratories in Ontario, CEO of the Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association, President and CEO of Alberta Public Labs, and Chief Provincial Diagnostic Officer in British Columbia. He is a current and past board member of several not-for-profit organizations in Canadian healthcare. Craig is a certified health executive and a long-time member of the Canadian College of Health Leaders, holds an ICD.D with the Institute of Corporate Directors, and is an Adjunct Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia.

Dr. Yoo-Joung Ko is a medical oncologist specializing in gastrointestinal malignancies, with a focus on pancreatic and colorectal cancers. He completed his medical degree and Internal Medicine residency at the University of Toronto, followed by fellowship training in Hematology and Medical Oncology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. During this time, he also earned a Master of Medical Sciences from Harvard Medical School/MIT and a Master of Science in Epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health.

After serving on faculty in Boston with support from a National Cancer Institute career development award, Dr. Ko returned to Canada to pursue his clinical and academic interests. He previously served as Chair of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Group at the Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre and has led multiple multicentre investigator-initiated clinical trials.

Dr. Ko is committed to research ethics and medical education. He has served as both Vice-Chair and Chair of the Ontario Research Ethics Board and has received several teaching awards at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. He is also the Oncology Deputy Editor for DynaMed, a leading online clinical reference.

He is currently the Medical Director of the Cancer and Endoscopy Program at Unity Health.

Paul Krzyzanowski is the Medical Affairs Director of Precision Medicine at Johnson & Johnson Canada. In this role, he leads the design & execution of Johnson & Johnson’s precision medicine diagnostics strategy in oncology with the aim of making targeted cancer therapies accessible to all Canadian patients who may benefit from them. Through this work, the Precision Medicine team works together with stakeholders in all provincial healthcare systems to collaboratively improve diagnostic testing pathways across Canada. Prior to joining J&J, Paul was the Director of the Translational Genomics Laboratory at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR), supporting oncology researchers across Ontario and nationally. Paul has co-authored over 26 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters and is also the co-inventor of several patents in the field of genomic technologies and bioinformatic gene signature development. He holds a MBA from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, a Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine from the University of Ottawa, a B.Sc. (Honours) from the University of Toronto, and was a CIHR-funded Postdoctoral Fellow at OICR.

Dr. Lopez-Correa is the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) at Genome Canada. Dr. Lopez-Correa has dedicated her career to genomics and its transformative applications in life sciences in Canada and internationally. As CSO at Genome Quebec (2008-2015) and Genome BC (2015-2019), she was instrumental in developing competitive teams for research and innovation initiatives raising the profile of Canadian genomics on the global stage. Recently, as the Executive Director of the Canadian COVID-19 Genomics Network (CanCOGeN) she led a $40M initiative to advance the use of genomics to understand and control the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, as CSO of Genome Canada, and as a breast cancer survivor, she is taking genomics to the next level, by advancing the national and global implementation of genomic technologies.  

Dr. Lopez-Correa’s work has been recognized with several awards. In 2017, the Canadian Senate 150th Anniversary Medal, and in 2013, the National Order of Merit from Colombia.

Cassandra is the Chief Research Officer at the Colorectal Cancer Resource & Action Network (CCRAN). She leads CCRAN's policy- and research-based initiatives and contributes broadly across the organization's patient-focused and evidence-based mandates to provide support, education, and advocacy for colorectal cancer and other tumour-type patients and caregivers.

Cassandra has a clinical background as a Medical Radiation Technologist in addition to a graduate degree in health studies and leadership. It was through her experience as a clinician, observing the unmet needs of patients and the gaps in the healthcare system, that she turned to patient advocacy, driven by a passion for improving health quality and patient experiences. Through her role at CCRAN, she is honoured to amplify patient voices and is dedicated to reducing the burden of cancer in Canada.

Christopher is a 41-year-old, 3-time cancer survivor, father of two and husband. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) Management Degree, graduating with High Honours. He worked for 15 years in Business Management & Operations, primarily as General Manager. He also worked in the public service space for 4 years as the publicly elected Toronto District School Board Trustee for Humber River – Black Creek, also sitting as the Vice-Chair of the Board. In this role, Christopher was awarded the Canadian Heraldic Platinum Jubilee Award for Outstanding Community Leadership. After 6 months of volunteering with CCRAN, Christopher now works as a member of the team, in the role of National Patient Programs Manager. He also supports the My Cancer Coach Patient Program as a Young Adult Cancer Coach.

