Dr. Shantanu Banerji, BSc(Med), MD, FRCPC; Medical Oncologist, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site; Senior Scientist, Research Institute in Haematology and Oncology, CancerCare Manitoba; Director, Precision Oncology and Advanced Therapeutics, CancerCare Manitoba; Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/ Oncology, University of Manitoba

Dr. Banerji is a Medical Oncologist at CancerCare Manitoba with a practice focused on lung cancer and sarcoma. He is also the Director of Precision Oncology and Advanced Therapeutics where he guides the strategy to implement companion diagnostics for cancer care. His laboratory at the Paul Albrechtsen Research Institute is focused on the application of Comprehensive Genomic Profiling to guide the cancer discovery and treatment.

Ms. Louise Binder, B.A., LL.B, LL.D (hon ), O.Ont. Health Advocate and Health Policy Consultant, CONECTed - Save Your Skin Foundation

Louise Binder is a lawyer and health policy advocate involved in informing the development of health policy and systemic treatment access practices from a patient perspective for more than 25 years. She started her work in the HIV community in the 1990s after her own diagnosis and before effective treatments were available for HIV. She cofounded the Canadian Treatment Action Council (CTAC) in 1996, that successfully ensured access to treatments and quality care for people living with HIV by working with the federal and provincial governments and other relevant stakeholders to enhance drug review and approval systems, pricing policies and access to liver transplants.

She wrote a Paper on Universal Drug Coverage over a decade ago while Chair of CTAC. She had a special interest in women's issues, chairing the Ontario women's HIV organization Voice of Positive Women for over a decade and working internationally as well. Six years ago Louise began similar work in oncology and is presently Health Policy Consultant for the Save Your Skin Foundation. She has been recognized for her work, receiving an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from her alma mater Queen's Law School, the Order of Ontario from the province of Ontario and two Queen Elizabeth II medals.

Dr. Yvonne Bombard, PhD; Canada Research Chair in Genomics Health Services and Policy; Associate Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto; Director, Genomics Health Services Research Program & Scientist, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto; Co-Founder & CEO, Genetics Adviser

Dr. Yvonne Bombard is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Genomics Health Services at the University of Toronto. As a Scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, she directs the Genomics Health Services Research Program. Her work evaluates the impact of genomic technologies on patients and healthcare systems, develops digital tools for genomic medicine, and engages patients in health technology assessment. Dr. Bombard is actively involved in international policy advisory committees and serves on the boards of the American Society of Human Genetics, CIHR Institute of Genetics, and Exactis. She has received numerous awards, including a CIHR Foundation grant, 'Rising Star' awards from CADTH, CIHR and the Canadian Cancer Society for her research and policy impact, for which she has been inducted into the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars.

Dr. Michael Carter, MD PhD FRCPC; Medical Director, Molecular Diagnostics, Nova Scotia Health; Medical Director of Research, Division of Anatomical Pathology; Co-Chair, Molecular Oncology Diagnostic Testing Provincial Stewardship Committee for Nova Scotia Health

Dr. Carter completed medical school at the University of Toronto, followed by residency training in Anatomical Pathology at Dalhousie University and a 1-year fellowship in Molecular Genetic Pathology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI. He began as an Anatomical and Molecular Pathologist at NSH Central Zone and Assistant Professor of Pathology at Dalhousie University in 2018 and, in July 2021, was appointed Medical Director of Molecular Diagnostics at NSH. He is also Medical Director of Research, Division of Anatomical Pathology, and co-chair of the Molecular Oncology Diagnostic Testing Provincial Stewardship Committee for NSH.

Ms. Brenda Clayton, MN; Founder, Cholangio-Hepatocellular Carcinoma Canada

Brenda was the primary caregiver for her daughter, Rebecca, who passed away from cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). She was diagnosed in June 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic and died June 30, 2021. It was Rebecca’s wish to carry on her fight against cholangiocarcinoma. Brenda and her family formed the Cholangio-Hepatocellular Carcinoma Canada charity to both honour Rebecca and carry out her wishes. Brenda is a retired Registered Nurse.

