SPEAKERS

Dr. Biering-Sørensen has an outstanding academic and research background. He earned his medical degree from the University of Copenhagen in 2011 and completed his Ph.D. at the same institution in 2015. He subsequently obtained a Master of Public Health from Harvard University in 2018 and a Master of Science in Clinical Trials from University of Oxford in 2023.

He is the Founding Head of the Center for Translational Cardiology and Pragmatic Randomized Trials (CTCPR), a collaborative initiative between Copenhagen University Hospital Herlev-Gentofte and the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. He is also the Founding Head of the Cardiovascular Non-Invasive Imaging Research Laboratory (CIRL), an internationally recognized research center renowned for its pioneering work in cardiovascular imaging.

Together with his team at CTCPR and CIRL, comprising more than 50 affiliated researchers, Dr. Biering-Sørensen leads extensive research focused on the application of cardiovascular imaging to improve individualized risk assessment and patient care. He has also initiated and led several large-scale pragmatic randomized clinical trials leveraging Denmark’s nationwide health registries, making significant contributions to the development and implementation of pragmatic trial methodologies.

As an academic leader, Dr. Biering-Sørensen has received numerous prestigious national and international research awards in recognition of his scientific contributions. He has authored more than 550 peer-reviewed publications in leading medical journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, JAMA, and Nature Medicine. In addition, he mentors a large number of medical students, Ph.D. candidates, and postdoctoral researchers, providing guidance across a broad range of clinical research disciplines, with particular expertise in cardiovascular imaging, randomized clinical trials, heart failure, and the cardiovascular consequences of infectious diseases.

Beth is a warm, community-focused leader who finds joy in travel, meaningful connections, and the company of her family, friends and Bernadoodles, Marty McFly and Doc Brown. A physiotherapist by training, Beth is now a patient engagement professional and nonprofit Executive Director, while also serving on the boards of Arnprior Health and the Ottawa Food Bank. Her writing has been featured in the New England Journal of Medicine Evidence, Wildfire Magazine, and eCHIMA, establishing her as both a thought-leader and an advocate. She was featured on the CBC podcast "Sickboy”.

Mark Clemons is a Clinician Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (Cancer Therapeutics Program), staff medical oncologist (Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre) and Professor of Medicine (University of Ottawa). He is the recipient of multiple peer-reveiwed research grants and has over 350 publications in the field of breast cancer management. His research vision is to remove many of the barriers that lead the development of multiple standard of care therapies with very little data to actually show which treatment is best in the real world setting. This has resulted in the creation of the world’s largest, pragmatic oncology trials program (REthinking Clinical Trials: REaCT) which to date has accrued over 5500 patients from across Canada.

Christine Elliott, former Ontario Minister of Health and Deputy Premier, is Counsel with the Fasken Health Law group in their Toronto office. With over 15 years of experience in public service, she is ideally positioned to assist clients with navigating existing and emerging complexities in the healthcare space.
During her tenure as Ontario’s Minister of Health from 2018 to 2022, Christine played an integral part in overseeing the province’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this role, she also sponsored The People’s Health Care Act and enacted the Connecting Care Act. The Connecting Care Act gave rise to Ontario Health, a Crown agency that merged the 14 Local Health Integration Network and other agencies including Cancer Care Ontario, Gift of Life Network, eHealth Ontario, and HealthForce Ontario in order to facilitate integrated care delivery systems also known as local Ontario Health teams. Christine also served as Ontario’s Deputy Premier (2018 to 2022) and as Ontario’s first Patient Ombudsman (2016 to 2018).

Christine, along with her husband James (Jim) Flaherty was a founding partner of Flaherty, Dow, Elliott & McCarthy. Later, Christine and Jim co-founded Abilities Centre in Whitby, Ontario, which supports and celebrates the abilities of all people and is a place where everyone belongs, regardless of their challenges. In addition, she has held positions on a range of boards in the health care sector since becoming involved as a volunteer with several charities including the Lakeridge Health Whitby Foundation, Durham Mental Health Services, and Grandview Children’s Centre. Christine currently sits on the Board of Directors for Life Sciences Ontario.

Christine graduated from the University of Western Ontario law school and was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1980.

Dr. Ishrat Husain [MBBS, MD(Res.), FRCPsych, FRCPC], is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, where he also holds the Cameron Wilson Chair in Depression Studies. He serves as the Department Head and Program Medical Director of the Mental Health program at University Health Network and Program Medical Director of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)-UHN Partnership.

Dr. Husain's research program focusses on advancing understanding and treatment of mood disorders across populations through clinical trials of established and emerging treatments, including psychedelic therapies.

In April 2026, Christine Lennon was appointed President and CEO of CATALIS, a not-for-profit clinical trials accelerator that contributes to Quebec’s leadership and competitiveness in clinical research. As President and Chief Executive Officer of CATALIS Québec, Christine Lennon brings together stakeholders across the clinical research ecosystem to enhance Québec’s attractiveness, competitiveness, and reputation as a leading destination for clinical trials.

A recognized leader in the life sciences sector, Christine has over 25 years of experience in biopharmaceuticals, business development, commercialization, innovation, and clinical research. Prior to joining CATALIS, she led the establishment and growth of Incyte Biosciences Canada as the company’s first General Manager in Canada, building a team of nearly 50 employees, bringing four new drugs to market in oncology and dermatology, and overseeing nearly 35 clinical trials across all stages of clinical development.