Mariana is a healthcare professional with extensive experience in both clinical and administrative settings, which has given her a comprehensive understanding of patient care across the continuum. Throughout her career, she has worked closely with individuals and families navigating complex medical systems, advocating for clear communication, compassionate care, and informed decision-making.  

Mariana’s perspective on healthcare deepened profoundly when she became a patient herself, facing a diagnosis of colon cancer. Navigating her own treatment journey presented challenges that extended beyond clinical care, highlighting the emotional, logistical, and systemic barriers patients often encounter. This experience strengthened her commitment to advocacy, not only as a professional, but as someone who has lived the realities of the healthcare system from both sides.  

Mariana is passionate about empowering patients, ensuring their voices are heard, and helping them access the resources and support they need. She brings empathy, resilience, and a practical understanding of healthcare systems to her work, and she is dedicated to improving patient experiences and outcomes through meaningful advocacy.

Neil Marr is a former caregiver to his late wife Priscilla, who was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma in April of 2019 and passed in April of 2021. He is a semi-retired high school teacher and playwright residing in the Greater Toronto area.

Neil has been a volunteer with the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation since 2021 and is a founding member of the Canadian Cholangiocarcinoma Collaborative and Cholangio-Hepatocellular Carcinoma Canada. Neil also currently serves in an advisory capacity with PanCuRx, where he contributes a layman's perspective to issues and initiatives that impact patient care.

In his role as a mentor with the CCF and HPCC, Neil endeavours to help patients navigate the medical system and offer support to patients attempting to cope with what is often a devastating diagnosis.

In his role as a Research Advocate, Neil is keen to heighten the awareness and necessity for patient access to Biomarker testing and funding for drug treatment options as they emerge.

Dr. Stéphanie Michaud is the President and CEO of BioCanRx, Canada’s Immunotherapy Network and a not-for-profit investing in the development of immunotherapies for the clinic. She is responsible for running all facets of the organization and brings over 20 years of public, government and private sector experience in research, science, technology and innovation (STI) policy and program delivery. A strong contributor to science policy in Canada, she strives to create partnerships between government, not-for-profits, academia and industry to maximize the impact of research funded by BioCanRx on the lives of those affected by cancer.  

Dr. Michaud earned a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from McGill University and worked as a synthetic organic chemist for several years within a university spinout at the beginning of her career, resulting in several patents. She currently serves on the Boards of Research Canada, CQDM, the Advisory Board of the Canadian Cancer Research Alliance and is a member of the Public Policy Forum Life Sciences Leadership Table; she is a past Director to the Boards of the StemCell Network and Exactis Innovation. She is a past alumna of both the Governor General’s Leadership Conference (2015) and inaugural Centre for Drug Research and Development (now adMare) Executive Institute (2018).

JK Miller is the Health Policy and Advocacy Lead with the Canadian Breast Cancer Network. CBCN is Canada’s leading, patient-directed, national health charity committed to ensuring the best quality of care for all Canadians affected by breast cancer.

JK graduated from Health Policy at York university in 2021 and considered herself a bit of a health policy nerd. Originally a volunteer, JK started working with CBCN in 2023. Since then, she has contributed to dozens of public consultations and health technology assessments. She also contributes to CBCN’s library of resources including patient advocacy guides, blog posts, advocacy campaigns, and managing CBCN’s breast cancer treatment database.

Through all her work, JK strives to keep patient perspective central by leaning on CBCN’s community. Through her engagement with decision makers and coalitions, JK influences our healthcare system to be more responsive for people affected by breast cancer.

Dr. Narod is a world-leader in the field of breast and ovarian cancer. He has shaped current knowledge of how to assess breast and ovarian cancer risk and reduce its mortality among carriers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. He studies various aspects of cancer prevention and screening. He is a Tier I Canada Research Chair in Breast Cancer, a University of Toronto professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and the Department of Medicine, and a senior scientist at Women’s College Research Institute, where he leads the Familial Breast Cancer Research Unit.  

