Dr. Alan Low is a Primary Care Pharmacist and Pharmacy Lead at BioPro Biologics Pharmacy, a collaborative practice approach, focusing on patient centred care. He is also a Clinical Associate Professor in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC and an Instructor and Course Developer with the School of Health Sciences at the Justice Institute of BC (JIBC).

Convinced that pharmacists have much more to offer to the public and the healthcare system, Alan has led the development and implementation of provincial medication management projects in BC and Alberta as well as creating a novel model of community pharmacy practice where interprofessional collaboration is leveraged to improve patient health outcomes.

Within the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC, Dr. Low is one of the founders of the Faculty based Pharmacists Clinic and helped develop and lead the business case for the Pharmacists Clinic. He is the Course Coordinator for the Pharmacy Practice Management Course and Lecturer. In addition, he is also a Board Advisor with the GI Society and sits on the Medical Board of HealthChoicesFirst.com, a patient video education resource. Dr. Low has experience in a wide variety of health and administrative settings including direct patient care in the hospital and clinics, clinical and practice-based research, consultant in healthcare projects and clinical pharmaceutical consulting. He has held positions such as Clinical Pharmacist, Clinical Specialist, Pharmacotherapeutic Specialist within teaching hospitals, as well as Manager of Government Affairs and Medical Affairs, Medical Science Liaison, and Senior Health Sciences Advisor in the research-based pharmaceutical companies (Servier and P&G Pharmaceuticals) and Chief Operating Officer at Network Healthcare. Alan is a Certified Clinical Densitometrist (CCD), coauthored “The Osteoporosis Book, 4th Edition: Bone Health”, has numerous publications in scientific and health journals, newsletters, and is a founding co-editor of the Pharmacy Management in Canada textbook. Alan led the design, development, implementation and management of the Pharmacy Practice Model’s Initiative (PPMI) in Alberta as well as the design and implementation of the BC Medication Management Project (BCMMP), which are province-wide pharmacy demonstration projects funded by Provincial Ministries of Health.

Alan has been an active member and past participant on various committees (with the College of Pharmacists of BC, BC Pharmacy Association, Canadian Pharmacists Association, Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists, GI Society, etc). He has interests in the areas of, rheumatology, osteoporosis, gastroenterology, diabetes, and cardiology. Alan enjoys being involved in projects that improve health knowledge translation, healthcare delivery, medical health education and health outcomes research. Alan’s training includes a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, a Hospital Pharmacy Residency at St. Paul’s Hospital, and Doctorate of Pharmacy degree at UBC. He is frequently invited to speak at regional, national and international conferences. He strives to develop solutions to close gaps in health care working together with a variety of people.

Dr. Lori A. Orlando, MD MHS is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the Precision Medicine Program in the Center for Applied Genomics and Precision Medicine at Duke University. She attended Tulane Medical Center for both medical school (1994-1998) and Internal Medicine residency (1998-2000). There she finished AOA and received a number of awards for teaching and clinical care from the medical school and the residency programs, including the Musser-Burch-Puschett award in 2000 for academic excellence. After completing her residency, she served as Chief Medical Resident in Internal Medicine (2001) and then completed a Health Services Research Fellowship at Duke University Medical Center (2002-2004). In 2004 she also received her MHS from the Clinical Research Training Program at Duke University and joined the academic faculty at Duke. In 2005 she received the Milton W. Hamolsky Award for Outstanding Junior Faculty by the Society of General Internal Medicine. Her major research interests are decision making and patient preferences, implementation research, risk stratification for targeting preventive health services, and decision modeling. From 2004-2009 she worked with Dr. David Matchar in the Center for Clinical Heath Policy Research (CCHPR), where she specialized in decision modeling, decision making, and technology assessments. In 2009 she began working with Dr. Geoffrey Ginsburg in what is now the Center for Applied Genomics and Precision Medicine (CAGPM) and in 2014 she became the director of the Center’s Precision Medicine Program. Since joining the CAGPM she has been leading the development and implementation of MeTree, a patient-facing family health history based risk assessment and clinical decision support program designed to facilitate the uptake of risk stratified evidence-based guidelines. MeTree was designed to overcome the major barriers to collecting and using high quality family health histories to guide clinical care and has been shown to be highly effective when integrated into primary care practices. This effort started with the Genomic Medicine Model, a multi-institutional project, whose goal was to implement personalized medicine in primary care practices. The success of that project has led to funding as part of NHGRI’s IGNITE (Implementing Genomics in Clinical Practice) network. She is currently testing methods for integrating patient preferences and decision making processes into clinical decision support recommendations for patients and providers to facilitate management of patients’ risk for chronic disease using mHealth and other behavioral interventions.

Annemarie is Clinical Nurse Specialist in heart failure/transplant at St Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, Canada she holds a Masters degree in Clinical Nursing. Annemarie has over 30 years’ experience in cardiac nursing in Australia and Canada. She has authored and coauthored over 80 publications and is a recognized heart failure and transplant expert. She is an international leader in heart failure, mechanical support and transplant nursing, having participated in multiple guideline and consensus documents and led multiple groups and committees. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. Annemarie is an Adjunct Professor with University of British Columbia School of Nursing, a Certified Cardiovascular Nurse (Canada) and a Certified Clinical Transplant Nurse (USA).

Jennifer Beauregard is a self employed mother of 2 suffering from idiopathic cardiomyopathy, with LVAD installed late February 2019. She resides in beautiful Castlegar B.C. and operates a nail business called Just The Tips.

Sarah’s life journey took a change of course upon receiving a challenging diagnosis, then operation for a Meningioma brain tumor in 2017. Her recovery path now is giving back by blending her sales and public speaking background with her health technology experience, to help improve health outcomes for all. She has an unique understanding of what it is like to navigate the health system which provides her with important insights on the needs, preferences and values that are important to users of the system. She is Empowered to be the positive voice of the patient in partnering with healthcare initiatives. Possessing a one-of-a-kind form of expertise on her health condition and how the healthcare system is set up to address it. Through the sharing of her health care journey, her advisor/patient partnership role offers valuable insight on what healthcare does well and where we can make improvements.

She is also a mother to 3 very active and super resilient kids ages 11,14, 15. She considers herself an amazing wife to an exceptional husband for 20 years. As an enthusiastic athlete she is constantly rebuilding  and challenging her neuro pathways.   Her passion about the use of Technology to achieve better health outcomes for all is her strength.

Rob Nutter was born in 1958 and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 1996. Rob continued working until 2006 when he went on Long Term Disability. Rob was under the care of the pre-transplant team at St. Paul’s Hospital, being examined every 3 months. During this journey, he had an internal cardiac defibulater (ICD) installed.

In 2011 while at St. Paul’s having the ICD adjusted, Rob went into cardiac arrest and had a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) installed to keep him alive long enough for transplant. Unfortunately his kidneys also failed at this time and he slipped into a coma for approximately 60 days, spending 4 months in St. Paul’s and being placed on the transplant list.

