Dr. Robert Fraser is the President and CSO of Molecular You, a digital health company delivering molecular-level personalized health insights and action plans. Dr. Fraser has been at the forefront of developing the framework and technologies to bring personalized medicine into healthcare practice. He is the co-founder of The Personalized Medicine Initiative (PMI), GenXys Health Care Systems, Personalized Biomarkers Incorporated, Mesentech Corporation and Novobind. Dr. Fraser has led drug discovery and development projects at Sanofi, Xenon, Neuromed and CDRD and has been involved in raising of more than $37M in funding. He completed his Ph.D. in the molecular mechanisms of endocrinology at the University of Alberta and Harvard Medical School and Post-Doctoral Fellowships at Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto and IGBMC, Strasbourg France.

Susie Chant was first elected as the MLA for North Vancouver-Seymour in 2020.

Susie is the Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors’ Services and Long-Term Care. She is also responsible for B.C.’s Consular Corps. Susie previously served as Parliamentary Secretary for Accessibility.

Susie previously served as a Registered Nurse team leader in community care with Vancouver Coastal Health, and as a member of the Royal Canadian Navy Reserves for over 40 years.   Susie’s nursing career has also taken her overseas, teaching nursing students in Saipan and working in children’s psychiatry in Hawaii.

Susie is an active member of Girl Guides of Canada and a former leader. She has also been a Sun Run clinic leader for 25 years, helping people in her community to be more active.

Susie and her husband are the parents of two adult daughters and were foster parents for 12 years. They provided a safe home for teenagers in crisis and supported them to get back to their families.

With deep roots in the North Shore community, Susie has called Lynn Valley home since 1988, where her kids grew up attending local schools and participating in community sports.

Dr. Julio Montaner is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is a graduate of the Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires (1973) and received his Medical Degree with Honors from the University of Buenos Aires (1979). In 1981, Dr. Montaner joined the University of British Columbia (UBC) at St. Paul’s Hospital (SPH) where he completed his training in Internal Medicine and Respiratory Medicine. While in training, he led several clinical studies that demonstrated the role of adjunctive corticosteroids in Pneumocystis-related respiratory failure in the setting of AIDS. In 1988, he became the Director of the AIDS Research Program and the Immunodeficiency Clinic at SPH/UBC. Since then, he focused his research in the development of antiretroviral therapies and management strategies. In the mid 90’s, as the Principal Investigator of the INCAS Trial, he played a key role in establishing the efficacy of NNRTI based highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), which emerged as the new global Standard of Care at the 1996 Vancouver International AIDS Conference, of which he was a co-organizer. He then focused his attention to HAART access to hard-to-reach populations, including injection drug users, and the treatment of multiple drug resistant HIV infection with great success. Since the late 90’s he also pioneered the concept of Treatment as Prevention® (TasP®). He was the first to advocate for the expansion of HAART coverage to curb the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, in terms of decreasing progression to AIDS and death, as well as decreasing HIV transmission. Largely through his efforts, TasP® has now been implemented with great success in BC, and progressively embraced by UNAIDS, China, PEPfAR, the US Government, and France, among others. In 2013 TasP® was fully incorporated in the WHO Consolidated ARV Guidelines.

Dr. Montaner is a Professor of Medicine at UBC and has held the Endowed Chair in AIDS Research at SPH/UBC since 1996. In 2016, he was honoured with a Killam Professorship at UBC. He is a founding Co-Director of the Canadian HIV Trials Network. He is the Executive Director and Physician-in-Chief of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. He was the President of the International AIDS Society from 2008 to 2010. He was the founding head of the academic Division of AIDS for a decade in the Department of Medicine at UBC (2007-2017).

Dr. Montaner has authored over 1000 scientific publications on HIV/AIDS and related conditions. In 2008, he received the inaugural Avant-Garde Award of $2.5 million over five years, from the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to support his project entitled “Seek and Treat for Optimal Outcomes and Prevention in HIV & AIDS in IDU (STOP HIV/AIDS)”. In September 2009, he was the recipient of the $100,000 Knowledge Translation Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health (CIHR) and, in November 2009, he was inducted into the Royal Society of Canada-The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences (RSC). Founded in 1882, the RSC, consisting of distinguished Canadian scholars, artists and scientists, is Canada’s senior and most prestigious scholarly organization. In 2010, he received the Prix Galien Award, the Order of BC as well as the Albert Einstein World of Science Award. In 2012, he was the recipient of the Grand Decoration of Honour for Services to Austria, the Hope is a Vaccine Award from the Global Alliance to Immunize against AIDS, and The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for contributions to the field of HIV/AIDS. In 2013, he received the award “Senador Domingo Faustino Sarmiento” from the Argentina Senate of the Nation presented to him by the Honorable Amado Boudou, Vice President of Argentina, and the Honorable Maria Laura Leguizamon, Senator of Buenos Aires. Dr. Montaner has received four Doctor of Science-honoris causa degrees (Simon Fraser University, Cordoba University, University of Buenos Aires, and Universidad del Salvador), as well as being an honorary fellow at Douglas College. From 2014 to 2017, he held the position of Special Advisor on HIV Therapeutics to the Executive Director of the United Nations AIDS Programme. In 2015, he received the David Barry DART Achievement Award that is given in recognition of invaluable contributions to the field of HIV drug discovery and he is a Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Laureate and Officer of the Order of Canada. In 2016, he was recognized with the Profile Award-Argentinian Intelligence, Science and Technology category and one of the 10 most influential Hispanic Canadians by the Canadian Hispanic Business Alliance. He is the recipient of the Killam Prize in Health Sciences by the Canada Council for the Arts, one of five scholars awarded the prize which honours Canadian researchers and scientists whose lifetime of work has impacted Canadians and citizens around the world, and the CIHR Gold Leaf Prize for Impact on behalf of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS for the organization’s 25 years of providing care and treatment for those living with HIV, education health professions, and promoting evidence-based policy to protect people from the virus. In 2019, he received the Senate 150th Anniversary Medal for his exemplary leadership and lifelong contributions to improving the health and lives of British Columbians.

In September 2020, Dr. Montaner was included, along with Drs. James Till and Ernest McCulloch, Dr. Bruce Chown, Dr. M. Vera Peters and Dr. Balfour Mount, in Canada Post’s “Medical Groundbreakers” five-stamp set to honour the life-saving contributions of some of Canada’s most respected health care researchers.

Announced on August 31, 2022, Dr. Montaner’s accomplishments and dedication to health sciences was recognized as he was elected as a Fellow into the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, one of the highest honours for individuals in the Canadian health sciences community.

Pieter R. Cullis, PhD, FRSC, FRS, OBC, OC, Director, Nanomedicines Research Group, Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia. Dr. Cullis and co-workers have been responsible for fundamental advances in the development of nanomedicines employing lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology for cancer therapies, gene therapies and vaccines. This work has contributed to five drugs that have received clinical approval by the FDA, the European EMA and Health Canada. Dr. Cullis has also co-founded more than 10 biotechnology companies that now employ over 500 people, has published over 400 scientific articles (h index 140) and is an inventor on over 100 patents. He has also co-founded and been Founding Scientific Director of two National Centre of Excellence networks, the Centre for Drug Research and Development (now AdMare) in 2004 and the NanoMedicines Innovation Network in 2019. These not-for-profit networks are aimed at translating basic research in the life sciences into commercially viable products and have given rise to numerous start-up companies. Dr. Cullis also has a strong interest in personalized medicine, having published a book entitled “The Personalized Medicine Revolution: How Diagnosing and Treating Disease Are About to Change Forever” in 2015.

