Michael is the Head of Innovation for Hoffmann-La Roche Limited across all of its Canadian divisions, including Roche Pharmaceuticals, Roche Diagnostics, and Roche Diabetes Care. Michael also leads the Roche Innovation Hive – which is the creative space where the future of healthcare is being imagined and co-created between Roche and its external partners. Michael is also a founding board member of the Canadian Personalized Healthcare Innovation Network (CPHIN) which is a not for profit corporation representing a consortium of members from both public and private sectors focused on the acceleration of personalized healthcare for Canada. Michael received his undergraduate degree in Biology and Pharmacology and a Ph.D. in Medical Sciences with a specialization in Neuroscience, both from McMaster University.

Dr. Stephanie Michaud, PhD - President and CEO of BioCanRxDr. Stephanie Michaud is the President and CEO of BioCanRx, a not-for-profit organization that seeks to accelerate the delivery of innovative immunotherapies from the bench to the bedside. In this position, Stephanie is responsible for running all facets of the organization. She brings over 20 years of public, government and private sector experience in research and S&T innovation policy. She strives to create partnerships between government, not-for-profits, academia and industry to maximize the impact of research funded by the BioCanRx network on the lives of those affected by cancer. This includes the creations of new opportunities to include the patient voice as equal partner in the BioCanRx research program. Prior to joining BioCanRx, Stephanie was Deputy Director of the flagship Government of Canada Network Centres of Excellence (NCE) program. She is a strong contributor to S&T policy, most notably in intellectual property. Dr. Michaud earned a PhD in Organic Chemistry from McGill University. She is involved with a number of not-for-profit organizations including as Director of the Board of the StemCell Network and Research Canada.

Dr. Winson Cheung, MD, MPH, FRCPC

A GI medical oncologist, a clinician-scientist, and a cancer health services researcher. From 2010 to 2016, Winson was a clinician-investigator at the BC Cancer Agency in Vancouver. He was recruited to Alberta in 2017. He is currently a Full Professor in the Departments of Oncology, Medicine and Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary where he is also the Chair and Provincial Director of the Health Services Research Program at Cancer Control Alberta. He conducts comparative effectiveness and population-based outcomes studies across all tumor groups. He is also involved in a number of patient-centric, patient-oriented research projects. He has contributed significantly to building capacity and knowledge generation in the area of real world evidence in oncology. In addition, Winson is the Co-Lead of the Health Systems, Services, and Policy research program at the Canadian Centre for Applied Research in Cancer Control and the Chair of the International Cancer Health Outcomes Research Database Consortium. Previously, he served as Leader for the Health Services Research Track at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting. Recently, he founded the Alberta Cancer Outcomes Research Network.

Anne Marie is a global business builder accomplished in growing and transforming healthcare organizations. With more than 25 years of Marketing, Sales and Business development experience in health technology start-ups, global pharmaceuticals, retail healthcare and CPG brand management, she is a champion of innovation, developing and leading healthcare solutions that drive multi-million-dollar revenue gains, “next level” growth and build business value.

Driven by a strong desire to make a difference in the healthcare community, Anne Marie currently owns and operates two separate but integrated businesses.

As President of Elements Strategy Inc., Anne Marie provides services to the healthcare industry where transformation through patient-centric innovation is critical to success. Additionally, she is a Co-Founder of YouAreUNLTD, a purpose driven publishing brand and network, created to inspire powerful, healthy aging.

Educated in business management at Queen’s University, she has continued her education through Queen’s Executive Development programs, the Niagara Centre for Creative Leadership and the Ashridge School of Management in London England.

An active volunteer in the healthcare field, Anne Marie has been a “Health Leader-in- Residence” at the World Health Innovation Network, a “Health Innovator- in- Residence” at the Ivey International Centre for Health Innovation and the Past Chairman of the Council on Drug Abuse.