Rob received a new heart and kidney on June 15th, 2013. One year after the transplant, he hiked the Grouse Grind in Vancouver with family and friends and continues to do well today.

Scott made his first appearance in Norfolk, VA, USA on August 17, 1951. He grew up in the Washington, D.C area and attended the Juilliard School in New York City from 1969-73, receiving his Bachelor of Music, French Horn, Cum Laude.

Scott joined the Horn section of the Toronto Symphony in 1973 and it was there onstage at Massey Hall that he met the love of his life, Audrey King, in the Cello section. Two children, Anna and Matthew, arrived in 1982 and 1985, respectively.

During the ‘90’s Scott built and sold du Chasse Wines & Spirits, an importing agency. In 1996 he was diagnosed with Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy. A few years later he changed roles in the TSO, becoming Director of Operations there.

In 2011 Audrey and Scott moved to Kelowna to take up the roles of General Manager and Principal Cello for the Okanagan Symphony. Scott tired of the management side of the music business in 2014 and made a comeback on the horn after a 9-year absence. This was surprisingly successful and he still serves as Principal Horn now.

Much befell the couple in 2018, and that is the story Scott will impart at the conference.

Dave Bennett leads the Build organization for DXC Technology’s Healthcare and Life Sciences business, which has supported the approval process for 15,000 pharma products and touches millions of lives every day as America’s leading provider of Medicaid process management services. Bennett has responsibility for the product management, architecture, development, solution consulting, and industry specialist communities.

A technology entrepreneur for more than 20 years, Bennett joined DXC Technology from Orion Health, where he served as executive vice president for product and strategy, focusing on new models of medicine. During his seven-year tenure with Orion Health, Bennett built and ran the software company’s population health management business, leading healthcare integration, advanced analytics, real-time community care management solutions, and precision health partnerships. He also assisted with the firm’s IPO on the Australian and New Zealand exchanges.

Before joining Orion Health, Bennett was a senior vice president at NantWorks, assisting Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong with the company’s formation and new precision medicine models. In this role, he also spearheaded business development, mergers and acquisitions, population health, medical device integration, and clinical decision support. Previously, Bennett founded Cyclone Commerce, a business-to-business integration software firm acquired by Axway, Inc. nine years later. After the acquisition, Bennett served as Axway’s chief technology officer for more than five years.

Bennett is currently a board member of the Grand Canyon University (GCU) President’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Advisory Board, whose charter is to align GCU programs with trends and evolving market needs to ensure graduates are workforce-ready. He is also a former board member of Axway; iSirona, LLC; Net.Orange, Inc.; MediSens, Inc.; and MIT Enterprise Forum Phoenix.

Bennett holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from DeVry University. He lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, with his wife and three children.

Mark Faiz BSc P.Eng. is the CEO of Personalized Prescribing Inc.

Mark Faiz, professional engineer-turned-entrepreneur, is a serial businessman with over 30 years of experience in the health and benefits industry. Mark’s newest venture at Personalized Prescribing is focused on medication incompatibility, and the simple testing that can prevent unwanted and dangerous side effects caused by medications.

Dr. David Huntsman is a Professor of the Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynaecology at UBC, the Dr. Chew Wei Memorial Professor of Gynaecologic Oncology and is the Canada Research Chair in Molecular and Genomic Pathology. Dr. Huntsman directs OVCARE, BC’s multidisciplinary ovarian cancer research team and conducts his research at the BC Cancer Agency and the Vancouver General Hospital.

In addtion to providing most of the data that underpins the management of hereditary gastric cancer, Dr. Huntsman’s research has led to development of predictive and prognostic tissue based cancer biomarkers for ovarian cancer and a wide variety of other tumour types. His team created a blueprint for subtype specific ovarian cancer control and have been leaders in the application of novel genomic technologies to better prevent, diagnose and treat ovarian cancer. Specifically, next generation sequencing was used to discover the key driver mutations in granulosa cell and sertoli leydig cell tumours as well as clear cell, endometrioid and small cell carcinomas. These discoveries are being translated into improved diagnostics and treatment strategies. Based on research into precurosr lesions the OVCARE team has implemented a population based prevention strategy for ovarian cancer that includes opportunistic salpingectomy and more pervasive genetic screening. Huntsman’s most recent research has focused on the cellular origins of clear cell and endometrioid ovarian carcinomas the role of somatic mutations in the development of endometriosis and the transformation of endometriosis into these cancers.

Collaboration and entrepreneurship are both critical ingredients of clinically relevant research. To that end Dr. Huntsman leads several Canadian and international collaborative networks and recently founded a company, Contextual Genomics, to increase the clinical and economic impact of his work.

Victor holds a Ph.D. in Neuropharmacology and completed his post-doctoral training at the National Institutes of Health. He has 10 years of scientific and sales experience in both the pharmaceutical and the molecular diagnostic industries. Victor joined Merck in 2013 where he has supported research and education in various therapeutic areas, including Neuroscience and Oncology. He is currently Associate Director of Medical Affairs, leading the scientific strategy for the lung cancer and head & neck cancer indications at Merck.

Dr. Janessa Laskin is a medical oncologist at the BC Cancer in Vancouver and a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Laskin’s primary clinical and research focus is on lung cancer clinical trials and translational research with an emphasis on cancer genomics. She is the co-founder and clinical lead of the Personalized OncoGenomics (POG) program, a cutting-edge cancer genomics study that aims to truly personalize cancer medicine.

Dr. Marco Marra, OBC, PhD, FRS(C), FCAHS, is Director of Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre at BC Cancer; Professor and Head of the Department of Medical Genetics at UBC and BC Node Leader for the Terry Fox Research Institute. He uses genome science to study cancers. Dr. Marra has spent much of his career working within and leading interdisciplinary teams seeking to understand fundamental problems in cancer genome biology. His current research activities revolve around the interplay between the cancer genome and the epigenome, with particular focus on the evolution of treatment resistant cancers. His recognitions include member of the Order of British Columbia, the 2017 Canadian Cancer Research Alliance’s Outstanding Achievement in Cancer Research Award, the 2015 Dr. Chew Wei Memorial Prize in Cancer Research and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Dr. Marra has received honorary degrees from Simon Fraser University and from the University of Calgary.

Patrick Sullivan is a passionate childhood cancer advocate, and Co-Founder of Ac2orn and a the President and a founder of the Team Finn Foundation. Patrick became an advocate after his twin son Finn was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma in 2007 and heard the word “incurable” for the first time in May 2008. His desire to make a change in cancer research is in part an effort to pay an un-payable debt to his son Finn and to Change the Stories of other Finn’s.