Two drugs enabled by LNP delivery systems devised by Dr. Cullis, members of his UBC laboratory and colleagues in the companies he has co-founded deserve special emphasis. The first is Onpattro which was approved by the US FDA in August 2018 to treat the previously fatal hereditary condition transthyretin-induced amyloidosis (hATTR). Onpattro is the first RNAi drug to receive regulatory approval. The second is Comirnaty, the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine developed by Pfizer/BioNTech that has received regulatory approval in many jurisdictions including Canada, the USA, the UK and Europe. Comirnaty has played a major role in containing the global Covid-19 pandemic with approximately 6B doses administered worldwide in 2021 and 2022.

Dr. Cullis has received many awards including the Order of Canada in 2021, the VinFuture Prize (Vietnam), the Prince Mahidol Award (Thailand), the Gairdner International Award (Canada) and the Tang Prize (Taiwan) in 2022 and the Harvey Prize (Israel) and the Killam Prize (Canada) in 2023. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society (London) in 2023 and elected to the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 2024.

Dr. Lee Hood is a world-renowned scientist and has interest in technology development, cross-disciplinary biology for pioneering strategies and technologies, systems biology and data-driven Health. Dr. Leroy Hood co-founded the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) in 2000, served as president from 2000-2017, and continues as a Professor. He is also Professor and Chief Innovation Officer at the Buck Institute for Research in Aging and CEO of the nonprofit he founded in 2021, Phenome Health, which drives data-driven health.

He received his MD from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (1963) and his PhD in biochemistry from Caltech (1967). Dr. Hood was a Senior Investigator for the National Cancer Institute (1967-1970). Dr. Hood was a faculty member at Caltech from 1970-1992, serving for 10 years as the Chair of Biology. During this period, he and his colleagues developed four sequencer and synthesizer instruments for DNA and proteins that paved the way for the Human Genome Project’s successful sequencing of the human genome. He and his students also deciphered many of the complex mechanisms of antibody diversification. In 1992, Dr. Hood founded and chaired the the first cross-disciplinary Department of Molecular Biotechnology at the University of Washington. In 2013 he pioneered data-driven health (genome/phenome analyses of individuals) with the year-long 100 person project and then the co-founding of Arivale with its 4 year recruitment of 5000 patients. He is currently pioneering data-driven health and recruiting partners to join him in fundamentally changing healthcare to optimizing wellness, facilitating healthy aging, preventing disease. In 2025 he co-founded P4Bios a peptide drug company that plans transform the pharmaceutical industry. He is currently advocating a continuation of the Human Genome Project termed the Human Phenome Initiative to catalyze a Healthcare for individuals of Wellness and Prevention. Dr. Hood has received national and international awards including the Lasker Award (1987), the Koyto Prize (2006), the National Medical of Science (2011) and the Michael Sela Prize for Biomedicine (2025). He has co-authored text books in biochemistry, immunology, cell biology, genetics and systems biology and medicine. He has co-authored two popular books, The Code of Codes (1991) and the Age of Scientific Wellness ((2023).

Dr. Robert Fraser is the President and CSO of Molecular You, a digital health company delivering molecular-level personalized health insights and action plans. Dr. Fraser has been at the forefront of developing the framework and technologies to bring personalized medicine into healthcare practice. He is the co-founder of The Personalized Medicine Initiative (PMI), GenXys Health Care Systems, Personalized Biomarkers Incorporated, Mesentech Corporation and Novobind. Dr. Fraser has led drug discovery and development projects at Sanofi, Xenon, Neuromed and CDRD and has been involved in raising of more than $37M in funding. He completed his Ph.D. in the molecular mechanisms of endocrinology at the University of Alberta and Harvard Medical School and Post-Doctoral Fellowships at Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto and IGBMC, Strasbourg France.

Pieter R. Cullis, PhD, FRSC, FRS, OBC, OC, Director, Nanomedicines Research Group, Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia. Dr. Cullis and co-workers have been responsible for fundamental advances in the development of nanomedicines employing lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology for cancer therapies, gene therapies and vaccines. This work has contributed to five drugs that have received clinical approval by the FDA, the European EMA and Health Canada. Dr. Cullis has also co-founded more than 10 biotechnology companies that now employ over 500 people, has published over 400 scientific articles (h index 140) and is an inventor on over 100 patents. He has also co-founded and been Founding Scientific Director of two National Centre of Excellence networks, the Centre for Drug Research and Development (now AdMare) in 2004 and the NanoMedicines Innovation Network in 2019. These not-for-profit networks are aimed at translating basic research in the life sciences into commercially viable products and have given rise to numerous start-up companies. Dr. Cullis also has a strong interest in personalized medicine, having published a book entitled “The Personalized Medicine Revolution: How Diagnosing and Treating Disease Are About to Change Forever” in 2015.

Two drugs enabled by LNP delivery systems devised by Dr. Cullis, members of his UBC laboratory and colleagues in the companies he has co-founded deserve special emphasis. The first is Onpattro which was approved by the US FDA in August 2018 to treat the previously fatal hereditary condition transthyretin-induced amyloidosis (hATTR). Onpattro is the first RNAi drug to receive regulatory approval. The second is Comirnaty, the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine developed by Pfizer/BioNTech that has received regulatory approval in many jurisdictions including Canada, the USA, the UK and Europe. Comirnaty has played a major role in containing the global Covid-19 pandemic with approximately 6B doses administered worldwide in 2021 and 2022.

Dr. Cullis has received many awards including the Order of Canada in 2021, the VinFuture Prize (Vietnam), the Prince Mahidol Award (Thailand), the Gairdner International Award (Canada) and the Tang Prize (Taiwan) in 2022 and the Harvey Prize (Israel) and the Killam Prize (Canada) in 2023. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society (London) in 2023 and elected to the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 2024.

Dr. Lee Hood is a world-renowned scientist and has interest in technology development, cross-disciplinary biology for pioneering strategies and technologies, systems biology and data-driven Health. Dr. Leroy Hood co-founded the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) in 2000, served as president from 2000-2017, and continues as a Professor. He is also Professor and Chief Innovation Officer at the Buck Institute for Research in Aging and CEO of the nonprofit he founded in 2021, Phenome Health, which drives data-driven health.

He received his MD from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (1963) and his PhD in biochemistry from Caltech (1967). Dr. Hood was a Senior Investigator for the National Cancer Institute (1967-1970). Dr. Hood was a faculty member at Caltech from 1970-1992, serving for 10 years as the Chair of Biology. During this period, he and his colleagues developed four sequencer and synthesizer instruments for DNA and proteins that paved the way for the Human Genome Project’s successful sequencing of the human genome. He and his students also deciphered many of the complex mechanisms of antibody diversification. In 1992, Dr. Hood founded and chaired the the first cross-disciplinary Department of Molecular Biotechnology at the University of Washington. In 2013 he pioneered data-driven health (genome/phenome analyses of individuals) with the year-long 100 person project and then the co-founding of Arivale with its 4 year recruitment of 5000 patients. He is currently pioneering data-driven health and recruiting partners to join him in fundamentally changing healthcare to optimizing wellness, facilitating healthy aging, preventing disease. In 2025 he co-founded P4Bios a peptide drug company that plans transform the pharmaceutical industry. He is currently advocating a continuation of the Human Genome Project termed the Human Phenome Initiative to catalyze a Healthcare for individuals of Wellness and Prevention. Dr. Hood has received national and international awards including the Lasker Award (1987), the Koyto Prize (2006), the National Medical of Science (2011) and the Michael Sela Prize for Biomedicine (2025). He has co-authored text books in biochemistry, immunology, cell biology, genetics and systems biology and medicine. He has co-authored two popular books, The Code of Codes (1991) and the Age of Scientific Wellness ((2023).

