Ali Ellis is a registered dietitian at InspireHealth Supportive Cancer Care. She grew up in Victoria where she gained a diverse background in geography, kinesiology and health promotion research before pursuing her passion of dietetics. She weaves together her experiences to help inform her approach to health and work as a dietitian. Ali strongly believes that all pillars of health and well-being are interconnected and is incredibly passionate towards the role nutrition plays in supporting one’s health and well-being. In her free time, you can find Ali out hiking with her dog Rogue, getting in a round of golf, or experimenting in the kitchen with new cookie recipes.

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.

Both her master’s degree study and Doctoral research were in the area of palliative care, and more specifically focused on the family dynamics at the end of life.  She has worked with the Psychosocial Oncology Program at the McGill University Health Centre (2007-2019), working with patients and families dealing with illness, life transitions, family trauma, loss and grief, role changes, distress, anxiety, and depression. She also worked as a consultant for the Ometz counselling department working with children, adolescents, couples, and families. Additionally, she was a Clinical Nurse Specialist in medicine and oncology (2000-2006) at the Jewish General Hospital and currently works there as a Nurse Care Counsellor and Couple and Family therapist in the department of Psychiatry. She is the Director of Education and Knowledge Exchange at the Teresa Dellar Palliative Care Residence and has a private practice as a psychotherapist where she sees and support individuals, couples and families.

Dr. Joanna Gotfrit is a Medical Oncologist at The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre and an Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa. She specializes in Gastro-Intestinal and Head & Neck cancers. She received her MD from McMaster University and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology at the University of Ottawa, followed by a fellowship in Gastro-Intestinal Oncology, and a Master’s of Health Management at McMaster University. Her research focus is in health systems and health policy. She is actively involved in health policy as a representative for the Ontario Medical Association and is also involved in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education. 

Jonathan Loree is a medical oncologist at BC Cancer who treats cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, and is an Assistant professor at the University of British Columbia. He completed a medical oncology fellowship at BC Cancer before undertaking a translational research fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center where he completed a Master’s of Science before returning to British Columbia where he now practices. His research interests are focused on biomarker development, genomics, and liquid biopsies to guide therapy selection.

Born and raised in Montreal, Gordon practiced commercial law for over 25 years. In November 2014, at age 48, Gordon was diagnosed with Stage III colon cancer. Over the next several years, despite several surgeries, various lines of chemotherapy and a clinical trial, the cancer, now Stage IV, had metastasized to the abdomen, liver, lung, and bone. Having exhausted his available treatment options in Montreal, Gordon sought a second opinion at UCSD Moores Cancer Center in San Diego. Next generation genetic sequencing suggested that Gordon might respond to treatment with a combination of the immunotherapies nivolumab (Opdivo®) and ipilimumab (Yervoy®). After three rounds of treatment, a CT scan showed substantial reduction in the cancer. As a result of the immunotherapy combination, Gordon was able to reduce his pain medication and live an active life again. Treatment ended in the summer of 2020, having resulted in the eradication of all of the cancer save for a resistant area in the sigmoid colon. In the spring of 2021, Gordon underwent surgery to remove the remaining disease and create a permanent ostomy. After responding to the immunotherapy treatment, Gordon became active in patient advocacy, including participation in conferences and webinars for Cancer Research Institute (CRI), the Immunotherapy Foundation and Colorectal Cancer Canada. Gordon also provides support on an individual basis for many cancer patients seeking effective treatment for their cancers.

Jason Abramovitch is an early age onset stage 3b colon cancer survivor who received his diagnosis and underwent treatments in Ottawa Ontario, amidst the COVID 19 pandemic. Jay lives with his wife: Leslie and their daughter: Kira, in rural Ontario where he works as a first responder. Jay has recently become an active advocate for men and male caregivers experiencing cancer, through the organization “Man up to Cancer”: an online community providing emotional support and resources. Jay is a year into NED and his main goal is to show others they are not alone in their journey.