Patrick participates in several national and international initiatives that include founder of Ac2orn (Advocacy for Canadian Children Oncology Research Network), member of the executive of the Terry Fox Research Profyle initiative, director of Life Savings Therapies Network, Chair of the Bio-CanRX Cancer Stakeholder Alliance, member of the AACR Pediatric Cancer Working Group, Director of Childhood Cancer Canada, Chair of Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation, director of Life Saving Therapies Network, Director on the Canadian Cancer Research Alliance member of the CTCG Lay Representative Committee, and Lead Advocate on the St. Baldrick’s/Stand-Up to Cancer Immunogenomics Dream Team.

By profession, Patrick is a securities and corporate-commercial litigator and one of the founding partners of Taylor Veinotte Sullivan.

Patrick is the proud father of three remarkable children, Baird, Sarah and Finn and would do almost anything for the simple pleasure of holding Finn’s hand again.

Sue is the CEO of Canada’s Digital Technology Supercluster – driving the development of digital technology platforms and products that will transform businesses around the world making Canada a world leader in digital technology. Working with over 500 organizations, the Supercluster supports private sector led consortia to leverage Canada’s expertise in data analytics, genomics, mixed and augmented reality, the Internet of Things and quantum computing to deliver world leading technologies while creating jobs and growing Canada’s international competitiveness. In March the Supercluster announced its first cohort of seven projects which will deliver improvements and business opportunities in healthcare, manufacturing and natural resources.

Prior to joining the Supercluster Sue was the Managing Partner of one of Canada’s leading law firms, the CEO of Canada’s largest chain of independent retail pharmacies and most recently the CEO of Canada’s largest diagnostic lab. In each of these roles Sue mobilized diverse teams to drive business growth, implement large-scale organizational change and develop and implement transformational technologies.

Sue and her husband Brad are the proud parents of three daughters and when not transforming organizations, Sue and her family can be found in remote areas of BC’s wilderness, exploring all that BC has to offer. Sue has been recognized for community and business leadership with awards including: Honorary Doctorate of Technology (BCIT), UBC Faculty of Law Distinguished Alumni Award, YWCA Woman of Distinction, Queen’s Counsel, Hall of Fame for Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women, and the Influential Women in Business Lifetime Achievement Award.

With 24 years’ experience working in the healthcare industry, Michael has spent the last 20 years with Cerner Canada and has served in many key implementation and relationship roles. Michael has a keen grasp of the Canadian health care market. He understands clinical workflow and has an in depth understanding of Cerner’s technology. Strategic planning and business development are Michael’s strength’s.

As the National Director for Population Health Michael currently manages strategic relationships, new business and market strategy for Canada.

Prior to Cerner, Michael held several roles in as a Quality Control technologist specializing in all aspects of medical imaging quality and safety including breast imaging and new equipment set up and configuration. He was also a Quality Control Program Instructor for the Michener Institute where he created and delivered course content relating to radiation physics and imaging quality. Michael was also an independent consultant focusing on certifying breast imaging clinics for Ontario Breast Screening program.

Karina is a Partner with KPMG in the Global Health Care and Life Sciences practice with a specialization in Data & Analytics. Karina has assisted Canadian and global health care clients to design and implement data and analytics programs, including important program pillars such as data governance, methods and models management, target operating models and technology. She has been fortunate to work across clinical, population health, health system, health research and health-workforce analytics, working directly with Chief Medical Information Officers, Chief Analytics and Information Officers, and Clinical Leadership, supporting integrated professional teams to make evidence-based decisions. Karina holds a Post-Masters in Applied Health Informatics from the Johns Hopkins University, School of Nursing and a Masters degree from the Information Science School at the University of British Columbia.

Wendy is a career executive with more than 20 years of Global Finance, Operations and Compliance experience in the healthcare and technology sectors. She is a leader with strong business acumen and a history of enabling business growth through the development of global strategic partnerships, new business development initiatives, transformation projects, and the integration of new businesses and/or business models. Has a proven track record of developing, executing, and delivering solid business plans and growing shareholder value.

She has held leadership positions at Johnson & Johnson, the Heart & Stroke Foundation, LIFESCAN Canada and Lexmark International.

She is a certified Data and Privacy Professional and has managed Privacy and Healthcare Compliance programs both here in Canada and in the US for the better part of her career. Working both in the corporate environment and in private practice, she has taken the lead on compliance, regulatory and privacy issues for the last 20 years.

Wendy has a BA from the University of Western Ontario, an MBA from Queen’s University and a Certificate in Strategic Leadership from the Sauder School of Executive Education, UBC.

In addition, Wendy serves on the Board of Directors of The Centre for Drug Research and Development, Chair’s CDRD’s Finance & Audit Committee and also serves on the Vancouver Board of Trade Women in Leadership Advisory Committee. 

Certifications:

• Certificate in Intermediate French, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
• Registered Holistic Nutritionist – Candidate, Canadian School of Natural Nutrition – Ongoing
• Certified Canadian Privacy Professional, IAPP, CIPP/C (since 2012)
• Certificate in Strategic Leadership, UBC Sauder School of Business – Executive Education
• Leadership Development Program, Niagara Institute
• Executive Leadership Program, Harvard University, Boston, MA
• Canadian Securities Course

Kimberlyn McGrail is a Professor at UBC in the School of Population and Public Health and the Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, Scientific Director of Population Data BC, Data Director for the BC Academic Health Sciences Network, and the PI for the SPOR Canadian Data Platform. Her research interests are quantitative policy evaluation, aging and the use and cost of health care services, learning health systems and all aspects of population data science. She conducts research in partnership with clinicians, policy-makers and the public. Kim is a founding member of the International Population Data Linkage Network and founding Deputy Editor of the International Journal of Population Data Science. She was the 2009-10 Commonwealth Fund Harkness Associate in Health Care Policy and Practice, a 2016 recipient of the Cortlandt JG Mackenzie Prize for Excellence in Teaching, and 2017 recipient of a UBC award for Excellence in Clinical or Applied Research.

As Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships- British Columbia Jennifer holds the responsibility of developing and maintaining relationships with leaders in the B.C. healthcare sector, government, and business community in order to drive business development and growth within the province for LifeLabs.

Jennifer brings to LifeLabs her many years of healthcare expertise, and an extensive understanding of LifeLabs as a whole. Before joining LifeLabs, Jennifer held the position as CFO of BC Biomedical where she led the successful sale of the organization to LifeLabs in 2013. Jennifer’s breadth of senior level knowledge, including finance, strategy, and human resources, has gained her invaluable insights into LifeLabs’ people, clients, and operations. Additionally, Jennifer has successfully led the integration of LifeLabs finance teams post-merger.

Jennifer holds a CPA, CGA designation and has earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and finance from Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Jennifer also uses her skillset to give back to her community. She is the Vice Chair of the board of directors for RainCity Housing and Support Society which provides programs and services to those living with mental health, addictions and other challenges and is director for the foundation board of the Justice Institute of British Columbia.