Dr. Julio Montaner is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is a graduate of the Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires (1973) and received his Medical Degree with Honors from the University of Buenos Aires (1979). In 1981, Dr. Montaner joined the University of British Columbia (UBC) at St. Paul’s Hospital (SPH) where he completed his training in Internal Medicine and Respiratory Medicine. While in training, he led several clinical studies that demonstrated the role of adjunctive corticosteroids in Pneumocystis-related respiratory failure in the setting of AIDS. In 1988, he became the Director of the AIDS Research Program and the Immunodeficiency Clinic at SPH/UBC. Since then, he focused his research in the development of antiretroviral therapies and management strategies. In the mid 90’s, as the Principal Investigator of the INCAS Trial, he played a key role in establishing the efficacy of NNRTI based highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), which emerged as the new global Standard of Care at the 1996 Vancouver International AIDS Conference, of which he was a co-organizer. He then focused his attention to HAART access to hard-to-reach populations, including injection drug users, and the treatment of multiple drug resistant HIV infection with great success. Since the late 90’s he also pioneered the concept of Treatment as Prevention® (TasP®). He was the first to advocate for the expansion of HAART coverage to curb the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, in terms of decreasing progression to AIDS and death, as well as decreasing HIV transmission. Largely through his efforts, TasP® has now been implemented with great success in BC, and progressively embraced by UNAIDS, China, PEPfAR, the US Government, and France, among others. In 2013 TasP® was fully incorporated in the WHO Consolidated ARV Guidelines.

Dr. Montaner is a Professor of Medicine at UBC and has held the Endowed Chair in AIDS Research at SPH/UBC since 1996. In 2016, he was honoured with a Killam Professorship at UBC. He is a founding Co-Director of the Canadian HIV Trials Network. He is the Executive Director and Physician-in-Chief of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. He was the President of the International AIDS Society from 2008 to 2010. He was the founding head of the academic Division of AIDS for a decade in the Department of Medicine at UBC (2007-2017).

Dr. Montaner has authored over 1000 scientific publications on HIV/AIDS and related conditions. In 2008, he received the inaugural Avant-Garde Award of $2.5 million over five years, from the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to support his project entitled “Seek and Treat for Optimal Outcomes and Prevention in HIV & AIDS in IDU (STOP HIV/AIDS)”. In September 2009, he was the recipient of the $100,000 Knowledge Translation Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health (CIHR) and, in November 2009, he was inducted into the Royal Society of Canada-The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences (RSC). Founded in 1882, the RSC, consisting of distinguished Canadian scholars, artists and scientists, is Canada’s senior and most prestigious scholarly organization. In 2010, he received the Prix Galien Award, the Order of BC as well as the Albert Einstein World of Science Award. In 2012, he was the recipient of the Grand Decoration of Honour for Services to Austria, the Hope is a Vaccine Award from the Global Alliance to Immunize against AIDS, and The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for contributions to the field of HIV/AIDS. In 2013, he received the award “Senador Domingo Faustino Sarmiento” from the Argentina Senate of the Nation presented to him by the Honorable Amado Boudou, Vice President of Argentina, and the Honorable Maria Laura Leguizamon, Senator of Buenos Aires. Dr. Montaner has received four Doctor of Science-honoris causa degrees (Simon Fraser University, Cordoba University, University of Buenos Aires, and Universidad del Salvador), as well as being an honorary fellow at Douglas College. From 2014 to 2017, he held the position of Special Advisor on HIV Therapeutics to the Executive Director of the United Nations AIDS Programme. In 2015, he received the David Barry DART Achievement Award that is given in recognition of invaluable contributions to the field of HIV drug discovery and he is a Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Laureate and Officer of the Order of Canada. In 2016, he was recognized with the Profile Award-Argentinian Intelligence, Science and Technology category and one of the 10 most influential Hispanic Canadians by the Canadian Hispanic Business Alliance. He is the recipient of the Killam Prize in Health Sciences by the Canada Council for the Arts, one of five scholars awarded the prize which honours Canadian researchers and scientists whose lifetime of work has impacted Canadians and citizens around the world, and the CIHR Gold Leaf Prize for Impact on behalf of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS for the organization’s 25 years of providing care and treatment for those living with HIV, education health professions, and promoting evidence-based policy to protect people from the virus. In 2019, he received the Senate 150th Anniversary Medal for his exemplary leadership and lifelong contributions to improving the health and lives of British Columbians.

In September 2020, Dr. Montaner was included, along with Drs. James Till and Ernest McCulloch, Dr. Bruce Chown, Dr. M. Vera Peters and Dr. Balfour Mount, in Canada Post’s “Medical Groundbreakers” five-stamp set to honour the life-saving contributions of some of Canada’s most respected health care researchers.

Announced on August 31, 2022, Dr. Montaner’s accomplishments and dedication to health sciences was recognized as he was elected as a Fellow into the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, one of the highest honours for individuals in the Canadian health sciences community.

Dom Spiers is a seasoned enterprise technology executive and speaker with deep
expertise in cybersecurity, AI, and cloud transformation. Currently at Wiz, Dom helps Public Sector organization secure innovation at scale by aligning cutting-edge cloud security strategies with business outcomes. Prior to this, he held roles at Dataminr, a world-leading AI company, where he supported mission-critical operations through real-time event detection powered by artificial intelligence. With a track record of advising C-level leaders, Dom brings a unique perspective on how technology, security, and AI intersect to drive enterprise resilience and agility.

Dr. Alan Rabinowitz received his medical degree from the University of Cape Town, South
Africa, completed his internal medicine and cardiology training at the University of Toronto and undertook subsequent training in interventional cardiology at St Paul’s Hospital, University of British Columbia.

He was formerly Director of the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at St Paul’s Hospital and is currently a cardiologist and Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of Cardiology at St Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, University of British Columbia and an associate member of the Centre for Heart Lung Innovation at St Paul’s Hospital/UBC.

He has held numerous roles in both public and private healthcare entities globally.

Stemming from his term as President of the Medical Staff Association at Providence Health Care in Vancouver, he has had various advisory positions on the New St Paul’s Hospital and Health Campus Redevelopment Project.

He is a member of the CORE of the Rural Coordination Centre of BC, which coordinates healthcare on behalf of the citizens of rural and remote British Columbia and collaborates on developing clinical solutions driven from the grassroots within a framework of holistic wellness.

Past and present roles in the realm of data driven healthcare include an advisory role to the CEO of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada on system change and implementation science, membership on the Canadian Cardiovascular Society AI Advisory Committee and co-authorship on manuscripts in computational biology as well as on the specifications for a data trust in Canada. He is a member of the UBC data science and health research excellence cluster and a research fellow in the School of Data Science and Computational Thinking at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Dr Rabinowitz has also been at the forefront of numerous entrepreneurial initiatives all aimed at harnessing exponential technologies to effect paradigm shifts on behalf of the collective, within a model of public-private partnership. He is newly the Chief Medical Officer and Director of Medical Partnerships for AIML Innovations, a Canadian company that has developed a neural network just released commercially that incorporates a foundational signal optimization engine for real-world physiological data. The initial focus for the group is on improving diagnostic yield from cardiac waveform in the clinical space and optimizing analytic yield in the context of iterative research and innovation. Thereafter, the algorithm will be applied to modalities in the cardiovascular space other than waveform such as cardiac ultrasound and imaging, and as well to the same modalities in areas other than cardiovascular, such as the neurosciences, with the ultimate goal of integrating multiple sensory inputs to contribute insight into the human form.