Maura Cosgrave, Paediatric Cancer Patient Advocate

Maura became a pediatric cancer advocate when her daughter was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of one. She is now a mom of three and is passionate about bringing novel therapies and innovation to Canadian pediatric cancer patients. Maura is a Chartered Professional Accountant and prior to becoming a caregiver to her three children, she was a partner with a large Canadian professional services firm.

Dr. Mary De Vera, B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D.; Epidemiologist, Associate Professor, UBC; Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Health Outcomes and Treatment Adherence

Dr. De Vera is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Associate Dean in the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at UBC. She holds a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Health Outcomes and Treatment Adherence. She holds a Bachelors degree in Biochemistry and Masters and Doctoral degrees in Health Care and Epidemiology. An epidemiologist and health services researcher her research program spans pragmatic studies in real-world settings and population-based studies using administrative databases to study patient experiences with disease and treatments, particularly in rheumatology and oncology. She brings the patient perspective to her research with her lived experiences of early-age onset colorectal cancer, which she shares on her Instagram, @mary.fullofgrace. She is a proud member of CCRAN’s Medical & Scientific Advisory Board.

Dr. Shaan Dudani, MBChB, MPH, FRCPC; Medical Oncologist, William Osler Health System; Assistant Professor, University of Toronto

Dr. Shaan Dudani is a Medical Oncologist at the William Osler Health System and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He treats patients with genitourinary and gastrointestinal malignancies and is the GI oncology site lead at William Osler. He completed medical school at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom followed by Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology residencies at the University of Ottawa. He subsequently pursued a clinical and research fellowship in genitourinary oncology at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre and University of Calgary and completed a Master’s in Public Health from Harvard University.

Mrs. Martine Elias, Executive Director, Myeloma Canada

Martine Elias is the Executive Director 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 serving in this role since June 2018.

In addition, Martine is the Co-Chair of the Collective Oncology Network for Exchange, Cancer Care Innovation, Treatment Access and Education (CONECTed), a Canadian network of patient groups working to promote greater education and understanding of cancer therapies to ensure that Canadians have equal, timely and equitable access to these therapies, companion diagnostics, and supportive care.

She is also a member of the founding steering committee of the Patient-Centered Approach to Clinical Trials (PACT) that works to ensure and support the realization of active and equal patient and patient group engagement in cancer clinical trials. In recent years, Martine has been a strong advocate for the use of Real-World Evidence and evidence-based generation research and methodologies to answer uncertain questions when difficult decisions are made of give access to meaningful therapies that demonstrate promising results with only phase II data. She believes the patient voice must be at the table as this evolving data evidence is being shaped.

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 where she is a member of their International Advocacy Committee and their Governance Committee. She also serves to represent Canada on the Myeloma Patient Europe Community Advisory Board (CAB) 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.

Dr. Cathy Eng, MD, FACP, FASCO; Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN; David H. Johnson Chair in Surgical and Medical Oncology; Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Oncology; Director for Strategic Relations; Co-Director, GI Oncology; Co-Leader, Gastrointestinal Cancer Research Program; Director, Young Adult Cancers Program; Co-Chair, NCI Gastrointestinal Steering Committee

Cathy Eng, MD, FACP, FASCO, Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Oncology, is the David H. Johnson Endowed Chair of Surgical and Medical Oncology, Co-Director of GI Oncology and the Co-Leader of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Research Program, Director of Strategic Relations, and the Director of the Young Adults Cancers Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. She served as the Ambassador for the American Cancer Society ResearcHERS campaign in Nashville (2020-2022). She currently sits on the Board of Directors for the national patient advocacy group, Fight Colorectal Cancer. She is a highly sought mentor and served on the Vanderbilt-Ingram Mentorship Council and is currently a mentor on the T-32 grant and serves as a Professional Development Mentor. She served as the Director of the Developmental Research Program for the GI SPORE.