Denise Heaney is the Senior Scientific Affairs Manager in Medical and Scientific Affairs supporting the Diagnostics Information Solutions (DIS) Division. DIS is a new division within Roche Diagnostics with a focus of providing decision support from the lab to the bedside through digital diagnostic solutions. In her role, she leads the efforts of clinical studies, scientific communications as well medical plans and activities for DIS applications.

Denise has been with Roche over 10 years in a variety of roles including Strategic Business Development Manager, Public Health and Molecular Clinical Specialist supporting the Southeast territory of the Molecular Diagnostics Division. Outside of Roche, Denise was a laboratory director for both Molecular Pathology and Histocompatibility and Molecular Immunogenetics laboratories. She has previously been an inspector for the College of American Pathologist and a long standing member of the Association of Molecular Pathology.

Denise earned bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biochemistry, along with a minor in zoology, from North Carolina State University. She obtained her PhD in pathology from the Medical University of South Carolina. Denise enjoys staying active and being a mom to 4 children.

Gaby Bourbara is the Vice-President, Oncology at AstraZeneca Canada Inc., part of AstraZeneca PLC, one of the world’s leading biopharmaceutical companies. He has more than 16 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, predominantly within marketing and sales functions.

Gaby recently returned to Canada from AstraZeneca in the United States (U.S.), where he has spent the last six years in senior leader roles. In his previous role as U.S. Lung Cancer Franchise Head, Gaby was a member of the U.S. Oncology Leadership Team and was responsible for leading AstraZeneca’s U.S. Lung Cancer Franchise commercial team. In addition to other roles within the U.S. business, including Executive Director Sales roles in Oncology and Primary Care respectively, and Commercial Business Leader for the Respiratory Franchise, Gaby previously worked in a variety of sales and marketing roles at AstraZeneca Canada.

Gaby has an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology and a MBA from McMaster University. Gaby and his wife Jennifer have three children and live in Oakville.

Dr. David Huntsman is a Professor of the Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynaecology at UBC, the Dr. Chew Wei Memorial Professor of Gynaecologic Oncology and is the Canada Research Chair in Molecular and Genomic Pathology. Dr. Huntsman directs OVCARE, BC’s multidisciplinary ovarian cancer research team and conducts his research at the BC Cancer Agency and the Vancouver General Hospital.

In addtion to providing most of the data that underpins the management of hereditary gastric cancer, Dr. Huntsman’s research has led to development of predictive and prognostic tissue based cancer biomarkers for ovarian cancer and a wide variety of other tumour types. His team created a blueprint for subtype specific ovarian cancer control and have been leaders in the application of novel genomic technologies to better prevent, diagnose and treat ovarian cancer. Specifically, next generation sequencing was used to discover the key driver mutations in granulosa cell and sertoli leydig cell tumours as well as clear cell, endometrioid and small cell carcinomas. These discoveries are being translated into improved diagnostics and treatment strategies. Based on research into precurosr lesions the OVCARE team has implemented a population based prevention strategy for ovarian cancer that includes opportunistic salpingectomy and more pervasive genetic screening. Huntsman’s most recent research has focused on the cellular origins of clear cell and endometrioid ovarian carcinomas the role of somatic mutations in the development of endometriosis and the transformation of endometriosis into these cancers.

Collaboration and entrepreneurship are both critical ingredients of clinically relevant research. To that end Dr. Huntsman leads several Canadian and international collaborative networks and recently founded a company, Contextual Genomics, to increase the clinical and economic impact of his work.

Dr. Zachary Laksman is the Director of the St. Paul’s Hospital Atrial Fibrillation Clinic and the Director of the St. Paul’s Hospital Inherited Arrhythmia Clinic. Dr. Laksman specializes in the management of cardiac arrhythmias, and simple and complex ablation and device implantation.

Dr. Laksman is a clinician scientist with a specific focus on cardiogenetics, stem cell disease modeling, and personalized medicine. His research has been published in scientific journals such as JACC, Heart Rhythm, Circulation Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, American Journal of Cardiology, Canadian Journal of Cardiology, Journal of Cardiac Electrophysiology, Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology, and Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews. Dr. Laksman’s research is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health and Research, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.

Dr. Laksman holds the Dr. Charles Kerr distinguished Scholar in Cardiovascular Genetics.

Dr. Suchowersky is Professor of Medicine (Neurology), Medical Genetics, and Pediatrics at the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta She holds the Toupin Research Chair at the University of Alberta, and is the Clinical Director of Medical Genetics, Alberta Health Services (Edmonton Zone). She has recently taken on the role as Co-Chair of the Precision Health Alberta initiative.

Dr. Suchowersky received her MD from University of Calgary. Following residency in Neurology and fellowship in Neurogenetics at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Suchowersky was recruited to the University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine in 1984 as Director of the Movement Disorders Program. From 2005-2010, she was the Head of the Department of Medical Genetics. In 2010, she was recruited to the University of Alberta to expand the Movement Disorders and Neurogenetics Programs.

Her research interests include understanding genetic factors related to the development of neurodegenerative disorders, and developing new treatments for these disorders. She has published over 250 peer reviewed publications, and edited 2 books. She is on the Editorial Board of Nature Clinical Neurology.

Donna Wilson is the Executive Vice President responsible for human resources leadership and organizational development and learning, as well as Indigenous Health & Cultural Safety and Communications & Stakeholder Relations, across the Provincial Health Services Authority. She also holds executive accountability for Lower Mainland Diagnostic and Treatment Services. These services include the BC Pathology and Laboratory Agency and public sector laboratories, LMC diagnostic imaging services and LMC pharmacy services. Prior to joining the health sector in BC, Donna was Senior Vice President, People, Community and Strategy at LifeLabs, Canada’s largest private laboratory. Donna has held various executive roles in financial services, professional sport events and insurance services since 2001. A highlight of her career was delivering the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler as the Executive Vice President, Workforce & Sustainability as part of the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee. Donna holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Simon Fraser University and an Executive Management Certificate from Queens University, and is a Chartered Director (McMaster University). Donna presently sits as a Director on the BCIT Foundation Board and is Vice-Chair of the Board for Parachute Canada a national injury prevention organization.

Howard Waldner is the past President and Chief Executive Officer of Vancouver Island Health Authority, serving in this role from 2004 until 2013. He is curently CEO of Caledonia Solutions, a strategic consulting company he founded in 2013.

He is a visionary and innovative leader with over 30 years of experience of managing health sysytems in both Canada and the U.K. He has a keen interest in system innovation, transformation and performance improvement. He is also passionate in the area of health facility planning, design and procurement and has led the development of number of large and successful hospital projects using both traditional and alternate funding approaches. He received the Canadian College of Health Leaders National Award for Innovation in Health in 2013.

He is a certified member of the Institute of Corporate Directors, and currently serves as an Independent Board Director of Strata-Health Solutions, a successful Calgary based Health IT company, and is a partner with Prioritize Software, a Vancouver based strategic solutions company. He also serves as a volunteer member of the Telus (Victoria) Community Board and has served on a number of “non-profit” Boards, including the Canadian Institute for Health Information, the BC Academic Health Council, (which he chaired for 5 years), the United Way Campaign Cabinet, Carewest, VRRI, and the Greater Victoria Coalition to end Homelessness.

