SPEAKERS

Erika Basile is the Director of Research Ethics and Compliance at Western University, where she provides strategic leadership for research ethics, compliance, and institutional oversight. With more than 18 years of experience in academic and research environments, she supports researchers, staff, and committees in navigating complex ethical and regulatory requirements. Erika has extensive expertise in research governance, organizational effectiveness, process improvement, and partnership development. She serves on national research ethics and compliance initiatives, supporting efforts to improve the efficiency, consistency, and quality of research ethics review and oversight across Canada. Erika holds a Master of Professional Education (Educational Leadership) and a Bachelor of Science in Genetics and Cell Biology.

Emilie Belley-Côté is an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at McMaster University, the Associate Deputy Director of the Population Health Research Institute and a cardiologist-intensivist at Hamilton Health Sciences. Her research interests include perioperative cardiac surgery care, knowledge synthesis and guideline development. She leads the CIHR-funded LIMIT, DANCE and PRINCE trials. She has over 350 publications, including articles in NEJM, Lancet, JAMA, as well as first tier critical care journals.

Sarah Best, B.Sc., MHM, CCRP, is a Manager of Research Operations for Lawson Research Institute. With a Master of Health Management from McMaster, a Bachelor’s (Hon.) Health Sciences from the University of Waterloo, and a certification as a Clinical Research Professional (CCRP), she has been part of the St. Joseph’s family in various roles since 2006. Her research interests include both the implementation and operationalization of research.

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.

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 50 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.

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.

Kearie Daniel is a national nonprofit leader, health-equity advocate, and communications strategist whose work connects community knowledge, health-system transformation, and evidence-informed advocacy.

As Founder and Executive Director of the Black Women’s Institute for Health, Kearie leads a national charitable organization working to transform health outcomes for Black women and girls through disaggregated data, policy advocacy, culturally grounded programming, and community-led care. She created and led Voices Unheard, Canada’s first national health survey focused on the experiences of Black women, girls, and gender-diverse people. Nearly 2,000 participants contributed to the initiative, generating critical evidence about healthcare access, medical dismissal, mental health, employment, housing, safety, and other social determinants of health.

Kearie brings direct experience within Ontario’s healthcare system. As a Communications Lead at Cancer Care Ontario, now part of Ontario Health, she supported regional cancer centres and led province-wide communications for diagnostic and Disease Pathway Management initiatives. She also helped conceptualize and lead communications for Ontario’s first Diagnostic Assessment Programs Electronic Pathway Solution, created to strengthen system navigation and support patients throughout their cancer journey. Her healthcare experience also includes senior communications roles at Humber River Hospital and within eHealth organizations. Her contributions at Cancer Care Ontario were recognized with the Changing Landscape Award and the Collaborative Team Award.

In 2026, Kearie joined Ontario legislators and healthcare leaders at Queen’s Park for the introduction of the Black Health Equity Act (Bill 115), which called for systematic race- and gender-based health-data collection.

Kearie is also the creator of Woke Mommy Chatter, a platform that centres Black motherhood through writing, podcasting, advocacy, healing, and cultural production. Her writing explores the intersections of race, motherhood, identity, belonging, health, and systemic inequity. Her essays and commentary have appeared in Today’s Parent, Chatelaine, Flare, and CBC Parents, helping bring the experiences of Black women and mothers into broader public conversations.

Kearie holds a Master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism and a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications and Women’s Studies. She brings a distinctive perspective on how health systems can combine data with lived experience, communicate with greater care and accountability, build trust with communities, and translate evidence into meaningful institutional change

Dr. Natalie Dayan is associate professor of medicine at McGill university, a general internal medicine and obstetric medicine specialist at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and mid-career Scientist at the Research Institute of the MUHC. She holds the senior Fondation du Québec Recherche en Santé (FRQS) Chercheur Boursier Clinicien award and previously three early career awards for her work on women’s health, including being the former inaugural recipient of Early Career Professorship for Women’s Heart and Brain Health from McGill University and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (Quebec). She has authored >80 peer reviewed papers and has led and contributed to national guidelines on cardiovascular risk management after complicated pregnancy. She has current and past peer-review grants valued at >3 million CAD for women’s health research including leading the ACT2 INCLUDE-HER network for cardiometabolic clinical trials in women. Dayan’s current focus is on equitable access to clinical trials for women, especially women of childbearing potential and pregnant or breastfeeding women. She leads a CIHR-funded national implementation science initiative (www.pregtrial.ca) focused on improving evidence generation in women through enhanced representation in non-obstetric clinical trials.