In 2012, Dr. Narod was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He holds two honorary degrees. He received the 2016 Killam Prize in health sciences and the 2015 Basser Global Prize. In 2019 he received the Lifetime achievement award from Canadian Society of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Then in 2022 he received the McLaughlin Medal for sustained excellence in medical science. Early last year he also won the UBC alumni achievement award for research and innovation. With more than 1000 publications and an h-index of 130, Dr. Narod is one of the most cited breast cancers researchers in the world. Recently he has published a book: A Fair Trial – The Foundations of Breast Cancer. This book is a touchstone for other scientists and physicians to question the current paradigms of breast cancer screening and treatment and will lead to new ideas that will help physicians, researchers, and patients move forward towards a cure.

Eddy Nason is the Director for the Health Knowledge Area at Signal49 Research, formerly The Conference Board of Canada. In this role, he spearheads the efforts of the health team, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, relevant, and impactful research and products to clients and stakeholders within the health sector.  

Prior to joining Signal49 Research, Eddy accumulated 20 years of experience at the intersection of health, science, public policy, and research, with a particular focus on research impact. During this time, he collaborated with national and international think tanks such as the Institute on Governance and RAND Corporation, as well as research funding organizations like the Ontario SPOR SUPPORT Unit and Genome Canada.

Eddy has provided guidance to policymakers, health system managers, private sector partners, and not-for-profit stakeholders on a wide array of health issues, ranging from health human resources to drug plan management, to patient-partnered clinical research. He is internationally recognized as an expert in research impact, having served as Program Director for the International School on Research Impact Assessment, contributed to the development of the precursor to the ResearchFish research impact system, authored the influential CAHS framework for ROI in health research, and has advised research systems across the globe.

Teresa Norris is an internationally recognized researcher, advocate, and coalition leader. She is the Founder and President of HPV Global Action / VPH Action Globale, a Canadian-based international charity, and the newly elected President of the Quebec Cancer Coalition. With over 25 years of experience in cancer prevention, research, and policy development, she has dedicated her career to advancing oncology outcomes through education, evidence-based interventions, and global health collaborations. As a sexual and reproductive health specialist, she has developed prevention programs and contributes to shaping health policies in gynecological cancers both nationally and internationally. Her educational initiatives alone have reached to date more than 100,000 students, faculty and healthcare professionals across Canada. Teresa also leads the INTEGRATION Project, a major clinical research initiative within the PAVE consortium, an AI-driven global collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), and World Health Organization (WHO), focused on addressing the world’s highest burden of cervical cancer and HIV in Eswatini, alongside neglected tropical diseases. Her work reflects a deep commitment to advancing cancer research, improving patient outcomes, and ensuring equitable access to innovative cancer care worldwide.

Gary is an electrical and computer engineer based in Ottawa, Ontario, with a strong analytical mindset and a lifelong commitment to learning. Alongside his technical career, he has developed deep interests in artificial intelligence, data systems, and open-source technologies, often applying these tools to solve complex, real-world problems.

Upon receiving a stage IV colon cancer diagnosis in October 2020, Gary has turned that same problem-solving drive toward understanding his own colorectal cancer diagnosis and treatment. Actively engaged in his care, he has taken a hands-on approach to learning about targeted therapies, treatment side effects, and the role of biomarkers in guiding clinical decisions.  

Gary brings a unique dual perspective: that of a patient navigating the realities of cancer treatment, and that of an engineer analyzing systems, data, and outcomes. He is particularly interested in how biomarker-driven approaches can improve treatment personalization, reduce unnecessary toxicity, and ultimately lead to better patient outcomes.

Beyond his medical journey, Gary is an active hobbyist in photography, 3D printing, and machine learning, continuously seeking ways to integrate technology and creativity. He is especially motivated by the potential of AI to accelerate medical research, including efforts toward improved diagnostics and therapies for colorectal cancer. His goal is simple and direct: better data, better decisions, and better outcomes for patients.

Filomena is the President and CEO of the Colorectal Cancer Resource & Action Network (‘CCRAN’) – a patient-focused organization championing the health and wellbeing of Canadians touched by colorectal cancer and others at risk of developing the disease. Her undergraduate and graduate work lie in the biological sciences and educational studies. As a caregiver to her father, who was afflicted with and succumbed to metastatic cancer, his journey has served as the impetus for the founding of CCRAN, one month post his passing in August of 2006.  