Prior to joining VIHA in 2004, he was the Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the former Calgary Health Region from 1999 until 2004. Before moving to Calgary in 1999, he held a number of senior leadership roles within the Scottish National Health Service, most recently as the Chief Executive of Dundee University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

He received his Executive MBA from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and is a Certified member of the Canadian College of Health Leaders and a Fellow of the United Kingdom Institute of Health Care Managers.

He is Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of British Columbia, and teaches on a number of executive leadership and masters programs in the School of Public and Population Health.

As Regional Vice President, Al Amiri is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Cisco’s Western Canada Public Sector sales and operations covering four provinces from Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia.

With more than 16 years of experience at Cisco, Al brings proven record of success and broad understanding of the company’s strategic business to the Cisco Canada leadership team. In 2010, Al was named Regional Director, N. Alberta Sales & Operations and since then has added Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia business and operations to his portfolio, where he is responsible for the development and implementation of Cisco’s Public Sector strategy. In this position Al aligns Industry Solutions, Sales, Field engineering, service, marketing, and operations to streamline Cisco’s customer experience with respect to Western Canada markets and contributed to national public sector verticals discipline in Healthcare, Education & Innovation, Smart Cities, Government Shared services and Utility/Hydro segments. Al was named Game Changing Leader in his first year as the Regional Director at Cisco by Chuck Robbins, Senior Vice President of America’s Sales and Operations at the time and now the President and CEO of Cisco Systems.

Prior to joining Cisco, Al held a variety of leadership positions in sales management, outsourcing, strategic business development and transformation at IBM Canada, EDS Systemhouse and Dell Enterprise Solutions.

Al also serves on various business and community boards. In his personal time, he enjoys spending time with his 15 year old daughter and 12 year old son and enjoys golfing and other outdoor activities.

Shirley Golen is a data-driven global marketing leader with 20 years of experience shaping corporate narratives and partnering with healthcare and life sciences customers. At Splunk, she is responsible for healthcare strategy and development and go-to-market execution across the Splunk product portfolio.

Jason is the Director of Operations at Sightline Innovation, an industry leader in Data Trust and applied AI. He is happiest when working in the intersection of technology and healthcare –acting as a bridge between innovation and implementation. Jason has worked for the Research Division of the University Health Network, a leading Canadian healthcare architecture firm, and a clinical decision support company. He began his career in documentary film, working on two movies that were short-listed for Oscar nominations and developing a groundbreaking social media series that premiered at TIFF. Jason has a master’s degree in communications from Concordia University and is trained in Lean project management.

Dr. Alan Low is a Primary Care Pharmacist and Pharmacy Lead at BioPro Biologics Pharmacy, a collaborative practice approach, focusing on patient centred care. He is also a Clinical Associate Professor in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC and an Instructor and Course Developer with the School of Health Sciences at the Justice Institute of BC (JIBC).

Convinced that pharmacists have much more to offer to the public and the healthcare system, Alan has led the development and implementation of provincial medication management projects in BC and Alberta as well as creating a novel model of community pharmacy practice where interprofessional collaboration is leveraged to improve patient health outcomes.

Within the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC, Dr. Low is one of the founders of the Faculty based Pharmacists Clinic and helped develop and lead the business case for the Pharmacists Clinic. He is the Course Coordinator for the Pharmacy Practice Management Course and Lecturer. In addition, he is also a Board Advisor with the GI Society and sits on the Medical Board of HealthChoicesFirst.com, a patient video education resource. Dr. Low has experience in a wide variety of health and administrative settings including direct patient care in the hospital and clinics, clinical and practice-based research, consultant in healthcare projects and clinical pharmaceutical consulting. He has held positions such as Clinical Pharmacist, Clinical Specialist, Pharmacotherapeutic Specialist within teaching hospitals, as well as Manager of Government Affairs and Medical Affairs, Medical Science Liaison, and Senior Health Sciences Advisor in the research-based pharmaceutical companies (Servier and P&G Pharmaceuticals) and Chief Operating Officer at Network Healthcare. Alan is a Certified Clinical Densitometrist (CCD), coauthored “The Osteoporosis Book, 4th Edition: Bone Health”, has numerous publications in scientific and health journals, newsletters, and is a founding co-editor of the Pharmacy Management in Canada textbook. Alan led the design, development, implementation and management of the Pharmacy Practice Model’s Initiative (PPMI) in Alberta as well as the design and implementation of the BC Medication Management Project (BCMMP), which are province-wide pharmacy demonstration projects funded by Provincial Ministries of Health.

Alan has been an active member and past participant on various committees (with the College of Pharmacists of BC, BC Pharmacy Association, Canadian Pharmacists Association, Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists, GI Society, etc). He has interests in the areas of, rheumatology, osteoporosis, gastroenterology, diabetes, and cardiology. Alan enjoys being involved in projects that improve health knowledge translation, healthcare delivery, medical health education and health outcomes research. Alan’s training includes a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, a Hospital Pharmacy Residency at St. Paul’s Hospital, and Doctorate of Pharmacy degree at UBC. He is frequently invited to speak at regional, national and international conferences. He strives to develop solutions to close gaps in health care working together with a variety of people.

Dr. Alan Low is a Primary Care Pharmacist and Pharmacy Lead at BioPro Biologics Pharmacy, a collaborative practice approach, focusing on patient centred care. He is also a Clinical Associate Professor in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC and an Instructor and Course Developer with the School of Health Sciences at the Justice Institute of BC (JIBC).

Convinced that pharmacists have much more to offer to the public and the healthcare system, Alan has led the development and implementation of provincial medication management projects in BC and Alberta as well as creating a novel model of community pharmacy practice where interprofessional collaboration is leveraged to improve patient health outcomes.

Within the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC, Dr. Low is one of the founders of the Faculty based Pharmacists Clinic and helped develop and lead the business case for the Pharmacists Clinic. He is the Course Coordinator for the Pharmacy Practice Management Course and Lecturer. In addition, he is also a Board Advisor with the GI Society and sits on the Medical Board of HealthChoicesFirst.com, a patient video education resource. Dr. Low has experience in a wide variety of health and administrative settings including direct patient care in the hospital and clinics, clinical and practice-based research, consultant in healthcare projects and clinical pharmaceutical consulting. He has held positions such as Clinical Pharmacist, Clinical Specialist, Pharmacotherapeutic Specialist within teaching hospitals, as well as Manager of Government Affairs and Medical Affairs, Medical Science Liaison, and Senior Health Sciences Advisor in the research-based pharmaceutical companies (Servier and P&G Pharmaceuticals) and Chief Operating Officer at Network Healthcare. Alan is a Certified Clinical Densitometrist (CCD), coauthored “The Osteoporosis Book, 4th Edition: Bone Health”, has numerous publications in scientific and health journals, newsletters, and is a founding co-editor of the Pharmacy Management in Canada textbook. Alan led the design, development, implementation and management of the Pharmacy Practice Model’s Initiative (PPMI) in Alberta as well as the design and implementation of the BC Medication Management Project (BCMMP), which are province-wide pharmacy demonstration projects funded by Provincial Ministries of Health.