Ms. Chambers has more than 15 years of experience in Heath Technology Assessment (HTA) for both pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Prior to joining Novartis, Ms. Chambers was the Director of CADTH’s pan Canadian Oncology Review, which conducts HTAs for new oncology drugs. For nearly 10 years, she was a Clinical Epidemiologist for Health Quality Ontario and the Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee (OHTAC), whose mandate is to review medical devices and interventions. Ms. Chambers holds a Masters degree from McMaster University, and a Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree from the University of Waterloo.

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.

Originally from Quebec City, Carl Viel received his bachelor's degree in economics and a corporate governance certificate from Laval University. He also completed training programs in entrepreneurship (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), leadership (NTL Institute) and coaching (Niagara Institute). After nearly 20 years in the private sector, he held managerial positions with various economic organizations, including as vice-president of Montreal International and general manager of Montreal InVivo, prior to joining Quebec International as CEO in 2008.

Dr. Schimmer graduated from medical school at the University of Toronto and completed specialty and subspecialty training in internal medicine in and hematology. He subsequently pursued research training and received his PhD in Molecular Biology in followed by post-doctoral training at the Burnham Institute in San Diego, California,

Dr. Schimmer is the Director of Research, a Senior Scientist and a Staff Physician at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network. Dr. Schimmer is also a Professor in the departments of Medicine, Medical Biophysics, and Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Toronto. He is a Past President of the Canadian Hematology Society.

Dr. Schimmer’s clinical practice is focused on treating patients with acute leukemia and related disorders. His laboratory research focuses on developing new therapeutic strategies for leukemia by targeting dysregulated mitochondrial pathways in leukemia stem cells. Dr. Schimmer is the author of over 260 publications and is an inventor on over 20 patent applications. He has received over 35 awards and honours for academic achievement including election to the American Society of Clinical Investigation, the Bernard and Francine Dorval young investigator award from the Canadian Cancer Society, and Scholar in Clinical Research by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Dr. Henry Conter is solving the impossible problems in healthcare by re-imagining how all types of people can take control of their care and maximize their experience and outcomes. He is a Strategic Health Care Partner at Hoffmann-La Roche Canada, designing patient-focused healthcare solutions that matter to them as Canada’s product owner leading Roche Canada’s evolution into a health solutions company. 3-5x innovation at 50% cost to society? Dr. Conter combines medicine & healthcare finance to improve clinical understanding and certainty, while better understanding cost drivers & gaps to improve individual and health system decision-making. He continues as a practicing medical oncologist/hematologist at William Osler Health System and an adjunct professor at the University of Western Ontario, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.

Prior to joining Roche 1.5 years ago, Dr. Conter has a track record for innovation and excellence in leadership as Medical Director of the Cancer Health System, and Executive Medical Director of Quality, Patient Safety, and Health System integration at Osler. He served as a voting member on the Ontario Steering Committee for Cancer Drugs and a member of the pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review (pCODR) Expert Review Panel and CADTHs national Pharmacare Advisory Panel as the oncology representative. Previously he served on pCODR’s Economic Guidance Panels and Clinical Guidance Panels.

Dr. Conter completed his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Western Ontario in 2007. He graduated from McMaster School of Medicine in 2008. He then went to the University of Alberta where he completed his clinical residency in internal medicine in 2011, and received his MSc in health technology assessment in 2012. He completed his clinical fellowship in medical oncology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston Texas, and a Masters in Finance at the University of Houston in 2013.

When not at work, you can find Henry with his 3 kids (including a newborn), coaching Bhangra dancing and (American) football, or playing Bridge.

Howard Lim is a Medical Oncologist at B.C Cancer - Vancouver Centre and Clinical Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia.  He specializes in gastrointestinal malignancies and is also actively involved in clinical trials, ethics and genomic based research.