Dr. Silke Appel-Cresswell is a movement disorder neurologist and Associate Professor for Medicine/Neurology at UBC, where she holds the Marg Meikle Professorship for Research in Parkinson’s disease and directs the Pacific Parkinson’s Research Centre and the UBC Movement Disorders Clinic. Her research focusses on the role of the microbiome and nutrition in Parkinson’s disease and related brain disorders, lifestyle interventions as well as non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s. She leads numerous clinical trials and is passionate about the improvement of care delivery in movement disorders.

She is the co-founding director of the BC Brain Wellness Program, is a member of the International Movement Disorder Society Taskforce on Wellness and has previously served as the president of the Canadian Movement Disorder Society and the Director of the Canadian Residents Course for Movement Disorders. She received the UBC Killam Prize for Excellence in Teaching in 2023, the UBC Honorary Medical Alumni Award in 2024 and the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2025.

Dr. Kim Connelly is a Cardiologist and Scientist who is both nationally recognized as an expert in echocardiography, cardiovascular MRI and the impact of diabetes upon cardiac function and ventricular remodeling. Dr. Connelly runs a basic research laboratory at the Keenan Research Centre at St. Michael’s Hospital where he focuses upon basic mechanisms of disease – primarily around the role of pathological extracellular matrix accumulation with a focus upon translating discoveries into therapies in humans.

He has an H-index of 66 and i10-index of 216 (Google scholar), and his work has been cited >15103 times, with publications in journals such as the NEJM, Circulation, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Circulation Research, Diabetes, Cell Metabolism and Lancet Endocrinology and Diabetes. His work is diverse covering clinical guidelines statements, clinical trials, and preclinical studies along the themes of ventricular remodeling, diabetes, magnetic resonance imaging and echocardiography. He is a member of the editorial board of various journals such as The Canadian Journal of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Diabetology. He has received funding from the Heart and Stroke Foundation Canada, CIHR, Canadian Foundation of Innovation, Ministry of Ontario and industry sources, totally >$5.4 million as principal investigator. As a co-investigator, he has been part of >$20 million in funding, from the Ministry of Ontario, HSF, CIHR, CFI, and industry sources.

Dr. Connelly has been recognised for his contributions to science by being awarded a HSF clinician scientist award, a CIHR New Investigator Award, an Early Researcher Award from the Ministry of Ontario, the SC Verma award and the Insulin 100 emerging leader award to celebrate 100 years since the discovery of insulin at University of Toronto, as well as Canadian Cardiovascular Congress YIA 2012. He is past chair of the Canadian Cardiovascular guideline and was chair of the macrovascular complication section for Diabetes Canada CPG 2018.

Nicholas “Nico” Preston, PhD, is a data scientist and paramedic with expertise in health, technology, and innovation. He is passionate about leveraging emerging technologies to inform resilient approaches to health access, equity, and delivery. Nico has worked across sectors, health systems, and complex emergencies, from epidemics to natural disasters. He is currently the Chief Data Scientist for the Rural Coordination Centre of British Columbia (RCCbc), Data Scientist with Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), and an Adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC).

Affiliations: RCCbc, PHSA, & UBC
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nico-preston/

Dr. May Siksik is the CEO of Innovation Network Global, an organization dedicated to transforming impactful technologies into scalable, commercialized solutions that deliver measurable value. Formerly the CTO at Deep Tech Canada and leading business development and commercialization at the Quantum Algorithms Institute, Dr. Siksik has been focused on advancing both Canada’s and the global innovation ecosystem.

Her contributions include founding the Healthcare Without Borders initiative, which harness AI and quantum-enabled technologies to develop a Personalized Health Information System, supporting Canada’s National Research Council’s Applied Quantum Computing Challenge Program, and delivering transformative solutions for Indigenous communities.

Dr. Siksik is Co-Lead of the United Nations IGF Dynamic Coalition on Emerging Tech Governance & Certification, shaping policies for the responsible adoption of quantum computing, AI, blockchain, and other emerging tech. She is widely recognized for her ability to unite diverse stakeholders – including industry, academia, communities, and policymakers – to accelerate the adoption of quantum technologies. Her results-driven and holistic approach to innovation ensures that these technologies create meaningful, measurable benefits for society, industry, and underserved communities alike.

Teresa Hardisty graduated with high honors from University of California San Diego Medical School where she also completed her pediatric residency and chief residency. A third-generation woman physician, she has been practicing primary prevention at Sharp Rees Stealy Medical Group in general pediatrics for 39 years and became board certified in lifestyle medicine six years ago.

Dr Hardisty is passionate about using the body’s inner wisdom to heal and thrive as a physician educator, lifestyle medicine consultant, and wellbeing champion at Sharp HealthCare in San Diego, California. Representing Sharp HealthCare, she is a founding member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine Health Systems Council and currently is developing a lifestyle medicine program for an inpatient addiction hospital as part of her work with the ACLM Innovators Council.

Dr. Hardisty is a co-author of the book How Healers Heal. She is also Affiliated Faculty at Point Loma Nazarene University and the mother of 4 amazing children.

Dr. Zachary Laksman is a cardiac electrophysiologist and cardiogenetecist at St. Paul’s Hospital and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine and the School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of British Columbia. His work focuses on genomics, artificial intelligence, stem cell disease modeling, and personalized medicine. Dr. Laksman is currently the Director of Innovation at the UBC Division of Cardiology and a founder and Chief Medical Officer for mytrials.ai

Kirsten Bartels is a genetic counsellor working as Lead, Provincial Clinical Initiatives at Cardiac Services BC supporting the planning and implementation of cardiovascular genetics clinical services in British Columbia. For more than a decade, she has worked in both clinical and research genetic counselling roles in the field of cardiovascular genetics and is a clinical instructor for the Genetic Counselling Training Program at the University of British Columbia.

Dr. Anna Lehman is an associate professor of Medical Genetics at the University of British Columbia, and medical director of the Adult Metabolic Diseases Clinic at Vancouver General Hospital. Her research program identifies new genetic causes of rare disease and supports translation of new genomic technologies into clinical care.

Dr. Sanatani obtained his MD from UBC in 1993, completed a Pediatric Residency at Queen’s University and a Pediatric Cardiology fellowship at UBC with advanced training in cardiac electrophysiology at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children and UBC. Dr. Sanatani joined the faculty as the Director of Cardiac Pacing and Electrophysiology at BC Children’s Hospital in 2001. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2008 and full Professor of Pediatrics in 2017. Dr. Sanatani assumed the role of Division Head and Medical Director of the Children’s Heart Centre in 2015, a position he filled for just under 10 years. He remains the Section Head of the Heart Rhythm Service.

Dr. Sanatani’s academic focus includes sudden unexpected death in the young, the autonomic nervous system, as well as supraventricular arrhythmias in the pediatric population.