As a highly experienced coach and therapist, Jesse has spent over 15 years helping his patients achieve their health and fitness goals. With a focus on breast and thyroid cancer conditioning and rehabilitation, Jesse brings a unique combination of high-performance therapy and cancer expertise to his work. Throughout his career, he has achieved numerous accomplishments, including serving as head therapist at the National Circus School and keeping artists healthy for Cirque du Soleil's Amaluna. Driven by his passion for improving cancer patients' quality of life, Jesse is currently pursuing a master's degree in Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema at Concordia University's Health, Kinesiology and Applied Physiology department. With his vast knowledge and dedication to his patients, Jesse is a trusted and accomplished athletic therapist who helps his clients achieve their health goals and overcome their challenges with compassion and expertise.

Jocelyn Laidlaw is the anchor of Calgary’s CTV News at Noon and 5pm. A journalist since 1994, Jocelyn has been a reporter, producer and anchor. Over the years she has covered high profile criminal cases and trials, including the case of serial killer Robert Pickton, as well as the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Canadian Tour, the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the Juno Awards, the 2013 Calgary flood and countless local stories. She has interviewed celebrities, politicians, community leaders and many regular Canadians who have shared their stories and perspectives. In September 2022, Jocelyn was diagnosed with Stage 3a colorectal cancer. She underwent 6 weeks of radiation and chemotherapy and continues to recover. She has become an advocate for colorectal cancer awareness, sharing her journey publicly through social media and interviews across the country. Jocelyn and her husband share a 13-year old son, who keeps them on their toes. They love skiing, travelling, kayaking and reading

Kathryn White is the owner of Kathryn White Wellness. She is a Cancer Coach who supports women living with a cancer diagnosis, or who are healing after cancer. Before becoming a Certified Holistic Cancer Coach, Kathryn was an elementary school teacher for almost 20 years. In 2015 Kathryn was diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon Cancer. This led to her leaving teaching permanently to regain her health and rediscover herself and what she wanted from her new lease on life. As a Stage 4 Colon Cancer survivor, Kathryn is deeply passionate about health and wellness. After completing treatment and getting her health back, Kathryn dug deep into the roots of colon cancer to learn more about how to prevent it and how to live healthier. Never far from her original calling as a teacher, Kathryn successfully completed a certification as a Culinary Nutrition Educator, which led her to launch her own business running workshops and personalized nutrition planning for people wanting to change their own lives and prevent disease. The next step in her personal road to health and healing was to become a 500 hour registered yoga teacher with a focus on trauma informed yoga, restorative yoga, and meditation and mindfulness. As a continuation of her desire to educate others about healthy lifestyles and cancer prevention, Kathryn earned her certification as a Holistic Cancer Coach in 2021. Since then she has gone on to support numerous cancer survivors in their personal walk with cancer through her one to one cancer support coaching program and her group coaching program. Further to that, Kathryn started a podcast, Living to Thrive, which she retired at the end of 2021, and reinvented as the Living to Thrive with Cancer Podcast in March of 2022. Kathryn is active in the Royal Canadian Air Cadet Program as the Commanding Officer of the 741 Elgin Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron in St. Thomas, Ontario. In her off time, Kathryn enjoys reading, hiking, camping, and spending time with her husband John and her two adult children Jackson and Joshua.

Leo J. Deveau is a former public librarian, now author, freelance researcher, newspaper columnist, commentator and speaker based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His most recent book is Fideliter The Regimental History of the Princess Louise Fusiliers – featuring one of the oldest militia units in Canada. He also author of 400 Years in 356 Days A Day by Day Calendar of Nova Scotia History. Leo is a contributor to the Canadian Encyclopedia (online), and besides his freelance work, he is currently conducting research on Canadian war correspondents during the Second World War for a planned television series. He is a member of the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia, the Creative Nonfiction Collective (CNFC), the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society, the Genealogical Society of Nova Scotia, the Royal United Services Institute (Nova Scotia branch) and is past-chair of the Halifax Military Heritage Preservation Society (hmhps.ca).