Dr. Jack Kitts received his medical degree from the University of Ottawa in 1980. After a 3-year tour of duty as a medical officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, he specialized in anesthesiology and completed a research fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. He joined the Department of Anesthesia at the Ottawa Civic Hospital in 1988, where he served as the director of research and medical director of the preoperative assessment clinic prior to his appointment as Chief of the department and Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa, faculty of medicine.

In 1998, Dr. Kitts was appointed Vice-President of Medical Affairs and led the medical staff during a complex restructuring in which three hospitals and five large programs were merged into The Ottawa Hospital. He completed his master’s degree in business administration in 2001 and was named President and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital in February 2002, a position he held until his retirement on June 26, 2020.

With more than I,000 beds, 12,000 employees and approximately 1,400 physicians, The Ottawa Hospital is recognized as one of the largest and most important research and teaching hospitals in Canada. Its research institute is one of the foremost institutes in Canada, involving more than 1500 scientists, clinical investigators, trainees and staff.

Dr. Kitts’ inclusive team-oriented strategic leadership, passion for delivering quality patient-centered care, and the development and mentoring of emerging healthcare leaders, has been a central, unifying force in establishing and sustaining The Ottawa Hospital’s vision - To provide each patient with the world-class care, exceptional service and compassion that we would want for our loved ones. Dr. Kitts is known nationally for his focus and expertise in patient experience, performance measurement and physician engagement, which make him a sought-after advisor and inspirational speaker on these key topics in healthcare today.

Kam is an impact-driven physician entrepreneur focused on integrating artificial intelligence with system biology as Imagia’s Director of Clinical Strategy & Oncology.

Kam blends his medical degree and technology start-up background to ensure Imagia’s innovation infrastructure translates seamlessly into AI-driven clinical benefits. He oversees all research projects with industry partners and research institutions that leverage the company’s AI platform, EVIDENS™. He focuses on growth strategy and product development, combining AI and digital therapeutics.

A former cancer immunology researcher, Kam’s work focused on immuno-modulation and development of targeted immunotherapies, where he spent five years at UCLA in the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Dr. Laszlo Radvanyi is the President & Scientific Director of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR; https://oicr.on.ca/), bringing over 30 years of oncology research background in academia and leadership experience in international pharma and biotech. He is also a Professor in the Immunology Department at the University of Toronto where he performs research on the interaction of the immune system with tumour cells during the initial stages of cancer development to find targets for early intervention. Laszlo joined OICR from EMD Serono (Merck KGaA), where he was Senior Vice President Global Head of the Immuno-Oncology Translational Innovation Platform and Senior Scientific Advisor for Immunology and Immunotherapy. Prior to this, Laszlo was a Professor in the Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology at the University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston for 10 years where he ran an integrated clinical and basic cancer immunotherapy research program focusing on adoptive cell therapy. He was instrumental in launching a pioneering company commercializing cell therapies for melanoma and other cancers, Iovance Therapeutics. Laszlo is a sought-after expert in cancer biology and immunotherapy and a thought leader in the field of oncology research strategy. 

Dr. Roxana Alexa joined Health Canada in 2007, and for the past 9 years, she has managed diverse clinical review teams in the Office of Clinical Trials, Therapeutic Products Directorate. She oversees the activities related to the review and authorization of clinical trial applications across a broad range of therapeutic areas, including for oncology drugs.

She has been involved in multiple projects contributing to improvements of internal processes, the development of Canadian regulatory guidance documents, providing input into wide-ranging matters in relation to the life-cycle regulatory approach, and the legislative renewal concerning Canadian Clinical Trials Modernization.  

She is a member of the ICH E20 working group, working in close collaboration with a colleague from the Biologic and Radiopharmaceutical Drugs Directorate (BRDD) and other ICH members on the development of a new guideline on “Adaptive Clinical Trials”.

Dr. Alexa keeps abreast of the emerging trends and challenges with conducting clinical trials for oncology drug development that use innovative design methods via inter-regulatory agency collaboration, participating in various information sharing sessions, and workshops organized by the US FDA and other international regulatory agencies.