She continues to assume leadership positions devoted to development of phase I-III clinical trials using novel therapeutics for biomarker discovery and enhanced drug utilization in colorectal, appendiceal and anal cancer. She was awarded the VUMC Biomedical Scientific Impact Award in 2023.

Nationally, Dr. Eng has also been highly active serving on ASCO, ECOG, and SWOG. She has served as the co-chair of the SWOG Rectal/Anal Cancer Subcommittee, the Vice-Chair for the SWOG GI Committee, Chairman of the NCI Rectal/Anal Task Force, served on the NCI GI Steering Committee, and is currently the co-Chair of the NCI GI Steering Committee. She was also chosen as a Fellow of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM), Class of 2022.

She has published in many peer-reviewed journals including Journal of Clinical Oncology, Lancet, Lancet Oncology, Nature Review, JNCI, New England Journal of Medicine, Annals of Oncology, Cancer, and Annals of Surgical Oncology. She has served as a consultant to the FDA and AHRQ, Cancer Research UK: Training & Career Development Board - Clinician Scientist Fellowship, the Italian Association for Cancer Research, the Dutch Digestive Foundation, the Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C) - Farrah Fawcett Foundation Joint Scientific Advisory Committee (JSAC) and the SWOG Impact Award.

Dr. Harriet Feilotter, PhD, FCCMG; Division Head, Genome Diagnostics, Laboratory Medicine Program, University Health Network; Service Chief, Laboratory Genetics, Kingston Health Sciences Centre; Professor (Adjunct), Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Queen’s University

Dr. Feilotter is the Division Head of the Genome Diagnostics program and lead of the Applied Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory at UHN. She is Service Chief of the Laboratory Genetics service and Director of Molecular Genetics at the Kingston Health Sciences Centre. She also maintains an adjunct professorship in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine at Queen’s University, and serves as Clinical Lead for Genetic Testing for Ontario Health. These interactions, as well as her role as Lead of the Ontario Molecular Pathology Research Network (OMPRN) and Co-Lead for Implementation Science at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) allow her to engage broadly in education and research focused on bringing genomic biomarkers into clinical use.

Dr. Denis Horgan, PhD, LLM, MSc, BCL; Executive Director, European Alliance of Personalised Medicine (EAPM); Editor in Chief, Public Health Genomics Journal; Chair of the Stakeholder Advisory Group, International Cancer Genome Consortium

Prof. Denis Horgan, a former Director of the European Cancer Patient Coalition, who was also a policy advisor in the European Parliament and worked with various international NGOs on health development projects. In addition, he has published over eighty academic articles related to the area of personalised medicine. Today, Denis is the Editor in Chief of the journal entitled Public Health Genomics, Chair of the Stakeholder Advisory Group for the International Cancer Genome Consortium and he is the Executive Director of the European Alliance of Personalised Medicine (EAPM). The mix of EAPM members provides extensive scientific, clinical, caring and training expertise in personalised medicine and diagnostics, across patient groups, academia, health profes-sionals and industry. Relevant departments of the European Commission have observer status, as does your own organisation, of course. In the relatively short time since it was formed, EAPM has been in the vanguard of raising the profile and explaining the possibilities of personalised medicine in Europe. In recent years this has created an observable institutional shift in policy due to the issues that the Alliance has put forward through its multi-stakeholder membership and bottom-up policy making.

Mr. Don Husereau, Adjunct Professor of Medicine, University of Ottawa

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.

Mr. Craig Ivany, Chief Provincial Diagnostics Officer, Provincial Health Services Authority, British Columbia

Craig Ivany is a laboratory services strategist with over 35 years of experience influencing healthcare. His depth of practice includes a legacy of leadership across Canada. This includes VP roles with DynaLIFE Alberta and Dynacare Ontario, CEO of Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association, President and CEO of Alberta Public Laboratories, and currently the Chief Provincial Diagnostics Officer, Provincial Health Services Authority, British Columbia. Craig is a certified health executive and long-standing member of the Canadian College of Health Leaders, holds an ICD.D with the Institute of Corporate Directors, and is an Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia.