Jocelyn Edwards is the Director, Grants Development & Research Administration at London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute (LHSCRI) and Lawson Research Institute (Lawson), the research institutes of London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph’s Health Care, London. Jocelyn oversees Grants Development, Research Approval, Research Contracts, and the Quality Assurance and Education Program, and provides strategic and operational guidance on legal, regulatory, compliance, risk management, institutional policies and procedures, and governance matters. Jocelyn holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Ontario, and an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology. Jocelyn was called to the Ontario Bar in 2004. Prior to joining LHSCRI and Lawson in 2013, Jocelyn practiced commercial litigation.

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. Jason Field is President and CEO of Life Sciences Ontario (LSO), an organization that works collaboratively with government, academia, industry, and life sciences partners across Canada to support the sector’s commercial success and growth.

He holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Massachusetts and a B.Sc. from the University of Waterloo. Jason’s career spans both the pharmaceutical industry and the Ontario government. He joined LSO as Executive Director in October 2011 and was appointed President and CEO in April 2014.

Jason serves on several boards and advisory committees, including the University of Toronto’s Translational Research Program, ReMAP, BioTalent Canada, and Research Canada. He also co-chairs the Resilient Healthcare Coalition.

He is a recipient of the University of Waterloo’s 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award, served as Chair of Ontario’s Life Sciences Council (2023–2024), and was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal.

Chris Hannay writes about the business of health for The Globe and Mail. He covers everything from new medical technology and pharmaceuticals to how doctors’ offices are run. In his 15 years at The Globe, he has also been a politics editor and served on the editorial board.

Rob Henderson is President and CEO of BioTalent Canada, where he’s led the organization’s growth into a national leader in bioscience talent development. With over 30 years of executive experience, Rob has helped connect thousands of Canadians to careers, championed workplace diversity, and advised governments on HR strategy. He’s a bilingual Quebec native, a biology graduate, and a passionate advocate for inclusion and the life sciences.

Dr. Ashley Hilchie is the Senior Director of Research at Nova Scotia Health and an Adjunct Professor at Acadia University. She holds a Doctorate in Microbiology and Immunology from Dalhousie University and completed postdoctoral training at the University of British Columbia. Prior to joining Nova Scotia Health, she held leadership roles in biotechnology spanning project management and clinical translational research. Since joining Nova Scotia Health in 2023, she has led key initiatives including NovaStudies Connect, the Human Research Protection Program, and the launch and implementation of the Nova Scotia Medical Research Consent Framework. She is passionate about strengthening research infrastructure, supporting high-quality research, and expanding access to research opportunities across Nova Scotia.

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.

Justin Jennings is Senior Curator of Latin American Archaeology at the Royal Ontario Museum, as well as Professor of Anthropology (status-only) at the University of Toronto. He has conducted archaeological research in Peru for almost thirty years. Dr. Jennings is the author or editor of 18 books, most recently Psychedelics: Culture, Crime, Cure (2026, co-edited with Colin Fleming) and Did the Ancient State Exist? (2026). He is the curator of the psychedelics exhibition currently open at the ROM.

Dr. Tibetha Kemble (Stonechild) is nêhiyawipwâtinâhk and a registered member of Piapot First Nation (Treaty No. 4). She is an Indigenous scholar, educator, and governance leader whose work centres Indigenous rights, sovereignty, and accountability across health, education, and research systems.

Dr. Kemble currently serves with the University of Alberta in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry as Executive Director of the Wapanchakos Indigenous Health Program, Director of the Indigenous Clinical Trials Unit within the Clinical Trials Office, Academic Lead for Indigenous Women’s Health at the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute. Dr. Kemble also serves as an Assistant Lecturer in the Faculty of Education.

She completed her PhD in Educational Policy Studies at the University of Alberta in 2022 and has held senior leadership roles across higher education and the federal and provincial public service. In addition to her academic and research leadership, Dr. Kemble brings extensive experience in governance, advisory, and oversight roles at institutional, provincial, and national levels and serves on various boards, committees, and councils focused on research ethics, professionalism, equity and anti-racism, Indigenous health, and human rights. She currently chairs the Indigenous Grandmothers’ Council for the ACT Consortium and the Indigenous Advisory Council for the CPSA, and contributes to committees responsible for ethical review, professionalism triage, and Indigenous governance in health research.

The focus of Dr. Kemble’s work—both personally and professionally—is on addressing systemic barriers and redressing the ongoing legacies of colonialism within health and education systems, with a particular emphasis on Indigenous women, children, and families in what is now Canada.