Dr. Shanil Ebrahim is a Partner and the Life Sciences & Health Care Artificial Intelligence (AI) Leader at Deloitte Canada. Shanil has strong expertise in AI, data analytics and analytics strategy, and has worked internationally with public and private health sector organizations in delivering large complex engagements. Shanil has strong expertise in various healthcare sectors (including hospitals, government authorities, retail pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies), has worked globally with clients to develop outcomes-oriented models and patient-centric strategies, and has supported engagements that require large-scale implementations including patient support program platforms, AI-enabled automations, fraud detection tools, and health system capacity decision support solutions.

Dr. Choudhri is the Senior Vice President and Head of Medical and Scientific Affairs (M&SA) for Bayer Inc. Before assuming his current role, Dr. Choudhri was a Global Clinical Leader, Anti-Infectives with Bayer Global Clinical Development. Prior to joining Bayer, Dr. Choudhri was an assistant professor in the Departments of Medical Microbiology and Internal Medicine at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. He was also the director of the AIDS program at the St. Boniface General Hospital in Winnipeg; and the Manitoba satellite director for the Canadian HIV Clinical Trials Network. Dr. Choudhri obtained his MD from the University of Manitoba and also did his specialty training in internal medicine and sub-specialty training in infectious diseases in Manitoba. Following completion of his training, he completed a senior research fellowship in Nairobi, Kenya. In 1996, he was awarded the Young Investigator Award by the Canadian Association of HIV Researchers. Dr. Choudhri has authored or co-authored over 100 scientific abstracts and over 45 publications in peer reviewed journals. He is a passionate advocate for mobile and digital Health and for promoting Canada as a destination for clinical research.

Dr. Winson Cheung, MD, MPH, FRCPC

A GI medical oncologist, a clinician-scientist, and a cancer health services researcher. From 2010 to 2016, Winson was a clinician-investigator at the BC Cancer Agency in Vancouver. He was recruited to Alberta in 2017. He is currently a Full Professor in the Departments of Oncology, Medicine and Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary where he is also the Chair and Provincial Director of the Health Services Research Program at Cancer Control Alberta. He conducts comparative effectiveness and population-based outcomes studies across all tumor groups. He is also involved in a number of patient-centric, patient-oriented research projects. He has contributed significantly to building capacity and knowledge generation in the area of real world evidence in oncology. In addition, Winson is the Co-Lead of the Health Systems, Services, and Policy research program at the Canadian Centre for Applied Research in Cancer Control and the Chair of the International Cancer Health Outcomes Research Database Consortium. Previously, he served as Leader for the Health Services Research Track at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting. Recently, he founded the Alberta Cancer Outcomes Research Network.

From June 2009 to February 2012, Greg was SVP for Worldwide Policy and Patient Engagement at Pfizer and headed their Worldwide Policy group. He led a global team of professionals in:
1) worldwide government policy,
2) science policy,
3) economic policy and research, and
4) international policy.
He advised the CEO on the company’s efforts in contributing to and supporting the Affordable Care Act. He focused on engaging patients more productively in research and clinical trials and on helping Pfizer develop policies, practices, and medical solutions to improve health, happiness, and productivity.

The journal Nature Medicine named Greg one of “Ten People to Watch" in health care policy, noting that he was among "a handful of influential people who quietly keep the wheels of biomedical science turning." In 2010 he received the Genetic Alliance’s “Art of Advocacy” award. In May 2011 Greg was invited to be the second lecturer in the Constantin Spiegelfeld Lecture series of the Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. He is a regular presenter at the Milken Institute Global Conference, the OECD, the Washington Campus (a nonprofit educational institution in Washington, D.C.) and at health conferences and academic institutions around the country.

In 1994, Greg was invited by William Gates, Sr. to be the inaugural speaker in the Shidler, McBroom, and Lucas & Gates Lectureship in Law and Technology at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he spoke on the relationship of digital and genetic information technologies.