The past nineteen years have been dedicated to the cause of supporting, educating, and advocating on behalf of colorectal cancer patients and caregivers, to improve patients’ quality of life and longevity by furnishing evidence-based information and access to unique and novel patient programs. She has been working closely with valued health care professionals across the continuum of colorectal cancer care to ensure content acumen in the management of colorectal cancer.  She is humbled to be published alongside world-renowned experts in areas such as biomarkers, colorectal cancer management, PROs and PROMs, early age onset cancer, promoting national LDLT efforts, and promoting CGP across tumour types.  

Filomena is a strong proponent of HTA patient evidence submissions since the inception of pCODR, ensuring the patient voice is captured and well incorporated into her HTA patient evidence submissions across multiple tumour types, as CCRAN has recently expanded its patient focused mandate outside of the colorectal cancer space. She continues to be a passionate advocate for the Canadian cancer patient and their caregiver to help reduce the burden of cancer in Canada.

Dr. Stephanie Snow is a staff Medical Oncologist at the QEII hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia, treating thoracic and GI malignancies. After pursuing undergraduate training at McGill, she completed her training at Dalhousie, where she is now a full professor in the Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Snow has a strong interest in Medical Education and is Chair of the Royal College Medical Oncology Examination Board. From a research perspective she is involved in clinical research, is Associate Editor of the peer reviewed journal Current Oncology and has been widely published in prominent journals. Dr. Snow is active in patient advocacy, serving as the Immediate Past-President of Lung Cancer Canada, and sits on the medical advisory committees of several other patient advocacy groups in colorectal and gastric cancer.

Dr. Alan Spatz is professor of pathology and oncology at McGill University, chief of the department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), and medical director of Optilab Montreal-MUHC, an integrated network of labs belonging to the McGill-affiliated hospitals. He is also director of the molecular pathology centre at the Lady Davis Institute (LDI)/Jewish General Hospital of Montreal, and of the “X chromosome and cancer” research lab at the LDI. Dr. Spatz received his medical education at the Sorbonne University, Paris, France, and worked at the Gustave Roussy Cancer Institute in Villejuif, France, from 1994 to 2008.

Dr. Spatz serves on the board and steering committee of several international and Canadian research organizations, including the WIN Consortium (winconsortium.org), Exactis Innovation (exactis.ca), and the Canadian BEAT-cancer coalition for advanced molecular diagnostics. He is currently co-chair of the Correlative Sciences Committee of the Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG) and the president of the Oncology Committee of the Quebec Network of Molecular Diagnostics (RQDM). He was chair of several clinical research organizations, including the Melanoma group of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), the Pathobiology group of the EORTC that he founded, the Melanoma committee of the CCTG, and was president of the French division of the International Academy of Pathology.  

Dr. Spatz’s research is focused on cancer biomarkers and on the role of the X chromosome-related haploinsufficiency in cancer progression. He has published more than 230 peer-reviewed articles and books in highly ranked journals, including Nature Medicine, Nature Cancer, Nature Cancer Reviews, The Lancet, Science Translational Medicine, Science Immunology, Annals of Oncology, and Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Lindsay Timm is CCSN’s Executive Director. Before joining CCSN on staff, Lindsay was a volunteer helping to organize fundraising events and always coming up with new and innovative ideas and project proposals for fundraising. As a staff member, she started out as the Administrative Coordinator. Lindsay then tackled the opportunity of being the Community Engagement Manager. In this role she worked closely with patients, survivors, and caregivers within the network. She also fostered new and existing partnerships with organizations that align with CCSN’s mission, vision, and values. She continued to develop her skills in completing HTA patient voice submissions so that Canada’s Drug Agency (CDA) and Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS) continues to consider the patient perspective in the decision-making process. Lindsay has been leading the presentation of the All-party Cancer Caucuses across the country. The skills and knowledge learned during these meetings have helped equip her with new perspectives and ideas on how to support and communicate effectively with decision and policy makers. Throughout the time that Lindsay has been with CCSN she has gained valuable knowledge and experience through each role she has held. She attributes a great amount of her learning to working closely with Jackie Manthorne. She is also grateful to the partnering organizations that she closely works with for being a source of knowledge and guidance.

Executive Director of the Quebec Cancer Coalition and working in the field of patient advocacy since 2008, Eva Villalba is dedicated to improving healthcare systems, particularly for people affected by cancer. Her expertise in health policy and healthcare management, coupled with an MBA and an M.Sc. in Health Transformation, enables her to advocate and lead initiatives that place patients at the centre of healthcare systems. Passionate about value creation, learning health systems, and developing strategic partnerships, she is an internationally recognized expert in value-based healthcare (VBHC) and advocates for co-construction at all levels, for and with patients.