Gail Klein has a Master's of Science in Pharmacology from the University of Toronto and is a certified clinical research professional. Gail has more than 20 years of experience in academic research and has worked at several Toronto hospitals in clinical trials and knowledge translation. Gail is currently the operations director for the Centre for Clinical Trial Support (CCTS) at Sunnybrook Research Institute, where she oversees regulatory oversight, coordinating centre and site operations activities, in support of SRI, investigators and research teams. She is the co-chair of the President’s Task Force to Accelerate Clinical Trials, focusing on Sunnybrook’s clinical trial strategy and improvements to the clinical trial activation process. Gail is also involved in several TASHN and provincial clinical trial operational initiatives to improve the clinical trial environment in Canada.

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.

Kim Meeking (she/they) is a queer immigrant settler living in Nova Scotia, the ancestral home of the Mi'kmaq. They are a radiation therapist with a background in clinical trials management and healthcare communications.

Kim holds a masters in clinical health research their recent work includes exploring HPV access and uptake in 2SLGBTQI+ communities, experiences of gynecologic cancer in transgender and gender diverse individuals, and integrating inclusive strategies into clinical trial design and delivery.

Since 2020, Kim has co-led Queering Cancer, a Canadian initiative dedicated to improving cancer care for 2SLGBTQ+ communities through advocacy, education, and knowledge mobilization.

Miranda Miller first became interested in the EDI space when working as the project manager for the Canadian Collaboration for Child Health: Efficiency and Excellence in the Ethics Review of Research (CHEER), a Canada-wide initiative on a mission to improve child health by streamlining research ethics review for child health research. Having worked in the research ethics space for a number of years, what started as a dive into EDI in research ethics has developed into a personal commitment to her EDI journey.

Cate Murray is President and CEO for Canada’s Stem Cell Network (SCN). Cate is an experienced not-for-profit executive with a background in government relations, public policy and communications. Cate has been leading and growing the Stem Cell Network for nearly a decade. As the head of SCN, she has secured $117M in funding that is directly leading to cutting-edge research for the benefit of patients, contributing to the growth of Canada’s regenerative medicine sector, and ensuring next generation talent have the skills and expertise needed to compete on the global stage. She has introduced SCN support for early-stage clinical trials and investments to directly support Canadian regenerative medicine biotech companies.
Cate began her career in the mid-90s as a Ministerial policy advisor. After leaving politics she joined the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) where she combined her knowledge of government and communications to support Canada’s health research community. Building on her experience at CIHR, Cate joined the Council of Canadian Academies as a member of the senior leadership team where she worked with over a dozen expert panels to raise awareness of their work and see its adoption into public policy.
Today, Cate leads a team of approximately 20 talented professionals, Board members, and stem cell and regenerative medicine scientists and scholars who share a passion for delivering Canadian innovations to patients. She serves on the strategic advisory committees for the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging and the Praxis Spinal Cord Institute. Cate is also a member of the Public Policy Forum’s Life Sciences Leadership Table and the Resilient Health Care Coalition.
Cate has an Honours Degree from King’s College at the University of Western Ontario. She is a mother of two daughters and stepmother to two sons. Cate is passionate about STEAM and lives by the mantra that every great scientist needs an arts major.

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.

Beth Potter is a Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Ottawa and an Affiliate Investigator at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute. Her research aims to produce evidence to improve health care and outcomes for children with rare genetic diseases. She is Principal Investigator for the INFORM RARE research network, which brings together patients and caregivers, clinical providers, and methodologists in the design of patient registries and clinical trials for specific inherited metabolic and neurologic diseases. She also leads the Registry sub-platform for the RareKids-CAN Pediatric Rare Disease Clinical Trials and Treatment Network.

The Honourable Nolan Quinn is Ontario’s Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security. Prior to his expanded mandate, Nolan served as the Minister of Colleges and Universities and the Associate Minister of Forestry.

In his role as Minister, Nolan leads the delivery of world class postsecondary education in Ontario by spearheading STEM growth and ensuring that students graduate ready to excel in careers that meet our province’s labour market needs. With an enhanced directive to strengthen and secure research in Ontario, Nolan is building on the province’s long history of innovation, further cementing Ontario as a leader across critical, economy-driving sectors.

Nolan was born and raised in Cornwall, Ontario. His leadership as a small business owner and dedication to community service inspired him to run as MPP for Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry in 2022. Now in his second term, Nolan continues to advocate for his community, ensuring it remains an incredible place to live, work, and run a business.