In 2004, Greg received the Sharon Nelson Achievement Award from the Shidler Center for Law, Commerce and Technology at the University of Washington in Seattle. In 2000, Greg was invited by the State Department under its expert program to visit government officials and citizens groups throughout the European Union to discuss the development of biotechnology regulation in the United States. In 1989 Greg won a fellowship to visit European Community Commission offices and government officials in London, Rome and Madrid to discuss biotechnology.

His many invited international presentations include addresses to:
• the Convergencia Democratica de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain on “Global Neighborhood: The Role of Local Culture in the Information Society;”
• the Shobi World Forum in Tokyo, Japan regarding “The Social and Cultural Implications of the Internet;”
• the Schwarzenbergplatz Forum in Vienna, Austria at the 3rd annual Viennese Congress for Culture on the topic of “Education, Culture and Labor in the Multimedia-Society;”
as well as addresses to the prestigious Council for the United States and Italy in Turin, Italy, the Alpbach Technology Forum in Alpbach, Austria, and the Salzburg Seminar in Salzburg, Austria, where he chaired the faculty for a week-long seminar on the Social and Political Implications of the Internet.

He received his law degree from the University of Washington in 1983 where he was a member of the Law Review and the Moot Court. He has a B.A. in history from the University of Arkansas and studied at the Institute for European Studies at the University of Vienna, Austria.

Jennifer Chan is Vice President, Policy and Government Affairs, at Merck Canada Inc. and is responsible for the company’s team of government relations and public affairs specialists.

Prior to this role, she held the position of Vice President, Policy and Communications at Merck Canada since December 2011. A native of Montreal, Jennifer began her career in academic research before joining Schering-Plough in 1993 as a Clinical Research Associate.

Jennifer is a member of the Board of Directors of the Quebec Consortium for Drug Discovery and the Montreal Chamber of Commerce. She has served as a Merck for Mothers ambassador in Canada since the program was launched in 2011.

Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Science degree in physiology and a Master of Science degree in pharmacology and therapeutics, both from McGill University in Montreal.

Jim Woodgett was appointed as the President and Scientific Director of the Terry Fox Research Institute in August, 2021. From 2015-2021 he was Director of Research at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital, where he currently maintains a research lab.  His interests are in signaling pathways abrogated in cancers and neurodegenerative conditions.  

Karimah Es Sabar is a highly-recognized Canadian life sciences leader with global experience and a successful career spanning multi-national pharmaceutical/biotechnology companies, startups, not-for-profit organizations and venture investment firms. She has provided leadership in marketing, business development, strategic and global alliances, public private partnerships, translation strategies and execution, innovation ecosystems, entrepreneurship in startups, and in bioscience investments. Ms. Es Sabar is the founding CEO & Partner at Quark Venture LP, a global venture capital firm, and Director of the Global Health Sciences [GHS] Fund focused on bioscience investment in therapeutics, vaccines, medical devices, digital health, AI and convergent disruptive technology companies. Prior to joining Quark Venture, Ms. Es Sabar was CEO & President of the Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD]; CEO & President of LifeSciences BC; and she has held several senior management positions in the biopharmaceutical industry, most notably at Sanofi Pasteur. She also co-founded and enabled several startup companies. Ms. Es Sabar has received multiple awards and recognitions for her leadership and pioneering work, including Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award. She holds an Executive Certificate in Management and Leadership from the MIT Sloan School of Management; a MSc degree in Neurochemistry from the Institute of Psychiatry, University of London, England; and a BSc Joint Honours degree in Biochemistry/Chemistry from the University of Salford in Manchester, England. Ms. Es Sabar has served on numerous boards, currently she is Board Chair of TRIUMF Innovations and Glyconet, and serves on boards of V Wave, PHEMI, ARTMS, Canary Medical and Capricor. Since 2017 she is Chair of the Health/Biosciences Economic Strategy Table (Government of Canada) and Member of the Industry Strategy Council (Government of Canada).