Dr. Martin Dawes is a world expert in primary care who combines research and clinical practice with over 30 years of experience. Following the completion of his PhD, he helped develop a Masters program in Evidence Based Health Care. He has directed the UK Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine in Oxford and was the head of family practice at McGill University and the University of British Columbia. He is the co-founder and scientific director  of GenXys, a medication decision support software company.

Noah Crampton MD CCFP MSc is a clinician investigator at the Toronto Western Family Health Team, and has combined in expertise in primary care research and health informatics to spin out his research into one of Canada’s leading AI scribe vendors, Mutuo Health Solutions. Mutuo’s flagship product AutoScribe is now embedded in almost all of Canada’s top EMRs.

Dustin Doan is the Head of Engineering at MyHealthspan, a preventative health company focused on empowering Canadians to own their health through at-home testing and AI-driven coaching. He leads the company’s AI Strategy, technical architecture, and product development. A 20-year veteran of Canadian healthcare IT and a graduate of the University of Waterloo, Dustin was an early-stage engineer for foundational tools like the Practice Solutions EMR and the OceanMD suite. He is passionate about using AI to enhance patient outcomes, improve the “Health IQ” of all Canadians, and make preventative care more engaging and accessible.

Dr. Bernard Esquivel is a Harvard-trained physician-scientist, clinical immunologist, and health tech executive with more than 15 years of experience driving innovation in precision medicine, genomics, and digital health. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of GenXys, a health technology company specializing in AI-powered platforms that optimize prescribing, improve medication access, and streamline clinical workflows.

Dr. Esquivel received advanced training and specialization from Harvard University in the application of artificial intelligence in healthcare and in regulatory frameworks for prescription drug development and approval. He has served as Chief Medical Officer at leading organizations, including ixlayer, a San Francisco-based health tech platform, and OneOme, a Mayo Clinic subsidiary, and is the founder of Personalized Lifesciences Consulting Inc., advising health tech, biotech, and digital health ventures across global markets.

He serves as Co-Chair of the Global Genomic Medicine Collaborative (G2MC), President and Co-Founder of the Latin American Association of Personalized Medicine (ALAMP), and founding member of the PGRN -Pharmacogenomics Research Network. He is also a Senior Editor for the NIH’s National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Genetic Summaries Guidelines. Dr. Esquivel sits on multiple boards and serves as a strategic advisor to several health technology organizations around the world. His work continues to focus on translating scientific advances into scalable, patient-centered solutions that improve access, equity, and outcomes across healthcare systems.

John Tse is a nationally recognized pharmacy executive, healthcare innovator, and the current Vice President of Commercialization at Light AI, a Canadian medical technology company specializing in AI-powered diagnostics for respiratory infections. With over 25 years of leadership experience in pharmacy operations, public health innovation, and digital health strategy, John brings deep expertise in bridging clinical needs with scalable, technology-driven solutions.

John’s extensive background includes executive leadership at London Drugs, where he was responsible for expanding healthcare services across community pharmacy locations, championing innovations in patient care, and operationalizing new clinical services. His practical experience in frontline care delivery, retail health operations, and pharmacist-led health programs uniquely positions him to lead the commercialization of Light AI’s diagnostic platform across pharmacies, clinics, travel health, and long-term care settings.

In addition to his work with Light AI, John is the Founder of 36Eight Technologies, the company behind C/R/I/S (Cannabis Recognition and Intelligent Support), an AI-driven clinical platform designed to help healthcare professionals navigate cannabinoid therapy. The tool supports personalized product selection, drug–cannabis interaction screening, dosing guidance, and titration monitoring—reflecting John’s commitment to integrating emerging therapeutics into mainstream care through safe, evidence-based frameworks.

John has received multiple national awards for his contributions to pharmacy and healthcare innovation, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the BC Pharmacy Association and the Len Marks Pharmacy Advancement Award from the Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada. At Health Summit 2025, John will contribute to the AI panel with insights into how artificial intelligence can accelerate access to care, enhance diagnostic precision, and support responsible innovation across the healthcare ecosystem.

Dr. Robert Fraser is the President and CSO of Molecular You, a digital health company delivering molecular-level personalized health insights and action plans. Dr. Fraser has been at the forefront of developing the framework and technologies to bring personalized medicine into healthcare practice. He is the co-founder of The Personalized Medicine Initiative (PMI), GenXys Health Care Systems, Personalized Biomarkers Incorporated, Mesentech Corporation and Novobind. Dr. Fraser has led drug discovery and development projects at Sanofi, Xenon, Neuromed and CDRD and has been involved in raising of more than $37M in funding. He completed his Ph.D. in the molecular mechanisms of endocrinology at the University of Alberta and Harvard Medical School and Post-Doctoral Fellowships at Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto and IGBMC, Strasbourg France.

Dr. Robert Fraser is the President and CSO of Molecular You, a digital health company delivering molecular-level personalized health insights and action plans. Dr. Fraser has been at the forefront of developing the framework and technologies to bring personalized medicine into healthcare practice. He is the co-founder of The Personalized Medicine Initiative (PMI), GenXys Health Care Systems, Personalized Biomarkers Incorporated, Mesentech Corporation and Novobind. Dr. Fraser has led drug discovery and development projects at Sanofi, Xenon, Neuromed and CDRD and has been involved in raising of more than $37M in funding. He completed his Ph.D. in the molecular mechanisms of endocrinology at the University of Alberta and Harvard Medical School and Post-Doctoral Fellowships at Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto and IGBMC, Strasbourg France.

Bringing more than 35 years of experience in healthcare-related industries, Dianne currently serves as the Senior Vice President of the Government Division at Alberta Blue Cross. With a strong track record of establishing strategic and innovative partnerships, she is known for challenging the norm rather than moving with it, both at work and in her community. This coupled with her natural intuition and curiosity has led to groundbreaking initiatives in support of improved health and wellness outcomes for the communities she serves.

Dianne works closely with senior government officials—both provincial and across Canada—and a broad sector of the health industry including, pharmaceutical and medical, to foster effective working relationships. Focused on delivering quality results coupled with strong leadership, Dianne is highly engaged as both a director and board chair for various organizations and foundations. Dianne is currently actively serving as a board director for The Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation, the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute and Edmonton Health Cities.

Dianne strives to make a positive difference in peoples’ lives. With her certification as an Executive Coach through Royal Roads University, she works to inspire and empower individuals to tackle challenges with gusto and to never accept anything less than incredible as an outcome. She looks forward to an engaging dialogue with you.

Dr. Penny Ballem was appointed the Interim President and CEO of PHSA in April 2025. Prior to that she served as Chair of the Board of VCH from 2019-2025.

Dr. Ballem is a clinical professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. She has had a 40-year career as a health leader and academic clinician in British Columbia. She served as the B.C. deputy minister of health from 2001-06. She also served as the city manager for the City of Vancouver from 2008-15. She advises governments across Canada on health policy, health systems and health human resources.

In January 2021 Dr Ballem was asked to lead the COVID vaccination program for the Province of BC which she oversaw up until June 2023. In January 2023, Dr. Ballem was appointed as a senior advisor to the Premier of BC on Health Systems.

Dr Ballem has received significant public recognition for her work in medicine and public service, including the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal and the King’s Coronation Medal for Public Service, the 2012 Wallace Wilson Award from UBC for leadership in medicine, the Marion Powell Award from Women’s College Hospital for leadership in Women’s Health, the Cannell Award from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada for her contributions to leadership in reproductive health and others. In June 2022 she received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Simon Fraser University. In August 2023 she was named as a recipient of the Order of BC.