Alan has been an active member and past participant on various committees (with the College of Pharmacists of BC, BC Pharmacy Association, Canadian Pharmacists Association, Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists, GI Society, etc). He has interests in the areas of, rheumatology, osteoporosis, gastroenterology, diabetes, and cardiology. Alan enjoys being involved in projects that improve health knowledge translation, healthcare delivery, medical health education and health outcomes research. Alan’s training includes a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, a Hospital Pharmacy Residency at St. Paul’s Hospital, and Doctorate of Pharmacy degree at UBC. He is frequently invited to speak at regional, national and international conferences. He strives to develop solutions to close gaps in health care working together with a variety of people.

Shelagh Maloney has held a number of senior positions since joining Infoway. She manages relationships with patients, clinicians and the federal government, and leads performance analytics and communications and marketing.

She has held a number of executive positions in the public and private sectors, where she honed her relationship management and business development skills.

Shelagh holds a B.Sc. in Applied Health Sciences from the University of Waterloo and is a Certified Professional in Health Information & Management Systems (CPHIMS-CA).

In 2017, she received the inaugural Women Leaders in Digital Health Award, which recognizes female visionaries who are harnessing the power of IT to transform health and health care in Canada.

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.

Tracy graduated from the University of Victoria with a B.Sc. in Psychology. In 2013 she was diagnosed with heart failure caused by Cardiac Sarcoidosis, a rare inflammatory disease. Since then her career as Director, Learning & Development has been on hold and a passion for patient advocacy has become a focal point.

Based on her experiences, Tracy is a strong supporter of equal, standardized access to multidisciplinary care for all heart failure patients. She believes wholeheartedly in the power of patient self management in partnership with their medical team to improve quality of life.

She lives in Victoria, BC and is currently the Co-Chair of the TEC4Home Patient Advisory Committee, a heart health patient advisor at Royal Jubilee Hospital, and the BC HeartLife Champion for The HeartLife Foundation. She is a member of the Patient Voices Network, has spoken at Cardiology Grand Rounds in Victoria and has contributed to Cardiac Services BC projects.

Mike Craig is Vice President, National Solutions for the Canadian business. He is responsible for working with the Canadian sales team to put together solutions composed of Orion Health and partner products for strategic sales into Canadian clients. Mike is an accomplished e-health strategist with more than 20 years’ experience in healthcare informatics. Most recently, he was a director with Price Waterhouse Coopers Canadian Healthcare practice and also held a Director role with Accenture’s Canadian Healthcare practice.

Michael is the CEO and Founder of Ayogo, and immensely proud to be part of a company acknowledged as one of the 100 most innovative mHealth companies in the world, and that is widely recognized for helping patients take control of their treatments. Over past few years, Michael won many kudos: he was Ernst & Young’s Social Entrepreneur of the Year, and named to the PharmaVOICE 100, a peer-nominated list of the 100 most inspiring people in Life Sciences. What he is most proud of, though, is his work creating an environment where he and his colleagues can live the Ayogo motto: to do our best work, to change the world, and to laugh every day. As the CEO, Michael is the steward of those values, and it is a job he is continually grateful for. In his spare time (ha!) he has been a multi-gold medalist and grand champion at the Western Canadian Martial Arts Championships, and lives in Vancouver with his beautiful, amazing family, very happy to be alive at this particular time in history.

Dr. John Pawlovich is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Practice at University of British Columbia (UBC). He completed his medical degree in 1994 at UBC. He then went to Chilliwack, BC where he completed a two year Family Practice Residency. He has worked in many rural and remote sites across Canada. Over the last twenty five plus years an interest in Indigenous Health evolved with a focus of bringing innovative primary care and specialty services onto reserve to reach the people most in need. Using new technology such as telehealth from his home office in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Dr Pawlovich is able to connect to multiple remote Indigenous communities to help provide the daily primary care they deserve and need. He continues to make monthly visits to northern Indigenous communities to ensure the closeness of his relationship to the people remains strong. He is currently the director of the Rural Education Action Plan in British Columbia, the Medical Director for Carrier Sekani Family Services and the Telehealth Sector Lead for the Rural Coordination Center of BC. Dr Pawlovich is involved in many telehealth initiatives in the province of British Columbia. He is a co-founder and co-lead of the BC Virtual Health Grand Rounds, and the e-Health theme lead for the UBC Faculty of Medicine. He speaks both nationally and internationally on virtual healthcare solutions and systems.

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.

Dr. Dave Anderson is an Instructor in the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary and is the Director of Bioinformatics in the B. Health Sciences program. In addition to his research program in statistical genetics, he is investigating pedagogical methods for teaching bioinformatics, genetics and biochemistry, and to integrating advanced education in those fields with clinically oriented curricula. His previous work in curriculum development included acting as a subject matter expert and “program champion” in developing the recently approved B.Sc. program in Bioinformatics at Langara College.

Dr. Roger Wong is a Clinical Professor in the Division of Geriatric Medicine in the University of British Columbia (UBC) Department of Medicine and is a Consultant Physician of the Geriatric Consultation Program at the Vancouver General Hospital. He is the Executive Associate Dean (Education) in the UBC Faculty of Medicine.

Dr. Wong received his M.D. degree with Honours in Research from the University of Alberta and
completed his postgraduate and fellowship training there. Dr. Wong was elected to the Fellowship of
the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, one of the highest honours in the health sciences field in
Canada. Nationally, he is a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Geriatric Medicine and Internal Medicine Examination Boards, and internationally, he was elected to the Fellowship of the American College of Physicians.

Dr. Wong has received a number of prestigious awards in recognition of his exceptional national
leadership in the field of seniors’ health care, including the 2019 Ronald Cape Distinguished Service
Award, which recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the health care of
older adults in Canada and is the highest honour given by the Canadian Geriatrics Society. He is also
awarded the Lions Club International Medal of Merit, the highest honour that the Lions present to nonmembers, as a special recognition for his outstanding community contribution in seniors care and
medical education. He has received a number of Awards of Appreciation from the Alzheimer Society of
British Columbia to recognize his advocacy work in the community. He has also received numerous
medical education awards, including the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Donald
Richards Wilson Award, UBC Killam Teaching Prize, UBC Faculty of Medicine Clinical Faculty Award for Career Excellence in Clinical Teaching, and UBC Department of Medicine Master Teacher Award.