Michael is the Head of Innovation for Hoffmann-La Roche Limited across all of its Canadian divisions, including Roche Pharmaceuticals, Roche Diagnostics, and Roche Diabetes Care. Michael also leads the Roche Innovation Hive – which is the creative space where the future of healthcare is being imagined and co-created between Roche and its external partners. Michael is also a founding board member of the Canadian Personalized Healthcare Innovation Network (CPHIN) which is a not for profit corporation representing a consortium of members from both public and private sectors focused on the acceleration of personalized healthcare for Canada. Michael received his undergraduate degree in Biology and Pharmacology and a Ph.D. in Medical Sciences with a specialization in Neuroscience, both from McMaster University.

Directeur engagement public et patient, CATALIS-Recherche clinique Québec
Fort de plus de dix ans d’expérience professionnelle dans la direction générale et opérationnelle d’organisations en santé, Olivier Jérôme, a piloté diverses missions toutes centrées sur le patient et les proches-aidants. Gestionnaire aguerri en développement organisationnel et opérationnalisation de programmes en santé, Olivier aura participé activement à la création, à la réorganisation et à la croissance des unités sous sa direction dans les secteurs de la médecine de la reproduction, de l’obstétrique, de l’oncologie, et des maladies rares. Olivier possède également une forte connaissance de l’environnement politique et des affaires gouvernementales en santé aux niveaux fédéral et provincial, expertise qu’il aura mis au profit des patients et proches-aidants afin de faciliter et accélérer l’accès aux traitements novateurs en santé. C’est avec engouement et passion pour la recherche et l’accès à l’innovation en santé qu’Olivier s’est joint à l’équipe de CATALIS-Recherche clinique Québec à la Direction de l’engagement public et patient et ainsi contribuer au succès la mission CATALIS : Optimiser l’environnement de la recherche clinique au Québec afin d’accélérer le développement de soins novateurs pour les patients et maximiser les investissements privés.

Patrick Sullivan is a passionate childhood cancer advocate, and past Chair of the Board of Childhood Cancer Canada and one of the founders of the Team Finn Foundation.

Patrick became an advocate after his twin son Finn was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma in 2007 and heard the word “incurable” for the first time in May 2008. His desire to make a change in cancer research is in part an effort to pay an un-payable debt to his son Finn and to Change the Stories of other Finn’s.

Patrick participates in several national and international initiatives that include one of the founders of Ac2orn (Advocacy for Canadian Children Oncology Research Network), a director of the CCRA, member of the executive of the Terry Fox Research Profyle initiative, member of the AACR Pediatric Cancer Working Group and Chair of the St. Baldrick’s/Stand-Up to Cancer Immunogenomics Advocates Dream Team.

By profession, Patrick is a securities and corporate-commercial litigator practicing at Whitelaw Twining.

Patrick is the proud father of three remarkable children, Baird, Sarah and Finn and would do almost anything for the simple pleasure of holding Finn’s hand again.

Richard Fajzel joined Exactis in 2015 as Vice President Business Development, to share his pharmaceutical experience in oncology with the team. Richard is a visionary executive with 27 years of pharmaceutical experience, 15 years in a senior executive role including over 5 years as General Manager of the oncology business unit at Pfizer Canada. Richard’s experience covers specialty pharmaceutical businesses, establishing business units, account management and managing cross-functional teams. Richard has been Chairman of the Board of CQDM since 2016 (Consortium québécois sur la découverte du médicament).

