We can’t wait to see you at CTO 2025!

 

More speakers/sessions still being added! Stay tuned here! Registration opens at 7:30am on November 5th and 6th, along with the breakfast buffet. In addition to our speaker program, delegates can enjoy exploring our sold-out Exhibition Showcase, delicious breakfast, snacks and lunch served both days, and lots of time to network and meet colleagues throughout the conference.

Follow Clinical Trials Ontario on LinkedIn or X for agenda updates. Are you planning to come? Let people know by tagging #CTOConf2025!

Day 1

Wednesday, November 5

Morning Plenary Sessions

 

Welcome Remarks

  • Susan Marlin, President & CEO, Clinical Trials Ontario
  • Raphael Hofstein, Chair, CTO Board of Directors

Opening Address

KEYNOTE | Gaps & Gains: A Global Look at Clinical Trials

  • Ken Getz, Executive Director & Professor, Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development; Founder & Board Chair, CISCRP – Tufts University School of Medicine and Center For Info & Study on Clinical Research Participation
  • Maria Florez, Senior Consultant, Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, Tufts University School of Medicine

Deep Dive: Research Ethics and Clinical Trials in the UK

  • Matt Westmore, Chief Executive of the UK’s Health Research Authority

CIHR Update

  • Megan Bettle, Executive Director, Clinical Trials, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

ACT Update

  • PJ Devereaux, Director, Division of Perioperative Care at McMaster University; Senior Scientist and the Scientific Leader, Anesthesiology, Perioperative Medicine, and Surgical Research Group at the Population Health Research Institute; Professor, Departments of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI) and Medicine, McMaster University

PANEL: Seizing the Canadian Opportunity

  • Moderator: Ryan Wiley, President, Shift Health
  • Megan Bettle, Executive Director, Clinical Trials, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
  • Dr. PJ Devereaux, Director, Division of Perioperative Care at McMaster University; Senior Scientist and the Scientific Leader, Anesthesiology, Perioperative Medicine, and Surgical Research Group at the Population Health Research Institute; Professor, Departments of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI) and Medicine, McMaster University
  • Matt Westmore, Chief Executive of the UK’s Health Research Authority
  • Barry Stein, President & CEO, Colorectal Cancer Canada
  • Dr. Andy Smith, President & CEO, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

 

Afternoon Plenary Sessions

 

How to Make Change Happen (*Using Behavioural Science)

  • Simon Bacon, Co-Lead, International Behavioural Trials Network

CanReview: Collaborating Across Canada for a Single Research Ethics Review System

  • Susan Marlin, President & CEO, Clinical Trials Ontario & Nominated PI, CanReview

Breaking Silos, Building Science: Integrating Health Data Across Ontario Health Care 

  • Fahad Razak, Provincial Clinical Lead, Ontario Health; Co-Lead GEMINI; Canada Research Chair in Data-Informed Healthcare Improvement, University of Toronto
  • Charles Victor, Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships and Digital Services, ICES
  • Andrew Costa, Co-Lead, OnSPARK Data Platform for Long-Term Care

Closing Remarks & Conference Reception

  • All delegates welcome to join CTO Conference Reception in the Exhibition Hall, beginning at 4:30pm

Day 2

Thursday, November 6

Morning Plenary Sessions

 

Welcome Remarks

KEYNOTE | AI Now, Next, Never

  • Ramy Nassar, AI & Emerging Technology Expert | Helping The World’s Leading Organizations Navigate What’s Next

PANEL: The Use of AI in the Drug Discovery and Clinical Research Continuum

  • Moderator: Ron Boch, Vice President, Biotechnology and Industry Affairs, BIOTECanada
  • Donna Janzen, Director, Regulatory Affairs Strategy and Policy, Roche Canada
  • Kevin Richards, Senior Director, Clinical Quality, AstraZeneca Canada
  • Mina Tadrous, Associate Professor, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto and Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Pharmaceutical Policy and Real-world Evidence; Co-Director, Pharmaceutical Policy and Pharmacy Practice, Ontario Drug Policy Research Network (ODPRN); Adjunct Scientist, ICES
  • Eleana Rodriguez, Director Research Legal- Clinical Trial Agreements (CTAs), University Health Network

PANEL: Precision Meets Purpose: The Promise of Cell & Gene Therapy

  • Moderator: Kenneth Getz, Executive Director & Professor, Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development; Founder & Board Chair, CISCRP – Tufts University School of Medicine and Center For Info & Study on Clinical Research Participation
  • Cate Murray, President & CEO, Stem Cell Network
  • Dr. Allison Brown, Senior Vice-President, Academic Engagement & Philanthropy, CCRM
  • Dr. Sowmya Viswanathan, Osteoarthritis Program, Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Schroeder Arthritis Institute & Krembil Research Institute (University Health Network); Associate Professor, Institute of Biomedical Engineering & Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
  • Jenna Shea, CTO College of Lived Experience Member, Huntington’s Disease Advocate

Trials in Real Life: Not Black and White, But Grey All Over

  • Moderator: Therese Lane, Member, CTO College of Lived Experience
  • Jackie Manthorne, President & CEO, Cancer Care Survivor Network
  • Margaret Loniewska, Rethink Breast Cancer Key Collaborator and MBC Advisors Group member

 

Afternoon Plenary Sessions

 

PANEL: Does Canada Have the People Power For More Trials?

  • Moderator: Kristen Pitzul, Director, Strategic Policy and Hospital-Enabled Research, Ontario Hospital Association
  • Munaza Jamil, National Director, Canada’s Clinical Research Workforce Strategy
  • Rob Henderson, President & CEO, BioTalent Canada
  • Alison Orth, Director, Clinical Trials British Columbia

PANEL: Are We Becoming More Agreeable?

  • Moderator: Susan Marlin, President & CEO, Clinical Trials Ontario
  • Monisha Nundy, National Operations Strategist, Site Management, Bayer
  • Jennifer Cox, Legal Counsel and Manager, Research Contracts, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
  • Saliha Boumaza, Executive Director, Clinical Research, Merck
  • Eleana Rodriguez, Director Research Legal- Clinical Trial Agreements (CTAs), University Health Network
  • Dr. Bradly Wouters, Executive VP Science and Research, University Health Network

Closing Remarks & Conference Concludes

  • Conference concludes by 3:00pm