Dr. Wong works tirelessly to advance academic and clinical health sciences related to geriatrics, and his work has made significant impact on the care for older people in Canada and the world. He was the 13th President of the Canadian Geriatrics Society and founded the state-of-the-art Acute Care for Elders (ACE) Unit in Vancouver, which has been implemented nationally and internationally. His clinical research focuses on hospital medicine in vulnerable older adults, including quality improvement in acute care geriatrics. Dr. Wong has made significant contributions in showcasing Canadian geriatrics around the world, culminating in his selection as the 2017 Trevor Howell Guest Lecturer in London, a prestigious honour bestowed by the British Geriatrics Society for an eminent physician or scientist with an international reputation. In 2019, Dr. Wong received the International Visiting Professor Medal from the Australia and New Zealand Society of Geriatric Medicine, the first Canadian who has received this highest honour awarded by the Society to an international scientist in geriatrics.

Dr. Wong has published and lectured extensively on geriatric medicine and medical education. He is also a TEDx Speaker, and his TEDx Talk has been viewed by international audiences around the world.

Dr. Pieter R. Cullis, PhD is a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of British Columbia, co-founder and co-chair of the Personalized Medicine Initiative, and director of the NanoMedicines Research Group at UBC. He has co-founded numerous companies and organisations, including Lipex Biomembranes Inc., Arbutus Biopharma, Northern Lipids Inc. (now Evonik), Acuitas Therapeutics and Precision NanoSystems, and the Centre for Drug Research and Development, where he was Founding Scientific Director from 2004 – 2010.

Cullis has contributed to fundamental advances in the generation, loading and targeting of lipid nanoparticle (LNP) systems for intravenous delivery of small molecule and macromolecular drugs. This work has contributed to three approved LNP products for the treatment of cancer and its complications and a fourth gene therapy drug to treat an hereditary condition that recently completed a most successful Phase 3 trial. He also works to influence the health care system to introduce personalized medicine based on molecular makeup of the individual and their disease.

Cullis has received numerous awards. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2004 and received the Journal of Drug Targeting’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

Dr. Robert Fraser is the President and CEO 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.

Don Copeman is an accomplished business leader who has spent more than 35 years building organizations in healthcare delivery and medical information technology. As the founder of the Copeman Healthcare Centres, he helped redefine how primary healthcare is delivered in Canada by introducing team-based approaches to private family practice, while designing and building the enabling technologies for collaborative care and patient management. Mr. Copeman is currently establishing a national primary healthcare company focused on personalized, team-based mind & body care for teens and young adults delivered through a network of clinics and virtual care facilities.

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.

Dr. Catalina Lopez-Correa is Genome BC’s Chief Scientific Officer and VP Sectors. Her deep understanding of genomics has inspired leaders in science and industry to collaborate towards solving some of the world’s greatest challenges. Dr. Lopez-Correa holds a Medical degree from the UPB in Colombia, a Master’s degree in Human Genetics from Paris V University in France, a PhD in Medical Sciences and Genetics from the KULeuven in Belgium, and a mini MBA from McGill University in Canada. Dr. Lopez-Correa has held leadership positions at Informax, deCODE Genetics, Eli Lilly and Genome Quebec and has played advisory roles at the European Commission, Innovative Medicine Initiatives and other private and public sector entities working in the application and implementation of genomics technologies.

Henry has 20+ years of professional experience as a global executive, VC, entrepreneur and advisor. He is currently serving as the CEO of Shivom, a healthcare technology startup focused on the development of a pioneering genomics datahub and analytics platform powered by blockchain. Previously, Henry was a partner at Silicon Valley-based VC funds, including DragonVenture, DFJ DragonFund and DraperDragon Fund, focused on early stage investments in frontier technologies. Henry also has considerable corporate finance and cross border advisory experiences while working at M&T Bank, PricewaterhouseCoopers Securities (PwCS) and PwC focused on sectors ranging from IT, healthcare to consumer & industrial products. Henry is a frequent keynote speaker and also serves as a director, advisor & mentor for startups globally. He is also a lecturer at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. Henry holds an M.B.A. from Duke University and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the Pennsylvania State University.

Dr. Alan Low is a Primary Care Pharmacist and Pharmacy Lead at BioPro Biologics Pharmacy, a collaborative practice approach, focusing on patient centred care. He is also a Clinical Associate Professor in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC and an Instructor and Course Developer with the School of Health Sciences at the Justice Institute of BC (JIBC).

Convinced that pharmacists have much more to offer to the public and the healthcare system, Alan has led the development and implementation of provincial medication management projects in BC and Alberta as well as creating a novel model of community pharmacy practice where interprofessional collaboration is leveraged to improve patient health outcomes.

Within the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC, Dr. Low is one of the founders of the Faculty based Pharmacists Clinic and helped develop and lead the business case for the Pharmacists Clinic. He is the Course Coordinator for the Pharmacy Practice Management Course and Lecturer. In addition, he is also a Board Advisor with the GI Society and sits on the Medical Board of HealthChoicesFirst.com, a patient video education resource. Dr. Low has experience in a wide variety of health and administrative settings including direct patient care in the hospital and clinics, clinical and practice-based research, consultant in healthcare projects and clinical pharmaceutical consulting. He has held positions such as Clinical Pharmacist, Clinical Specialist, Pharmacotherapeutic Specialist within teaching hospitals, as well as Manager of Government Affairs and Medical Affairs, Medical Science Liaison, and Senior Health Sciences Advisor in the research-based pharmaceutical companies (Servier and P&G Pharmaceuticals) and Chief Operating Officer at Network Healthcare. Alan is a Certified Clinical Densitometrist (CCD), coauthored “The Osteoporosis Book, 4th Edition: Bone Health”, has numerous publications in scientific and health journals, newsletters, and is a founding co-editor of the Pharmacy Management in Canada textbook. Alan led the design, development, implementation and management of the Pharmacy Practice Model’s Initiative (PPMI) in Alberta as well as the design and implementation of the BC Medication Management Project (BCMMP), which are province-wide pharmacy demonstration projects funded by Provincial Ministries of Health.

Alan has been an active member and past participant on various committees (with the College of Pharmacists of BC, BC Pharmacy Association, Canadian Pharmacists Association, Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists, GI Society, etc). He has interests in the areas of, rheumatology, osteoporosis, gastroenterology, diabetes, and cardiology. Alan enjoys being involved in projects that improve health knowledge translation, healthcare delivery, medical health education and health outcomes research. Alan’s training includes a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, a Hospital Pharmacy Residency at St. Paul’s Hospital, and Doctorate of Pharmacy degree at UBC. He is frequently invited to speak at regional, national and international conferences. He strives to develop solutions to close gaps in health care working together with a variety of people.

Dr. Pieter R. Cullis, PhD is a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of British Columbia, co-founder and co-chair of the Personalized Medicine Initiative, and director of the NanoMedicines Research Group at UBC. He has co-founded numerous companies and organisations, including Lipex Biomembranes Inc., Arbutus Biopharma, Northern Lipids Inc. (now Evonik), Acuitas Therapeutics and Precision NanoSystems, and the Centre for Drug Research and Development, where he was Founding Scientific Director from 2004 – 2010.