Teresa Hardisty graduated with high honors from University of California San Diego Medical School where she also completed her pediatric residency and chief residency. A third-generation woman physician, she has been practicing primary prevention at Sharp Rees Stealy Medical Group in general pediatrics for 39 years and became board certified in lifestyle medicine six years ago.

Dr Hardisty is passionate about using the body’s inner wisdom to heal and thrive as a physician educator, lifestyle medicine consultant, and wellbeing champion at Sharp HealthCare in San Diego, California. Representing Sharp HealthCare, she is a founding member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine Health Systems Council and currently is developing a lifestyle medicine program for an inpatient addiction hospital as part of her work with the ACLM Innovators Council.

Dr. Hardisty is a co-author of the book How Healers Heal. She is also Affiliated Faculty at Point Loma Nazarene University and the mother of 4 amazing children.

In addition to her role at WHC Danika holds chair and expert advisor roles with the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs, Healthcities, and the Commonwealth Businesswomen’s Network. Danika co-founded My Normative, a health research platform that specializes in working with innovators to disrupt the sex and gender data gap. For the past 15+ years she’s worked globally focusing on health equity advancement —winning awards and recognition from Telus and The Future of Good, DMZ Woman of the Year, FemTech Analytics, Femtech Focus, and more.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danika-kelly-wellness/

Loreen Wales is a registered dietitian, entrepreneur, and founder of Revive Wellness and My Viva Inc.

Loreen began her career at the University Hospital in Edmonton, where she spent a decade caring for patients. During this time, she witnessed firsthand how poor health habits and diets led to preventable chronic conditions. This experience fueled her passion for shifting healthcare toward prevention.

In 2006, she founded Revive Wellness, a practice dedicated to empowering people to take charge of their mental, physical, and nutritional health. As demand for the unique, evidence-based approach grew, Loreen recognized the need to scale its impact. This led to My Viva Plan®, a digital health program that automates personalized patient care plans, making preventive healthcare accessible to anyone, anywhere.

With 27 years in public healthcare, Loreen is a recognized leader in digital health innovation. Her advocacy for integrating technology into clinical care has earned national recognition, including an invitation from the Canadian government to represent Canada at a smart health conference hosted by the Eureka Consortium.

Loreen holds a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Alberta and a Nutrition Internship at the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

David Eby is a determined problem-solver who has spent a lifetime taking on powerful interests.

As Premier of B.C., David is taking action on big challenges. He’s standing up to speculators to deliver more homes people can afford. He’s working to ease the pressure of everyday costs, from car insurance to childcare bills. And he’s strengthening health care by building hospitals and hiring more doctors.

Under David’s leadership, B.C. is an economic leader—with the lowest unemployment rate and some of the fastest growing wages in Canada.

Alongside John Horgan, David got the influence of big money out of politics, cracked down on money laundering, took on opioid manufacturers, and reduced car insurance rates.

David is an award-winning lawyer. He started his career on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, defending the homes of low-income people from big developers.

David remains grounded in the middle-class values he grew up with. He is a proud husband and father with three children, Ezra, Iva, and Gwen. He loves playing with his kids and hanging out with his wife Cailey, a family doctor in Vancouver.

Dr. Penny Ballem was appointed the Interim President and CEO of PHSA in April 2025. Prior to that she served as Chair of the Board of VCH from 2019-2025.

Dr. Ballem is a clinical professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. She has had a 40-year career as a health leader and academic clinician in British Columbia. She served as the B.C. deputy minister of health from 2001-06. She also served as the city manager for the City of Vancouver from 2008-15. She advises governments across Canada on health policy, health systems and health human resources.

In January 2021 Dr Ballem was asked to lead the COVID vaccination program for the Province of BC which she oversaw up until June 2023. In January 2023, Dr. Ballem was appointed as a senior advisor to the Premier of BC on Health Systems.

Dr Ballem has received significant public recognition for her work in medicine and public service, including the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal and the King’s Coronation Medal for Public Service, the 2012 Wallace Wilson Award from UBC for leadership in medicine, the Marion Powell Award from Women’s College Hospital for leadership in Women’s Health, the Cannell Award from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada for her contributions to leadership in reproductive health and others. In June 2022 she received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Simon Fraser University. In August 2023 she was named as a recipient of the Order of BC.

Dr. Darryl Knight brings over 20 years’ experience as an academic leader and medical researcher to Providence Health Care (PHC). He obtained his PhD from the University of Western Australia in 1993. In 2004, he was recruited to the University of British Columbia (UBC) and PHC as the Canada Research Chair in Airway Disease. He was recruited back to Australia in 2013 as Head, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy at the University of Newcastle, before being recruited back to Canada in 2019 as Vice President, Research and Academic Affairs, Providence Health Care, President, Providence Health Care Research Institute, Associate Dean, Research, Faculty of Medicine, UBC and Visiting Professor, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Dr. Knight’s research career has focused on understanding how abnormal epithelial cell-fibroblast interactions influence the severity and chronicity of respiratory diseases and impact on treatment. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters (h-factor 73; 15,750 citations) and is co-inventor on 13 patents. He has a strong track record of obtaining research grant funding (>$25M) and been primary supervisor for seven post-doctoral fellows, 17 PhD and two MSc students and 20 Graduate students. He sits on several journal editorial boards as well as the board of Research Canada. Dr. Knight is passionate about building teams and networks to solve complex health related problems.

Nathalie LeVasseur is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. She received her medical degree and completed her internal medicine residency at the University of Ottawa. She subsequently pursued a residency in medical oncology at the University of British Columbia and served as chief resident before completing a breast cancer clinical and research fellowship at the BC Cancer Agency.

Dr. LeVasseur is the current chair of Breast Systemic Therapy in BC, the chair of the Breast Cancer Clinical Trials Unit in Vancouver and serves on the Canadian Cancer Trials Group Investigational New Drug Executive Committee, the BC Personalized Oncogenomics Steering Committee and the US NCI Breast Cancer Steering Committee BIO Task Force. Her research focus is in the development of personalized oncology. Additionally, the improvement of patient outcomes and survivorship is an area of ongoing research interest.

Dr. LeVasseur is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. She has received academic achievement awards including a Conquer Cancer ASCO Merit Award, NOYCIA Award, Coltman Scholars Award and GRASP patient advocate choice award.

Dr. Sutcliffe is a clinical oncologist, no longer in clinical practice. He graduated from St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, University of London (1970) and trained in internal medicine, scientific research, medical and radiation oncology in the UK, South Africa, US and Canada.

He is President of Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration (2009-to date), a volunteer-based non-profit Society bridging disparities in cancer control between the higher and lesser-resourced worlds. Formerly, he was President and CEO of the Ontario Cancer Institute/ Princess Margaret Hospital (1994-96), the BC Cancer Agency (2000-09), Chair of the Governing Council of the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control, inaugural vice-chair and past-Chair of its’ federally-funded successor, the Canadian Partnership against Cancer (2007-2012).

Past and current roles include government-funded institutions, non -governmental organizations, private sector companies, charitable foundations and international cancer control networks.