Dr. Pashtoon Kasi, MD, MS; Oncologist and Researcher, Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian Hospital; Director for Colorectal Cancer Research, Weill Cornell Medicine; Precision Medicine Director for Liquid Biopsy Research, Englander Institute of Precision Medicine

Dr. Pashtoon Kasi, MD, MS is an oncologist and researcher at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He focuses on treating patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancers and the treatment of patients with novel drugs/early-phase clinical trials. At Weill Cornell Medicine, Dr. Kasi additionally serves as the Director for Colorectal Cancer Research, as well as Precision Medicine Director for Liquid Biopsy Research at the Englander Institute of Precision Medicine.

Dr. Kasi received his medical degree from the prestigious Aga Khan University (AKU) in Pakistan in 2006. He did a year of internship at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) in 2009. Following this Dr. Kasi completed his residency at the International Scholars Program (ISP) at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). Subsequently in 2016 he completed a fellowship in oncology and hematology at the Mayo Clinic. At the Mayo Clinic, he also completed a post-doctoral master’s program at the Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education (MSGME) in clinical and translational sciences (Masters in Basic Sciences).

Prior to joining Weill Cornell Medicine, Dr. Kasi served as an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Iowa. Before that, he was an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Oncology at both University of Iowa and Mayo Clinic. Dr. Kasi was one of a select few who were appointed to the academic post of Assistant Professor of Oncology and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic during his fellowship due to his research and academic achievements.

Dr. Kasi’s research focus has been on “liquid biopsies” [(circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs)], alongside developing and conducting clinical trials focused on precision oncology and precision medicine. Dr. Kasi is an author and editor of several books including: “Research: What, Why and How: A Treatise from Researchers to Researchers”, and “Impact of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in Patients with Gastrointestinal Malignancies” and has over 100 publications in leading peer-reviewed journals. Additionally, Dr. Kasi has been active as a principal investigator on numerous investigator-initiated, industry-sponsored as well as cooperative group clinical trials in oncology.

Dr. Christopher Lieu, MD; Associate Professor, Director, GI Oncology, University of Colorado

Christopher Lieu, MD, is an Associate Professor in the Division of Medical Oncology, and Associate Director for Clinical Research at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora. He trained in internal medicine at the University of Colorado, where he also served as a Chief Medical Resident. He completed his fellowship training in medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and served as the Chief Medical Oncology Fellow. He currently serves as the Associate Director for Clinical Research and Director of GI Medical Oncology at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, the co-Chair of the National Cancer Institute Colon Cancer Task Force, serves on the FDA Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee, and he serves on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Panel for Neuroendocrine Cancers.

Ms. Cassandra Macaulay, BSc, MHS, RTNM; Senior Manager of Programs & Education, CCRAN

Cassandra is the Senior Manager of Programs & Education at the Colorectal Cancer Resource & Action Network (CCRAN). She oversees CCRAN’s patient-focused and evidence-based portfolios serving the unmet needs of colorectal cancer patients and caregivers across Canada, and collaboratively leads CCRAN’s educational initiatives, both for patients and healthcare providers. Cassandra is a Medical Radiation Technologist with a graduate degree in health studies and leadership. She has worked in both patient-facing and project management roles and led the start-up of two nuclear medicine programs which improved access to diagnostic imaging in her community. She is passionate about health quality and improving the patient experience and is honoured to have the privilege of supporting, educating, and advocating for cancer patients and their caregivers.

Dr. Michael Mengel, MD; Chair & Medical Director, Laboratory Medicine & Pathology, University of Alberta; Medical Director, Alberta Precision Laboratories Ltd.

Dr. Mengel is Chair and Medical Director for Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Alberta and with Alberta Precision Laboratories Ltd. in Edmonton, Canada.