Prof. Vogel is a clinician scientist at the rank of a full professor at the University of Toronto, Canada. He is appointed as the Longo Family Chair in Liver Cancer Research. He is leading a multi-pronged research program in basic and clinical science at the Toronto General Hospital and the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Before joining UNH, he worked as a senior consultant at Hannover Medical School for more than 20 years and continues to hold a research position there.

Prof. Vogel’s scientific focus is on translational and clinical research in gastrointestinal cancer. Since 2004, he has led a translational research group focused on the pathogenesis of hepatobiliary cancers and precision medicine. Arndt Vogel has been a clinical investigator in oncology since 2006 and has served as principal investigator on numerous clinical trials. He is the author or co-author of more than 400 articles published in peer-reviewed journals, including The Lancet, The Lancet Oncology, Cancer Cell, and Gastroenterology, among others, with an H-index of 94.

Prof. Vogel is a member of the ESMO, ASCO, and EASL societies. He is a member and chairman of the Hepatobiliary Cancer Study Group of the AIO, a collaborative group in clinical oncology in Germany. Within ESMO, he is a member of the ESMO Guidelines Steering Committee. He has responsibilities in establishing the national guideline and is the coordinator of the ESMO clinical practice guideline on the management of hepatocellular carcinoma and biliary tract cancer.

Laura Weeks is the Director of Health Technology Assessment, within the Evidence Products and Services Business Unit at Canada's Drug Agency (CDA-AMC), where she oversees a team responsible for the conduct of evidence assessments to support Canada's health system decision makers. She holds a Ph.D. in Community Health and Epidemiology, and has nearly 20 years’ experience in evidence synthesis, health technology assessment and health leadership acquired through her work with CDA-AMC, AHRQ, academia and the Cochrane Collaboration.

Don Wood was a caregiver for his late wife Sherry, who battled Stage 4 metastatic colorectal cancer for 3 years, before losing her battle in early 2020. Don also lost his only brother Ken as a young adult who battled leukemia briefly so he has lived his life with cancer - face to face. Don started volunteering shortly after Sherry’s treatments began as a way to give back, sharing his experiences as a caregiver with lived experience. He has worked across the cancer spectrum since 2018 both on a local and national basis for several health care organizations, hospitals, and charities as well as collaborating with several Universities and patient partner groups.

Jim is a Senior Scientist at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute where he was Director of Research from 2005-2021 and is currently seconded to the Terry Fox Research Institute. His research interests are in understanding the cellular signaling pathways that underly human disease, particularly cancer. He has published over 300 papers and is an active proponent of scientific research. He and his family emigrated to Canada in 1992 from the UK.

Christine was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer 10 years ago. She has been on targeted therapy since her diagnosis and is an active patient research advocate both nationally and internationally.

Christine is part of the Cancer Grand Challenge Advocacy Panel, initiated by Cancer Research UK and NCI in the USA, focusing on patient involvement in cancer research. She also serves on the Trial Selection Board of the German Cancer Research Centre and the ASCO Conquer Cancer Foundation in the USA, reviewing grant applications.

Christine co-developed several grant programs in the Terry Fox Research Institute, the Canadian Cancer Society, and Lung Cancer Canada. She is a patient reviewer for grant applications and is involved in four research teams as a patient partner lead at various Canadian universities.

Winky Yau is the Manager, Medical Affairs at Lung Cancer Canada, joining the team in July 2021. At LCC, she has been a dedicated advocate for patients, leading key initiatives including treatment advocacy, stakeholder relations, public affairs, and research activities for the organization. She is passionate about health promotion, health policy, and reducing barriers & inequities in healthcare accessibility. Winky is currently pursuing a Master of Health Science in Translational Research at the University of Toronto and lives in Markham, ON.

Austin holds a M.Sc. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from UBC, where he worked to develop Pharmacokinetic models which better align with human physiology. In addition to his educational background, Austin also has a strong background in teaching, previously acting as a teacher on call for the Abbotsford School District. Austin has been the Support Services Manager since September 2024, where he blends his backgrounds to assist PCFC in education, awareness and advocacy roles for individuals and support groups across the country. Outside of work, Austin is a firm believer in physical activity, where he plays and sits on the executive board for the Abbotsford Rugby Football Club.