Together with his wife Kimberly and their three young children, Nolan is a proud resident of St. Andrew’s West. He is also an avid hockey Dad, advocate for mental heath, and gardener – all while juggling bedtime stories, scraped knees, and endless requests for snacks.

Eleana Rodriguez, Director of Research Legal for Clinical Trial Agreements (CTA) at University Health Network (UHN), Toronto, since 2021.
She leads strategic legal negotiations and governance for complex clinical research collaborations among academic, clinical, and industry partners. With over a decade of experience in health law and policy, Eleana focuses on streamlining CTA processes while protecting institutional integrity, participant rights, and regulatory compliance.

Michel Shamy is an associate professor of neurology at the University of Ottawa, an attending neurologist at the Ottawa Hospital, and a scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. He leads the medical ethics and humanities program in the medical school. Dr Shamy has degrees in history (BA Yale) and the history and philosophy of science (MA Calgary) in addition to his MD (Queen’s) and speciality training in neurology (Toronto) and vascular neurology (UCSF). His research program is built around issues of ethics and epistemology in clinical practice and research design. He has over 120 publications with over 3000 citations. Dr Shamy and his team have received funding from CIHR and the New Frontiers in Research Fund to study advance consent, in which patients at risk of an emergency condition like stroke may consent in advance for clinical trial participation. In 2023, they launched ACTION, a real-world feasibility study of advance consent for participation in acute stroke trials at the Ottawa Hospital.

Dr. Sharma has held the role of Chief Medical Advisor to the Deputy Minister at Health Canada since August 2015.   She took on the role in addition to her responsibilities as Senior Medical Advisor within the Health Products and Food Branch (HPFB), a position she’s held since March 2013.  Prior to that, Dr. Sharma held a number of positions in Health Canada in both the pre-market and post-market health product regulatory areas including Acting Associate Assistant Deputy Minister of HPFB and prior to that, Director General of the Therapeutic Products Directorate, which had the regulatory responsibility for pharmaceuticals (prescription and non-prescription) and medical devices.  She has also worked as a Senior Policy Advisor as part of the National Pharmaceuticals Strategy in Health Canada.  From 2011-2013, she took a leave of absence from government to work in an academic “start up” research group focusing on health innovation adoption in the Canadian Health system at the University of Western Ontario. Trained as a pediatrician in both Canada and Australia, Dr. Sharma was a research fellow in hematology focused on clinical research relating to thalassemia and sickle cell disease and has worked on a number of large multi-centre clinical studies, including research in collaboration with Oxford University on a project in Sri Lanka.  She then went on to complete a Masters of Public Health at the Harvard School of Public Health with a concentration in International Health and an interest in Health Policy.

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.

Mina is an associate professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto and the Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Pharmaceutical Policy and Real-world Evidence. He is also co-director of Pharmaceutical Policy and Pharmacy Practice at the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network (ODPRN) and ICES adjunct scientist. He is the founding Director of the Toronto Centre for Real-world Evidence at the University of Toronto. Mina leads research focused on evaluating drug policies and post-marketing surveillance of medications. He works closely with policymakers and uses large data sets to answer questions about real-world safety and effectiveness and to improve the optimal use of medications.

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.

Nicole Yada is the Director of Vital, where she oversees strategy, operations and partnerships for the platform. Since joining the team in 2024, the program has successfully secured over $200M in federal, provincial and institutional funding. As the platform's Director, she oversees the ongoing negotiation and management of partnership and funding agreements with governments, industry and academic health sciences institutions.

Nicole has over a decade of experience in government and research leadership positions, with a focus on multi-provincial health data infrastructure, clinical trials, and research networks. Prior to joining Unity Health Toronto, Nicole was the inaugural Director of the CIHR-funded Accelerating Clinical Trials network and oversaw business development at ICES.

She holds a Master of Science in Health Informatics from McMaster University and in 2026, completed her PhD in Health Services Research from the University of Toronto on the factors that influence participation in adaptive platform trials. Nicole serves as a co-investigator on several large-scale, international platform trials and has been a member of the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group since 2021.

Dr. Yarnell is a critical care physician and researcher from the Scarborough Health Network in Toronto, Canada. He completed an undergraduate degree in Mathematics at Princeton University followed by medical training and a PhD in Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Toronto, and is now an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. At the Scarborough Health Network, he holds the Northpine Professorship in Critical Care Research and leads the Critical Care Research Program, which aims to help the patients of Scarborough be represented in the data that guide their care. He believes that pragmatic randomized controlled trials embedded in clinical care are an essential tool for a true learning health system, and is trying to demonstrate this as principal investigator of the ongoing MAGNOLIA randomized controlled trial.

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.