He studied medicine at the Semmelweiss University in Budapest, Hungary before going on to specialise in pathology and further in transplantation pathology and nephropathology. Before moving to Edmonton he provided transplant pathology service at the Hannover Medical School, Germany. As a sub-specialized Transplantation and Renal Pathologist, Dr. Mengel is engaged in various international sub-specialty societies related to nephropathology and organ transplantation and has published widely in his field. His current work is focused on applying molecular techniques to biopsy specimens, with the aim to increase diagnostic precision in organ transplantation.

Mr. Ken Noel, Executive Director, The Walnut Foundation

Initially diagnosed in late 2012 after two years of rising PSA levels and three Biopsies. Although initial diagnosis was a low grade cancer, the final pathology report, after surgery, revealed a more aggressive cancer which required further radiation treatment.

Mr. Noel’s own research into his cancer revealed a lack of information about prostate cancer incidences in black men in Canada and a silence within the Black Community about this disease. In response, he joined the Walnut Foundation in 2014 to lend his experience in their mandate to increase awareness in the Back Communities. Mr. Noel’s work with The Walnut Foundation included organizing and chairing the annua health conference, 4 years as the President of the Foundation, and his current role as Executive Director with a mandate to grow the Foundation.

Dr. Nicola Normanno, MD, Oncology and Hematology; Director, Cell Biology and Biotherapy Unit & Director, Translational Research Department, INT Fondazione Pascale, Naples, Italy

Dr. Nicola Normanno was born in Ottaviano (Italy) in 1964 and graduated cum laude in Medicine and Surgery in 1988. He worked as postdoctoral fellow in the National Cancer Institute of Bethesda (USA), then he specialized in Medical Oncology and later in Hematology. In 2004 he won the “Annals of Oncology Prize for Translational Research” and in 2005 he became Adjunct Associate Professor at the Temple University of Philadelphia. From 2005 he has been appointed as Director of the Cell Biology and Biotherapy Unit of INT Fondazione “G. Pascale” and from 2006 he is the Chairman of the Research Department of the same institute.

Dr. Normanno leads a research group involved in both pre-clinical and clinical studies, with particular regard to the identification of biomarkers associated with sensitivity/resistance to target-based agents in clinical development. Dr. Normanno’s group has been one of the first to use next generation sequencing (NGS)-based techniques in clinical trials. His group has a relevant expertise in liquid biopsy. Dr. Normanno is also involved in clinical diagnostics and in the organization of national and international external quality assessment (EQA) schemes in molecular pathology.

Dr. Normanno is a member of many national and international cancer research associations (AACR, GOIM, AIOT, ESMO, AIOM, SIC, FONICAP).He is President Elect of the Italian Society of Cancerology (SIC). Dr. Normanno is author of more than 200 publications in international journals and he is a reviewer for many peer reviewed journals.

Ms. Teresa Norris, Founder and President, HPV Global Action

Teresa Norris is a passionate Sexual Health Specialist with an expertise on Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and sexual health issues with over 17 years’ experience. She uses evidence-based communication methods and champions disease prevention strategies. She is also the President of HPV Global Action.

In 2006, Teresa founded HPV Global Action/VPH Action Globale, a bilingual registered charity offering forward-thinking research initiatives and programs in healthcare and academic settings and has developed synergies at different organizational and governmental levels evolving from local initiatives and up to the international stage.

Her focus is educating people of all ages about sex-positive and inclusive sexual and reproductive health, while emphasizing HPV and its potential consequences – which include nine preventable HPV-related cancers. With the support of her team and healthcare professionals across Canada and around the world, HPV Global Action is working to ensure countries offer equitable access to HPV prevention, cervical screening and access to treatment/care both in Canada and internationally.

Teresa is currently leading an international team that is putting forth a women-centred health implementation research project using integrated approaches to ensure sustainable systemic change for women in Sub Saharan Africa through a «one-stop shop» approach to offer women ranging 20-49 y.o. an opportunity to address their gynaecological needs during a two-hour visit, starting in Eswatini in September 2022. This project will be addressing four World Health Organization (WHO) 2030 objectives for disease control and elimination of: Cervical Cancer, Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and treatment of Soil transmitted helminths.

