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CCRAN is grateful to our Steering Committee for bringing their knowledge and expertise to the development of the 2025 Biomarkers Conference.
Dr. Stephanie Snow is a staff Medical Oncologist at the QEII hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia, treating thoracic and GI malignancies. After pursuing undergraduate training at McGill, she completed her training at Dalhousie, where she is now a full professor in the Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Snow has a strong interest in Medical Education and is Vice Chair of the Royal College Medical Oncology Examination Board. From a research perspective she is involved in clinical research, is Associate Editor of the peer reviewed journal Current Oncology and has been widely published in prominent journals. Dr. Snow is active in patient advocacy, serving as the current President of Lung Cancer Canada, and sits on the medical advisory committees of several other patient advocacy groups in colorectal and gastric cancer.
Dr. Banerji is a Medical Oncologist at CancerCare Manitoba with a practice focused on lung cancer and sarcoma. He is also the Director of Precision Oncology and Advanced Therapeutics where he guides the strategy to implement companion diagnostics for cancer care. His laboratory at the Paul Albrechtsen Research Institute is focused on the application of Comprehensive Genomic Profiling to guide the cancer discovery and treatment.
Dr. Kelvin Chan is a medical oncologist at the Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre, a professor at the University of Toronto, and an associate scientist at the Sunnybrook Research Institute. He specializes in GI oncology and head and neck oncology. He has completed his PhD in biostatistics (focusing on statistical methods in health economic evaluations) at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto.
As a clinical epidemiologist and biostatistician, Dr. Chan’s research interests include health services research, health technology assessment, meta-analysis including network meta-analysis, cost-effectiveness analyses, and statistical methods research in health economics. He is the co-director at the Canadian Centre for Applied Research in Cancer Control (ARCC).
Dr. Yvonne Bombard is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Genomics Health Services at the University of Toronto. As a Scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, she directs the Genomics Health Services Research Program. Her work evaluates the impact of genomic technologies on patients and healthcare systems, develops digital tools for genomic medicine, and engages patients in health technology assessment. Dr. Bombard is actively involved in international policy advisory committees and serves on the boards of the American Society of Human Genetics, CIHR Institute of Genetics, and Exactis. She has received numerous awards, including a CIHR Foundation grant, 'Rising Star' awards from CADTH, CIHR and the Canadian Cancer Society for her research and policy impact, for which she has been inducted into the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars.
Allen Chankowsky is an acclaimed author, sought-after international speaker, and a resilient 34-year cancer survivor. His continued survivorship of a 2016 terminal diagnosis of an ultra-rare, Androgen Receptor positive salivary duct carcinoma makes him one of the longest survivors with this disease. Best known for his multi-award-winning & best-selling book, "On the Other Side of TERMINAL," Allen inspires his audience with a powerful narrative of hope and resilience against one of life's gravest challenges. Allen's contributions to the field extend far beyond his personal journey. An expert in sales promotion and marketing, he leverages his platform to actively champion the cause of precision medicine in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. His compelling insights have earned him keynote invitations to prestigious events, including the TargetCancer Foundation's 2022 gala, 2024 Think Tank, and a global conference on precision medicine, where he addressed leading figures in oncology and molecular pathology.
Laura brings more than 25 years of health public affairs experience, integrating communications, stakeholder, digital and government relations strategies to achieve public policy and business objectives. She has worked extensively in oncology, chronic disease and rare disease, leading advocacy campaigns that engage patients, health professionals and government stakeholders. At H&K, she has led accounts in the pharmaceutical, health professional, digital health, seniors care, hospital, regulator and not-for-profit sectors, including serving as executive director of a patient advocacy organization. Laura has a demonstrated track record of success and an established network of health system partners. Laura serves as strategic lead for the Cancer Action Now Alliance and the Right2Survive lung cancer campaign.
Dr. Manna is a medical oncologist at the Saskatoon Cancer Centre and Assistant Professor in the Department of Oncology at the University of Saskatchewan. She is the Provincial Disease Site Lead and the Multidisciplinary Tumor Board Chair for Breast Malignancies. She is a nucleus member of the REAL Alliance, Canadian Breast Cancer Alliance. Her clinical focus includes breast and thoracic malignancies, with research interests in mainstream genetic testing, quality improvement, and real-world outcomes.
Dr. Sheffield is an anatomic and molecular pathologist. He is currently serving as the Medical Director of Advanced Diagnostics at William Osler Health System in Canada and as the Mississauga Halton Central West Regional Pathology Lead. Dr. Sheffield focuses on the delivery of personalized medicine and precision oncology and making molecular testing available to community cancer patients in Canada.
Professor David Thomas is the Director of the Centre for Molecular Oncology at UNSW. One of Australia’s leading clinician scientists, he has several major achievements. As a clinician-scientist, his focus is on the application of genomic technologies to the understanding and management of cancer, particularly sarcoma. Professor Thomas has championed the key idea that patients and their families should immediately benefit from participation in research through his programs. He has over 200 research publications, including lead or senior author papers in Science, Cancer Cell, Journal of Clinical Investigation and Lancet Oncology. As the founding CEO of the non-profit national genomic cancer medicine centre, Omico, he is best known for leading development of precision oncology in Australia, directly impacting on thousands of incurable cancer patients and their families through the applications of genomics to clinical care. He has also led the development of sarcoma research in Australia for the past 20 years, having founded the Australasian Sarcoma Study Group in 2008.