Previously, Christine served as CEO of Epigene Therapeutics, a spinout of Neomed that is now part of adMare BioInnovations. She also held several senior leadership positions at Novartis in both Canada and Ireland, with responsibilities spanning oncology, market access, public affairs, and general management. Her career also includes leadership roles at Neurochem, Shire (now Takeda), BioChem Pharma, and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) Industrial Research Assistance Program.

She has been an advisor to life sciences startups and venture capital funds at the Business Development Bank of Canada (now Amplitude Ventures) and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. She holds an MBA and a BSc from McGill University, is a graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D) through the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, and is actively involved as a judge and mentor at McGill.

A recipient of the McGill Scarlet Key Award and named a Luminary by the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association in 2022, Christine currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of Montréal InVivo, is a Board Member of Research Canada, and has served as a Board member of Innovative Medicines Canada from 2022 to 2025.

Braden Manns is the Associate Vice President (Health Research), University of Calgary, a Professor in Health Economics and a Kidney Specialist at the University of Calgary. He has expertise in Applied Health Economics, and his current research interests include assessing the impact of health system structure, and health care policies on the health of Canadians. He holds a CIHR Foundation award in health system funding and was the co-PI of a $60M CIHR-funded patient-oriented research network in chronic disease (www.Cansolveckd.ca). He has served as Associate Chief Medical Officer and lead for Alberta’s Strategic Clinical networks, and Interim Vice President for two different Alberta Health Services portfolios. For his contributions, he has received numerous awards, including the 2024 Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada Mentorship Award and the 2025 Kidney Foundation of Canada – King Charles III Coronation Medal.

Susan Marlin is the President and CEO of Clinical Trials Ontario and the Nominated Principal Applicant for CanReview. Prior to serving in these positions, she was the Associate Vice-Principal of Research at Queen’s University and worked with the National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group, leading the development and implementation of the Ethics and Regulatory Office. Susan has served as President of the Canadian Association of Research Ethics Boards, as a member of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Research Integrity Committee, the Ontario Cancer Research Ethics Board, and the Tri-Agency Panel on the Responsible Conduct of Research. She was awarded the Queen’s Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal in 2012 in recognition of her work in support of military and veteran health research.

Dr. Geoff Payne joined Michael Smith Health Research BC as President & CEO in November 2025, bringing more than two decades of experience as a biomedical researcher and senior academic leader in British Columbia’s post-secondary and health research sectors.

Geoff joined Health Research BC from the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), where he served as President and Vice-Chancellor. Throughout his career, Geoff has held numerous leadership positions dedicated to strengthening BC’s research ecosystem. At UNBC, he was the inaugural Assistant Dean for Education and Research and the founding Director of the UNBC Health Research Institute. He later served as Vice-President, Research before assuming the presidency.

Over his tenure, he championed research excellence, strengthened community partnerships, and expanded opportunities for innovation in northern and rural health.

Dr. Soares is a full Professor and former Head of the Department of Psychiatry at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. He currently serves as the inaugural director of the Centre for Psychedelics Health and Research at Providence Care Hospital & Queen’s University and regional lead for mental health and addictions at Ontario Health East. He was recently appointed executive director of the Canadian Menopause Society, after serving as a board member and President of the Menopause Society in the USA.

Dr. Soares trained as a psychiatrist, completed his Ph.D. on the effects of estrogen for the management of depression in midlife women, and pursued a postdoctoral fellowship in perinatal and reproductive psychiatry at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School.

His research has focused primarily on novel hormonal and non-hormonal options for midlife women experiencing mood and anxiety disorders, vasomotor symptoms, and sleep problems. He is also interested in the use of wearables and digital health technologies to monitor depression and sleep disturbances, and the use of psychedelics for psychiatric disorders and existential distress in late-stage cancer. Dr. Soares is a sought-after educator with more than 200 presentations at national and international meetings and more than 250 peer-reviewed publications.

Dr. Jaris Swidrovich is an Assistant Professor and Indigenous Engagement Lead in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto. A queer, Two Spirit, disabled, Saulteaux and Ukrainian pharmacist from Yellow Quill First Nation, his work advances culturally safe, inclusive, and community-driven research. Dr. Swidrovich brings experience and expertise in Indigenous health, 2SLGBTQ+ health, HIV, substance use, and pain to conversations about making clinical research safer and representative. He is the founder and chair of the Indigenous Pharmacy Professionals of Canada and uses research, education, and his drag persona, Priss Cryption, to challenge exclusion in healthcare and research.

Dr. Bradly Wouters is an internationally recognized leader and cancer researcher. He became Executive Vice President of Science and Research at UHN in 2016 and prior to that, served as the Interim Director of Research at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre since 2014. He joined UHN in 2008 as Senior Scientist and Director of the Princess Margaret Hypoxia Program, and has held faculty appointments at the University of Toronto in the Department of Medical Biophysics and the Department of Radiation Oncology since that time. Prior to joining UHN, Dr. Wouters was Professor and Head of Experimental Radiation Oncology at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. As EVP of Science and Research, Dr. Wouters is focused on creating an environment that incentivizes, facilitates, and rewards excellence in basic, translational, and clinical research across all elements of UHN.

Dr. Ryan Zarychanski is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Manitoba, hematologist, critical care physician, and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Clinical Trials. He serves as Scientific Director of Aurora Clinical Research and the George & Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation. An internationally recognized clinical trialist, he leads innovative research programs focused on advancing clinical trial methods and integrating research into healthcare systems.