Prof. Klaus Pantel, Chairman, Institute of Tumor Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE)

Prof. Klaus Pantel is chairman of the Institute of Tumor Biology at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, and Adjunct Professor of the University of Bergen, Norway. He graduated in 1986, and finished his MD thesis on mathematical modelling of hematopoiesis. After his postdoctoral period in the USA (Wayne State University, Detroit) in experimental hematology and stem cell research he performed research in tumor immunology at the Institute of Immunology, University of Munich for 10 years (Habilitation in Immunology, 1995). The pioneer work of Prof. Pantel in the field of liquid biopsy (i.e., circulating tumor and host cells, circulating nucleic acids and extracellular vesicles) is reflected by more than 550 publications (h-index: 125) in excellent high ranking biomedical and scientific journals (e.g., NEJM, Lancet, Lancet Oncology, Science Transl. Med., EMBO Mol. Med; J. Clin Oncol., Ann. Oncol) including a series of > 10 opinion leader reviews in Nature and Cell journals. His work has been awarded by the AACR Outstanding Investigator Award 2010, German Cancer Award 2010, and two ERC Advanced Investigator Grants 2011 and 2019. Moreover, Prof. Pantel was the Scientific Lead (“Coordinator”) of many EU-funded consortia including the EU/IMI Cancer-ID consortium and is the founder and chairman of the European Liquid Biopsy Society (ELBS, www.elbs.eu), which represent the largest liquid biopsy-focused research consortium in Europe with currently 84 institutions from academia and industry.

Prof. Dr. Patrick Pauwels, MD, PhD; Head of the Laboratory of Molecular Pathology & Co-Director of the Center of Oncology Research (CORE), Antwerp University; Professor in Molecular Oncopathology, Antwerp University; Scientific Advisor, Luxemburg National Health Service

Prof. Dr. P. Pauwels obtained his MD certificate at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium in 1985. After a two-year fellowship in Internal Medicine, he started a residency in Pathology at the University of Leuven. He then worked as a staff pathologist in Eindhoven (NL) till 2002. He went to the Maastricht University Medical Center (NL) till 2005. From 2005 till 2009 he was pathologist at the Ghent University Hospital, Belgium. Since 2009 he works at the Antwerp University Medical Center. He obtained his PhD at the University of Leiden in 2004 in the field of molecular pathology (“Bridging the gap between cytogenetics and pathology of soft tissue tumours”).

He is head of the laboratory of molecular pathology and co-director of the Center of Oncology Research (CORE) of the Antwerp University.

He became professor in Molecular Oncopathology at the Antwerp University in 2012 and is scientific advisor of the Luxemburg National Health Service since 2013.

His principal interest is biomarker research in oncology, with a particular focus on liquid biopsy in cancer.

Prof Pauwels is Member of several societies: the American Association for Cancer Research, Member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Member of the ‘International Association of the Study of Lung Cancer (ISALC), Member of European Respiratory Society (ERS), Member of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), Member of the Belgian Society of Medical Oncology (BSMO), Member of the lung cancer group of the EORTC.

Dr. Michael Raphael, MD FRCPC; Medical Oncologist, Odette Cancer Center, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Dr. Raphael is a Medical Oncologist at the Odette Cancer Center at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center. His practice is dedicated to the care of patients with gastrointestinal cancers. He completed his medical degree at Queen’s University and his internal medicine and medical oncology training at the University of Toronto. He then completed an advanced cancer health services research fellowship and a Master’s of Science (Healthcare Quality, Risk and Safety) at Queen’s University. His research focus is on population-based cancer care. His research aims to identify ways to optimize the coordination and delivery of cancer care services, and to describe gaps in care, disparities in access to treatment, uptake of cancer therapies, and real-world toxicity and effectiveness. His research has already influenced practice guidelines globally and led to a new quality metric that is routinely captured by Cancer Care Ontario (“time to initiating adjuvant chemotherapy”). He is also a valued member of CCRAN’s Scientific & Medical Advisory Board.