Having worked in pharmacy settings since her mid-teens, Maria Marchese has practised for over eight years as a clinical pharmacist. She obtained her PharmD from the University of Toronto in 2015 and completed a general hospital residency at Kingston General Hospital in 2016. She has experience in a variety of settings including surgery, long term care, and acute malignant hematology before dedicating her practice to outpatient oncology in 2019. She then completed a Masters of Science in Pharmacy in 2021 and continues to engage in research with her colleagues at the Odette Cancer Centre at Sunnybrook in Toronto, Ontario.

Trained as a biophysicist, I have been in both academic and medical research environments and involved in performing the research as well as communicating the outcome with the general public. Currently, I am Research Development Advisor at Concordia University and also an activist and volunteer with patient communities and advocacy organizations for patient Education and knowledge transfer before, during and after joining clinical trials. As a daughter, who has lost her mom in this battle, I feel committed to help deliver impactful research and translate the breakthrough scientific discoveries into new/better treatment and early detection screening approaches.

 Michael is the Senior Program Advisor, Sustainability and International Mint Liaison at the Royal Canadian Mint.  Before joining the Mint, Michael worked in the forest products industry in BC and Gatineau, Quebec. He is a professional engineer and graduate of McGill University.  He completed graduate studies at UBC in Vancouver and the MBA program at the University of Ottawa.

Michael is an avid Ottawa Senators fan and is proud to have completed 9 marathons.  He enjoys swimming, biking, time with the family, winter hikes and warm sunny days on the dock by the lake at the cottage.

In April 2021 and only weeks prior to his 50th birthday, a colonoscopy revealed a large tumour in his sigmoid colon. Within a matter of days, surgeons developed an action plan and removed the cancer and affected lymph nodes.  Due to the stage 3B diagnosis, he followed his oncologist recommendation of 6-months of chemotherapy (FOLFOX6).  Michael was supported by a Cancer Coach as well as the Ottawa Colon Cancer Support Group - both extremely helpful resources for anybody recently diagnosed with colorectal cancer. 

He is happy to report that he is back to running, swimming, and working, but also finding way of giving back by sharing his cancer journey, the importance of screening, and highlighting the incredible support available to those affected by the disease.

 

With a background in Social Work, Randy has dedicated most of his career in the employee health and wellness industry and most recently in suicide prevention. Since his stage 4 cancer diagnosis in March 2020, he has also volunteered much of his time in fundraising efforts for cancer in Alberta and participates on a number of committees dedicated to research into new treatments and clinical trials for cancer.

 A husband and father of three, Randy has been sharing his cancer journey openly with his family, as well as friends through social media. He believes sharing his experiences will help others better understand the issues around cancer and the importance of advocating for yourself as a patient, to help maximize your potential for success.

Robin was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer at the age of 51 in April 2021 and even though she is currently showing no evidence of disease post adjuvant treatment that same year, she is living with the physical, emotional and spiritual fallout of continued side effects post-treatment. Robin also experienced a three year delay in diagnosis despite ER visits with demonstrated symptoms of colon cancer, due to anxiety disorder bias and the COVID-19 pandemic FIT screening program pause. While Robin always strives to remain future-positive, her experiences of not feeling heard and slipping through the cracks continued throughout her treatment. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy has been helpful, but Robin finds it difficult to balance the use of the CBT tools acquired throughout her life with the anger, anxiety, grief and fear that have accompanied her diagnosis, along with the inability to self-advocate, even though she is an intelligent, well-spoken, professional woman. Even writing this short bio has been very triggering, but Robin is very honoured to have been chosen to speak at this conference and looks forward to sharing more about her experiences in the hopes that her story will help others like her.