Mary is a visionary healthcare executive with 20 years of diverse senior management experience within the British Columbia provincial healthcare network, including 6 years as the CEO of Vancouver Coastal Health. She is known as a tireless advocate working to accelerate the transformation of the Canadian healthcare system into a modern and sustainable service. Mary served as an executive leader in the regionalization of British Columbia health services since its inception in 2000 and has deep experience in leveraging the benefits of integration to improve health outcomes and reduce costs. Mary possesses a proven talent for both strategic development and tactical execution that spans strategy, operations, financial and facilities management, and organizational transformation.

She has led healthcare innovation in both the clinical and technology realms by paying particular attention to the systems and culture required to drive change. She was one of two CEO co-leads responsible for implementing, at the time, the largest cross-organizational clinical software implementation in Canada. Additionally, she has a career history of success in working closely with physicians, varied health professions and frontline personnel to achieve sustained improvements in patient outcomes.

Mary has held successive executive leadership roles at Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health. She also served as Associate Deputy Minister and Innovation Executive in Residence at the BC Ministry of Health and Executive Advisor within the healthcare practice of Deloitte Canada. Prior to her career in healthcare, she spent 9 years leading operations at INSEAD business school in France, and 5 years in high tech manufacturing as a plant manager in the United States. Mary’s passion and expertise in system change began with her two degrees in Industrial Engineering (B.S. and M.S.) from West Virginia University and her MBA from Harvard University.

Mary has served on many healthcare and social purpose Boards including Vancouver Foundation, Telus Community, Michael Smith Foundation, Genome BC, and Street to Home, among others. She was named one of Canada’s Top 25 CEOs by Glassdoor in 2019 and one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women in 2013 and 2014.

Diane Finegood is a Professor and Fellow in the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University where she teaches in the Semester in Dialogue. Her career has spanned a broad range of disciplines and leadership roles. She served as President & CEO of the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, Executive Director of the Canadian Health Services and Policy Research Alliance and inaugural Scientific Director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes. Diane is internationally recognized with scholarly work in a range of disciplines including pathogenesis of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, application of mathematical modeling to physiological systems, cross sector partnership, knowledge mobilization, systems thinking and complex adaptive systems.

Stephen Samis has close to 30 years’ experience in health and health care, advancing evidence-informed health policy and population health to improve health systems and the health of Canadians.

Stephen is currently President, Samis Health Policy Consulting Inc. and works with a variety of clients on health and social policy issues, leadership development and evidence-informed decision making in the health and social sectors. He was Deputy Minister, Health and Social Services, Government of Yukon from 2017 to 2022. Before this, Stephen spent seventeen years in Ottawa where he worked in progressively senior roles for national health-related organizations including the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement (now Healthcare Excellence Canada), the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

Stephen is currently Co-Chair of the Appropriate Use Advisory Committee for the Canada Drug Agency and Senior Policy Advisor for the Canadian Health Leadership Network. He is active on a number of Committees and Boards, including the Alberta Primary Care Advisory Committee; the Alberta Primary Care Alliance; Alberta Innovates’ AI Advisory Committee; is Board Chair of Imagine Citizens’ Network (Alberta), and is member of the Board of Directors, Alberta Blue Cross. Stephen holds an Adjunct Faculty appointment in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary.

Stephen began his career in British Columbia, where he worked on strategic research, evaluation and policy initiatives at the community level and with the BC Ministry of Health, with a focus on HIV/AIDS and population health.

He has a Master’s degree in Sociology from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. He is based in Edmonton, Alberta.

Diane Finegood is a Professor and Fellow in the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University where she teaches in the Semester in Dialogue. Her career has spanned a broad range of disciplines and leadership roles. She served as President & CEO of the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, Executive Director of the Canadian Health Services and Policy Research Alliance and inaugural Scientific Director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes. Diane is internationally recognized with scholarly work in a range of disciplines including pathogenesis of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, application of mathematical modeling to physiological systems, cross sector partnership, knowledge mobilization, systems thinking and complex adaptive systems.

Dr. Jehannine Austin is Executive director of the BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services Research Institute, and is a Professor in Psychiatry & Medical Genetics at the University of British Columbia. Jehannine is a board certified genetic counsellor and their research work involves studying the impact of genetic counselling for people with psychiatric disorders and their families. They founded the world’s first specialist psychiatric genetic counselling service that has won an award for its impact on patient outcomes, and in addition to peer-reviewed publications, has written a book, and won awards for teaching, leadership, and research. Together with Prof. Stirling Bryan, Jehannine is co-PI of a Genome Canada/Genome BC/MSFHR funded project that is exploring the health economics of pharmacogenetic testing for depression in BC. Jehannine is a member of the College of the Royal Society of Canada, and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

Dr. Kendall Ho’s academic and research interests fall into the domain of technology-enabled knowledge translation (TEKT) – the use of information technologies to accelerate the incorporation of the latest health evidence into routine practice. Specific directions within TEKT include telehealth, information and communication technologies (ICT) and patient safety, ICT and public engagement, and evidence-based policy translation in eHealth.

Mark Blandford was appointed President and CEO of Providence Living in November 2022. From September 2020 to March 2025, he served as Vice President, Seniors Care, Clinical & Operations at Providence Health Care.

Mark is a Registered Occupational Therapist who also holds a master’s degree in leadership from Royal Roads University. Mark has worked clinically in a wide variety of settings in the UK, Nova Scotia and on Vancouver Island. These include geriatrics, acute medicine, rehabilitation as well as community and long-term care. His past leadership roles have included Director of Development at the non-profit Beacon Community Services, as well as senior management roles in Island Health Authority’s LTC, Seniors Health and Home & Community Care programs.

In early 2014, Mark was appointed as Deputy Seniors Advocate with the newly created provincial Office of the Seniors Advocate for British Columbia. In 2016, Mark was appointed the Director of Clinical Operations at Victoria General Hospital, and subsequently became the Executive Director for Seniors Health and Primary Care for Island Health, where he was the operational and strategic lead for the long-term care (LTC) COVID-19 response for the 6,000 LTC beds as well as the 900 unit assisted living portfolio. Mark was also the strategic lead for the Island Health seniors care and community care strategy and its Palliative and End of Life program.

Dr. Courtney Genge is a health services and policy researcher with a special interest in supporting older adults. She holds a PhD in Dementia studies from the University of Bradford where her work focused on improving the quality and safety of emergency department care for people living with dementia. She has worked extensively on innovative models of care, technology augmented care, and health system transformation both in Canada and the UK. Dr. Genge currently serves as Program Advisor for the National Research Council of Canada’s Aging in Place Challenge Program. The program aims to develop new technologies, and catalyze adoption of innovative solutions that support and empower older adults and caregivers to age in place.

Gloria Gutman, PhD is Vice-President of the International Society for Gerontechnology, Past-President of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics, International Network for Prevention of Elder Abuse and served two terms as President of the Canadian Association on Gerontology. She is co-editor (with Andrew Sixsmith) of Technologies for Active Aging (Springer, 2013) and has published widely on seniors housing, long-term care, health promotion, prevention of elder abuse, and seniors and disasters. She established the Gerontology Research Centre and Department of Gerontology at Simon Fraser University and is recipient of many honors and awards, including the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest non-military award.

Dr. Robert Fraser is the President and CSO of Molecular You, a digital health company delivering molecular-level personalized health insights and action plans. Dr. Fraser has been at the forefront of developing the framework and technologies to bring personalized medicine into healthcare practice. He is the co-founder of The Personalized Medicine Initiative (PMI), GenXys Health Care Systems, Personalized Biomarkers Incorporated, Mesentech Corporation and Novobind. Dr. Fraser has led drug discovery and development projects at Sanofi, Xenon, Neuromed and CDRD and has been involved in raising of more than $37M in funding. He completed his Ph.D. in the molecular mechanisms of endocrinology at the University of Alberta and Harvard Medical School and Post-Doctoral Fellowships at Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto and IGBMC, Strasbourg France.