Mrs. Martha Raymond, MA, CPN; Founder/CEO, The Raymond Foundation; Founding Executive Director, GI Cancers Alliance

Martha Raymond is the Founder/CEO of The Raymond Foundation and serves as the Founding Executive Director of the GI Cancers Alliance. For over thirty-five years, Martha has been a passionate and dedicated advocate for cancer patients and caregivers. Martha has published numerous research articles in peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cancer, and the Journal of Cancer Research. Martha’s research focuses on patient-reported outcomes to ensure that the patient voice and lived-experience is understood, valued, and considered throughout the care continuum.

Martha is a certified professional facilitator and serves as a frequent speaker and moderator for global oncology conferences and symposiums. Martha also serves as an oncology consultant specializing in program development for clients in academia, pharmaceutical industry, and global advocacy organizations.

In 2023 Martha was honored to receive two awards for her advocacy and research efforts: Excellence in Colorectal Cancer Advocacy by the WunderGlo Foundation, California and the Luminary Award in GI Cancers by Onc Live and the Ruesch Center / Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University.

Martha holds advanced graduate certifications in Integrative Medicine, Hospice Counseling, Palliative Care and Patient Navigation. As a life-long learner, Martha is a current executive education student at Harvard University Kennedy School.

Ms. Filomena Servidio-Italiano, Hon B.Sc., B.Ed., M.A.; President & CEO, CCRAN

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 seventeen 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, such as CCRAN’s innovative “My CRC Consultant”, an online tool providing the metastatic patient with evidence-based and expert reviewed, potential therapeutic options based on the patient’s tumour’s molecular profile. 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 colorectal cancer management, PROs and PROMs, early age onset colorectal cancer awareness and education, promoting national LDLT efforts, education on molecular profiling, and more.

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. She prepares these submissions not only for colorectal cancer drug therapies under review, but within therapeutic areas for which there are no representative patient advocacy groups or on behalf of patient advocacy groups who may not have the capacity to make these critically important submissions. She strives to secure robust patient and caregiver participation to help identify patients’ unmet needs, as well as capture their fundamentally important values, preferences, and priorities with the goal of ultimately ensuring reimbursement of effective treatments based on thoughtful and compelling input. She continues to be a passionate advocate for the Canadian cancer patient and their caregiver.

ABOUT CCRAN

The Colorectal Cancer Resource & Action Network (“CCRAN”) is a national, not for profit patient organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating on behalf of colorectal cancer patients and caregivers across Canada to help improve the quality of life and longevity for patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer. It is a patient-focused organization whose programs are inspired by two patient advisory councils, one of which is dedicated to Early Age Onset Colorectal Cancer (EAOCRC). CCRAN has expanded its mandate to now be serving a population of cancer patients outside of the colorectal cancer space through their HTA patient evidence submissions, educational events and advocacy initiatives to help reduce the burden of cancer in Canada.

Dr. Monika Slovinec D’Angelo, VBHC Expert; Chief Research Officer, CCRAN

Monika Slovinec D’Angelo, PhD is a health scientist with broad experience in population health and healthcare transformation. She specializes in health promotion, chronic disease prevention and optimized management, with expertise in intervention and implementation research, program development and evaluation, stakeholder engagement, and strategic capacity building at organizational and system levels. She has worked across healthcare delivery, health research, and academic organizations, and in consultancy roles, collaborating with health system stakeholders nationally and internationally to develop and deploy evidence-based solutions in support of innovative initiatives and sustainable programs and systems. She is a firm believer of health in all policies and applies systems thinking to problem solving. Her passion lies in co-creating strategic solutions to promote health and wellbeing across populations.

Dr. Stephanie Snow, MD, FRCPC; Medical Oncologist, QEII Health Sciences Centre; Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University; President, Lung Cancer 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 Vice 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. Finally, Dr. Snow is active in patient advocacy, serving as the current President of Lung Cancer Canada, and sits on the medical advisory committees of several other patient advocacy groups in colorectal and gastric cancer.