Cullis has contributed to fundamental advances in the generation, loading and targeting of lipid nanoparticle (LNP) systems for intravenous delivery of small molecule and macromolecular drugs. This work has contributed to three approved LNP products for the treatment of cancer and its complications and a fourth gene therapy drug to treat an hereditary condition that recently completed a most successful Phase 3 trial. He also works to influence the health care system to introduce personalized medicine based on molecular makeup of the individual and their disease.

Cullis has received numerous awards. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2004 and received the Journal of Drug Targeting’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

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.

Dr. Robert Fraser is the President and CEO 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. Catalina Lopez-Correa is Genome BC’s Chief Scientific Officer and VP Sectors. Her deep understanding of genomics has inspired leaders in science and industry to collaborate towards solving some of the world’s greatest challenges. Dr. Lopez-Correa holds a Medical degree from the UPB in Colombia, a Master’s degree in Human Genetics from Paris V University in France, a PhD in Medical Sciences and Genetics from the KULeuven in Belgium, and a mini MBA from McGill University in Canada. Dr. Lopez-Correa has held leadership positions at Informax, deCODE Genetics, Eli Lilly and Genome Quebec and has played advisory roles at the European Commission, Innovative Medicine Initiatives and other private and public sector entities working in the application and implementation of genomics technologies.

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.

Jim is the new Chief Provincial Diagnostics Officer, leading the development, implementation, and evaluation of the province-wide pathology and medical laboratory service delivery model.  He is a visionary leader and diagnostic specialist with over 30 years’ experience working across the entire spectrum of health care services. He has a reputation for being an astute, transparent leader who understands the value of effective partnerships when it comes to solving complex, systemic challenges.

Jim comes to PHSA from Winnipeg, where he most recently served as Chief Operating Officer, Provincial Lead for Health Services Support, and Senior Transformation Lead with Shared Health, the provincial health organization for Manitoba. In these roles, he developed strategic and operational plans to support a transformation very similar to the one facing PHSA and BC’s regional health authorities today.

Jim is no stranger to BC. He started his career as a medical laboratory technologist and completed his advanced certification in transfusion medicine (ART) at Vancouver General Hospital. In the years since, he has held numerous roles, spanning academia, clinical operations, and executive leadership. He is the former CEO of Diagnostic Services Manitoba, the executive sponsor for Choosing Wisely Manitoba and Personalized Medicine Manitoba, and has served on a number of boards including, most recently the Healthcare Insurance Reciprocal of Canada and Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, as well as CancerCare Manitoba’s advisory medical board.

Howard Waldner is the past President and Chief Executive Officer of Vancouver Island Health Authority, serving in this role from 2004 until 2013. He is curently CEO of Caledonia Solutions, a strategic consulting company he founded in 2013.

He is a visionary and innovative leader with over 30 years of experience of managing health sysytems in both Canada and the U.K. He has a keen interest in system innovation, transformation and performance improvement. He is also passionate in the area of health facility planning, design and procurement and has led the development of number of large and successful hospital projects using both traditional and alternate funding approaches. He received the Canadian College of Health Leaders National Award for Innovation in Health in 2013.

He is a certified member of the Institute of Corporate Directors, and currently serves as an Independent Board Director of Strata-Health Solutions, a successful Calgary based Health IT company, and is a partner with Prioritize Software, a Vancouver based strategic solutions company. He also serves as a volunteer member of the Telus (Victoria) Community Board and has served on a number of “non-profit” Boards, including the Canadian Institute for Health Information, the BC Academic Health Council, (which he chaired for 5 years), the United Way Campaign Cabinet, Carewest, VRRI, and the Greater Victoria Coalition to end Homelessness.

Prior to joining VIHA in 2004, he was the Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the former Calgary Health Region from 1999 until 2004. Before moving to Calgary in 1999, he held a number of senior leadership roles within the Scottish National Health Service, most recently as the Chief Executive of Dundee University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

He received his Executive MBA from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and is a Certified member of the Canadian College of Health Leaders and a Fellow of the United Kingdom Institute of Health Care Managers.

He is Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of British Columbia, and teaches on a number of executive leadership and masters programs in the School of Public and Population Health.

Dr. Alan Low is a Primary Care Pharmacist and Pharmacy Lead at BioPro Biologics Pharmacy, a collaborative practice approach, focusing on patient centred care. He is also a Clinical Associate Professor in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC and an Instructor and Course Developer with the School of Health Sciences at the Justice Institute of BC (JIBC).

Convinced that pharmacists have much more to offer to the public and the healthcare system, Alan has led the development and implementation of provincial medication management projects in BC and Alberta as well as creating a novel model of community pharmacy practice where interprofessional collaboration is leveraged to improve patient health outcomes.

Within the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC, Dr. Low is one of the founders of the Faculty based Pharmacists Clinic and helped develop and lead the business case for the Pharmacists Clinic. He is the Course Coordinator for the Pharmacy Practice Management Course and Lecturer. In addition, he is also a Board Advisor with the GI Society and sits on the Medical Board of HealthChoicesFirst.com, a patient video education resource. Dr. Low has experience in a wide variety of health and administrative settings including direct patient care in the hospital and clinics, clinical and practice-based research, consultant in healthcare projects and clinical pharmaceutical consulting. He has held positions such as Clinical Pharmacist, Clinical Specialist, Pharmacotherapeutic Specialist within teaching hospitals, as well as Manager of Government Affairs and Medical Affairs, Medical Science Liaison, and Senior Health Sciences Advisor in the research-based pharmaceutical companies (Servier and P&G Pharmaceuticals) and Chief Operating Officer at Network Healthcare. Alan is a Certified Clinical Densitometrist (CCD), coauthored “The Osteoporosis Book, 4th Edition: Bone Health”, has numerous publications in scientific and health journals, newsletters, and is a founding co-editor of the Pharmacy Management in Canada textbook. Alan led the design, development, implementation and management of the Pharmacy Practice Model’s Initiative (PPMI) in Alberta as well as the design and implementation of the BC Medication Management Project (BCMMP), which are province-wide pharmacy demonstration projects funded by Provincial Ministries of Health.

Alan has been an active member and past participant on various committees (with the College of Pharmacists of BC, BC Pharmacy Association, Canadian Pharmacists Association, Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists, GI Society, etc). He has interests in the areas of, rheumatology, osteoporosis, gastroenterology, diabetes, and cardiology. Alan enjoys being involved in projects that improve health knowledge translation, healthcare delivery, medical health education and health outcomes research. Alan’s training includes a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, a Hospital Pharmacy Residency at St. Paul’s Hospital, and Doctorate of Pharmacy degree at UBC. He is frequently invited to speak at regional, national and international conferences. He strives to develop solutions to close gaps in health care working together with a variety of people.