Dr. Stephanie Michaud, PhD - President and CEO of BioCanRxDr. Stephanie Michaud is the President and CEO of BioCanRx, a not-for-profit organization that seeks to accelerate the delivery of innovative immunotherapies from the bench to the bedside. In this position, Stephanie is responsible for running all facets of the organization. She brings over 20 years of public, government and private sector experience in research and S&T innovation policy. She strives to create partnerships between government, not-for-profits, academia and industry to maximize the impact of research funded by the BioCanRx network on the lives of those affected by cancer. This includes the creations of new opportunities to include the patient voice as an equal partner in the BioCanRx research program. Prior to joining BioCanRx, Stephanie was Deputy Director of the flagship Government of Canada Network Centres of Excellence (NCE) program. She is a strong contributor to S&T policy, most notably in intellectual property. Dr. Michaud earned a PhD in Organic Chemistry from McGill University. She is involved with a number of not-for-profit organizations including as Director of the Board of the StemCell Network and Research Canada.

Susan Marlin is the President and CEO of Clinical Trials Ontario (CTO), an organization established by the Province of Ontario to make Ontario a preferred location for clinical trials while maintaining the highest ethical standards. Prior to joining CTO she served as the Associate Vice-Principal at Queen’s University. Susan worked with the National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group for many years, coordinating cancer clinical trials and leading the development of the Ethics and Regulatory Office.

Susan served as President of the Canadian Association of Research Ethics Boards, and as a member of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Research Integrity Committee, the Ontario Cancer Research Ethics Board, the Tri-Agency Panel on the Responsible Conduct of Research, and the Ontario Government Life Sciences Working Group. She is currently a member of the Life Sciences Ontario Board of Directors and the Management Team for the Ontario SPOR (Strategy for Patient Oriented Research) Support Unit.

Susan was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She holds a BSc (Hons) from Dalhousie University, and an MSc in Community Health and Epidemiology from Queen’s University. She was awarded the Queen’s Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal in 2012 in recognition of her work in support of military and veterans health research.

Victoria L. Lemieux is Lead of the Blockchain Research Cluster (Blockchain@UBC) at the University of British Columbia and an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia School of Information. She is also a Sauder School of Business Distinguished Scholar and a Faculty Associate of the Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems at UBC. Dr. Lemieux also serves as Chief Information Security and Privacy Officer for the AI-driven personalized healthcare company, Molecular You, and is currently working with the company to further develop a blockchain-based Personal Digital Health Wallet. Between 2014-2016, Dr. Lemieux worked with the World Bank on transparency and information management to support economic and social development, leading various big data analytics projects. Dr. Lemieux's research interests include risk to the availability of trustworthy records through an archival science theoretic lens, in particular in blockchain record keeping systems, and how these risks impact upon cybersecurity, transparency, financial stability, public accountability and human rights. She has won several awards for her research and professional contributions, including a 2015 World Bank Big Data Innovation Award, receiving a 2020 Blockchain Ecosystem Leadership Award at Blockchain Global Revolution Awards and being recognized as one of Canada's Top 20 Women in Cyber Security in 2020 by IT World. Her latest publication is “Building Decentralized Trust: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on the Design of Blockchains and Distributed Ledgers” (Springer, 2021).

Neil Palmer is a pharmaceutical industry consultant with more that 30 years of pharmaceutical pricing and market access experience. He is a Senior Strategic Adviser with PDCI Market Access (PDCI), Canada’s leading pricing and reimbursement consultancy that he co-founded in 1996.  PDCI was acquired by McKesson Canada in December 2020 and Neil continues to provide strategic advice and expertise on health technology assessment (HTA), pricing and market access for pharmaceuticals and biotechnologies.  From 2016-19 he was an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy graduate program in Health Care Decision Analysis where he lectured on HTA, pricing and market access from a global perspective.

Prior to PDCI, Neil worked with the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) where his responsibilities included policy development, overseeing the price review of patented medicines and conducting economic research. Prior to the PMPRB, he worked with the Health Division of Statistics Canada where he was responsible for economic and statistical analysis of health care costs and utilization.

After completing his studies at the University of Western Ontario, Neil began his career in Montreal with the research group of the Kellogg Centre for Advanced Studies in Primary Care. He has written extensively on pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement issues and is a frequent speaker at conferences in North America and Europe.