Dr. Joao Paulo (JP) Solar Vasconcelos, MD; Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology Fellow, BC Cancer, Vancouver

Dr. Solar Vasconcelos is a gastrointestinal medical oncology fellow at BC Cancer in Vancouver. His research focuses on the development of biomarkers in GI malignancies with a particular interest in studying the use of ctDNA for management of patients with colorectal cancer.

Dr. Alan Spatz, MD, MSc; Professor, Departments of Pathology and Oncology, McGill University; Chief, Department of Clinical laboratory medicine, McGill University Health Center (MUHC); Medical director, Optilab Montreal-MUHC network

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 Center (MUHC), and medical director of Optilab Montreal-MUHC that is an integrated network of labs belonging to the McGill affiliated hospitals. He is also director of the molecular pathology center at the Lady David 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 that include 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 Diagnostic (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’ research is focused on cancer biomarkers and on the role of the X chromosome-related haploinsufficency 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, Lancet, Science Translational Medicine, Science Immunology, Annals of Oncology, and Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Prof. David Thomas, Director, Centre for Molecular Oncology, University of New South Wales; Head of the Genomic Cancer Medicine Laboratory, Garvan Institute of Medical Research; CEO, Omico

Prof. David Thomas is the inaugural Director of the Centre for Molecular Oncology at the University of New South Wales, and Head of the Genomic Cancer Medicine Laboratory at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research. He is also CEO of Omico, a not-for-profit company he established to lead a national precision medicine program for patients with rare and early onset cancers. As a clinician-scientist, his focus is on the application of genomic technologies to the understanding and management of cancer, particularly sarcoma. Prof Thomas founded the Australasian Sarcoma Study Group, a national research organisation, and established Australia’s leading adolescent and young adult cancer unit at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Prof Thomas founded and leads the International Sarcoma Kindred Study, the largest ever conducted study of genetic factors in sarcoma, now recruiting from 23 centres in the US, UK, France, India, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia. He led the first international study of denosumab in Giant Cell Tumor of bone, leading to FDA and TGA approval. He also co-led a meta-analysis of whole body MRI screening for patients with Li-Fraumeni syndrome, changing clinical practice guidelines from the NCCN, AACR and EviQ in Australia. He has over 200 research publications, including lead or senior author papers in Science, Cancer Cell, Molecular Cell, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Lancet Oncology, JAMA Oncology, and Journal of Clinical Oncology. In 2018, he was President of the Connective Tissue Oncology Society, the peak international body in his field.

Dr. Laura Weeks, PhD; Director, Health Technology Assessment, CADTH

Laura Weeks is the Director of Health Technology Assessment, within the Evidence Products and Services Business Unit at CADTH, where she oversees a team responsible for the conduct of evidence assessments to support Canada's health system decision makers. She holds a PhD in Community Health and Epidemiology, and has nearly 20 years experience in evidence synthesis and health technology assessment acquired through her work with CADTH, AHRQ, academia and the Cochrane Collaboration. During her 10 years at CADTH, she has contributed as an author and methodologist to over 20 HTAs, and has contributed to training, methods development and the academic literature in a range of disciplines relevant to HTA including clinical reviews, qualitative synthesis, patient engagement and reporting guidelines.

Dr. Stephen Yip, Associate Professor, UBC; Clinician-Scientist, Neuropathologist, BCCA; Associate Member at Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre

Stephen Yip completed his combined M.D-Ph.D. training followed by 4 years of neurosurgical training at UBC. He switched to neuropathology and obtained his Royal College certification in 2007. He completed fellowship training in molecular neuro-oncology at the Massachusetts General Hospital under the mentorship of Dr David Louis as a RC Clinician Investigator Program fellow and molecular genetic pathology at MGH/Harvard Medical School under the supervision of Dr John Iafrate. He is on staff at Vancouver General Hospital and BC Cancer (VCC). He is the director of clinical genomics at BC Cancer and is responsible for molecular cancer testing for the entire province of BC.

Dr. Rob Rutledge, MD, FRCPC