Dr. Federica Di Palma holds a PhD in Immunogenetics from the University of Reading. With a career spanning over two decades, she is an expert in genomics and data science, noted for her profound international collaborations including seminal work with preeminent U.S. institutions such as the NIH, Harvard, and MIT, as well as pivotal contributions to UK and British Columbia’s scientific landscape. As the Chief Scientific Officer and Vice President of Research and Innovation at Genome BC in Vancouver, Canada, Dr. Di Palma continues to advance the frontiers of genomics forward. Her tenure at the Earlham Institute in the UK was marked by transformative leadership, notably steering the BBSRC’s core strategic program on food security and pioneering diverse research initiatives that harness cross-disciplinary synergies between computational and molecular biology to decode the complexities of living systems.

Federica is passionate about exploring and preserving biodiversity around the world. She has led expansive, multidisciplinary international research programs, particularly in Development Assistance Committee nations, forging strategic alliances, catalyzing capacity building in human capital and infrastructure, and adeptly bridging scientific insights with policy and industry for sustainable long term global impact. Her ongoing affiliation as a Professorial Fellow in Biodiversity at the University of East Anglia underscores her commitment to academic excellence and thought leadership.

Federica’s previous experience includes her roles as the Assistant Director, Vertebrate Genome Biology at the Broad Institute of Harvard, a Senior Research Scientist and Service Centre Manager at the Hubbard Centre for Genome Studies at the University of New Hampshire, Durham, and a Fogarty Fellow at the National Institutes of Health.

Jim Kean is a senior technology executive with an innovative career focused on making healthcare easier by pioneering disruptive consumer-oriented health, wellness, and fitness digital experiences. The consistent theme: creating user delight, loyalty, and retention while fundamentally re-engineering the cost of delivery.

Prior to joining Molecular You, Jim was initially General Manager of the Consumer Platform for Cambia Health; a Blue Cross Blue Shield insurer based out of Portland, OR. In this capacity he drove development of a next generation platform for omni-channel consumer engagement. Later he became General Manager of Value Management which focused on population health analytics.

Jim is Founder and former CEO of WellnessFx™ a venture backed San Francisco based company that made it easy and affordable for consumers to manage key areas of their healthcare lives by providing inexpensive, profile driven access to targeted health content, diagnostic and telehealth services, and HIPAA secure storage. January of 2013, the company was named 2012 Innovative Company of the Year by the Nutritional Business Journal. In December 2013 the company merged with Thorne Healthtech (THRN).

In 1995, Jim founded Sapient Health Network (SHN) which became the Consumer facing business of WebMD. As President of SHN, Jim pioneered the concept of online consumer health communities, building some of the largest and most loyal groups on the Web today. The company’s service was named one of the “Seven Best Websites of 1998” by Business Week. In 1999, SHN merged with WebMD and later Healtheon to form the current version of WebMD. SHN represented the consumer facing side of the merged companies. Today over 23 million consumers per month visit WebMD for health advice. After WebMD, Jim served as Entrepreneur in Residence with Alloy Ventures of Palo Alto.

Former Board Member of Portland Center Stage (PCS) – a highly regarded regional theatre. During his tenure as Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee, PCS achieved recognition for developing and opening the first Platinum LEED performing arts building. An avid outdoorsman, in 1999 he hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. Graduated 1984 from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR; MBA from Tuck School at Dartmouth in 1991. He enjoys the great outdoors and winter sports with his wife and three children.

Tim Murphy is a senior healthcare executive driven by a singular purpose: to make a positive difference in the health of families, friends, and communities.

With over 30 years of leadership experience, Tim has spearheaded initiatives that modernize healthcare systems, improve outcomes, and foster innovation. As Vice President of Health at Alberta Innovates, he advanced the adoption of data, technology, and patient-centered approaches, working closely with health tech companies and system stakeholders to create the conditions for innovation to thrive.

His earlier work includes leading the Movember Foundation’s expansion into mental health as a Second Cause Beneficiary in Canada and establishing the National Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Network, both of which continue to impact lives today. Tim also helped lead Alberta’s Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research, embedding patient and community voices into health research priorities.

Prior to Alberta Innovates, Tim served in senior leadership roles at the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, Princess Margaret Hospital, and the BC Cancer Agency. He also built a successful independent consulting practice supporting health research and innovation initiatives nationally.

Tim holds a Master of Health Administration (University of Toronto), a Master of Business Administration (Queen’s University), and is a Certified Professional Accountant (CPA). In 2023, he was recognized as Digital Health Canada’s Digital Health Executive of the Year.
Tim’s work continues to be guided by a commitment to drive transformation that improves lives.

Dr. Terri Petkau serves as the Director of Operations at Polymorphic Biosciences, where she oversees initiatives in drug delivery, gene therapy, and personalized medicine that bridge scientific discovery with translation into real-world applications. Terri completed her PhD in Genetics at the University of British Columbia, where her research focused on gene therapy approaches for neurodegenerative diseases. More recently, Terri has gained broad expertise in aging biology and its translation into clinical practice. Terri’s leadership reflects Polymorphic Biosciences’ commitment to transforming innovative research into actionable strategies, fostering collaborations to accelerate breakthroughs in personalized healthcare and longevity science.

Aleina Spigelman has a background as an infectious disease epidemiologist and a health policy professional, spending many years in the Canadian and BC health systems. She then moved to industry, where she has worked to advance policy and patient access agendas in vaccines, pharmaceuticals and, now, diagnostics. She joined Roche Diagnostics in 2019, where she works across the spectrum, supporting all the areas where diagnostics contribute to providing the right treatment for the right patient at the right time. She lives in BC with her partner and three children.

Dr. Sutcliffe is a clinical oncologist, no longer in clinical practice. He graduated from St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, University of London (1970) and trained in internal medicine, scientific research, medical and radiation oncology in the UK, South Africa, US and Canada.

He is President of Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration (2009-to date), a volunteer-based non-profit Society bridging disparities in cancer control between the higher and lesser-resourced worlds. Formerly, he was President and CEO of the Ontario Cancer Institute/ Princess Margaret Hospital (1994-96), the BC Cancer Agency (2000-09), Chair of the Governing Council of the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control, inaugural vice-chair and past-Chair of its’ federally-funded successor, the Canadian Partnership against Cancer (2007-2012).

Past and current roles include government-funded institutions, non -governmental organizations, private sector companies, charitable foundations and international cancer control networks.

Dr. Robert Fraser is the President and CSO of Molecular You, a digital health company delivering molecular-level personalized health insights and action plans. Dr. Fraser has been at the forefront of developing the framework and technologies to bring personalized medicine into healthcare practice. He is the co-founder of The Personalized Medicine Initiative (PMI), GenXys Health Care Systems, Personalized Biomarkers Incorporated, Mesentech Corporation and Novobind. Dr. Fraser has led drug discovery and development projects at Sanofi, Xenon, Neuromed and CDRD and has been involved in raising of more than $37M in funding. He completed his Ph.D. in the molecular mechanisms of endocrinology at the University of Alberta and Harvard Medical School and Post-Doctoral Fellowships at Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto and IGBMC, Strasbourg France.