Paul O'Connell is the Research Program Lead at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC). Dr. O'Connell completed his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and his post-doctoral studies at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His doctoral research investigated the mechanisms by which our own immune system contributes to metastatic cancer growth and the complications associated with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia. Inspired by his grandmother's blood cancer journey, Dr. O'Connell first became involved in research as a way to find new and better ways to manage the disease.

At LLSC, Dr. O'Connell leads the organization's research funding program and provides support to existing and prospective stakeholders. He aims strengthen the current framework, broaden the scope of research partnerships and diversify or grow the research portfolio so that the LLSC is at the forefront of blood cancer research in Canada. He works closely with the research community to help connect constituents to the incredible, and potentially, life-saving research that is being done across the country.

Catherine Wilhelmy – Over the last 15 years, I have been a consultant for an international nonprofit organization (Planetree) that offers certification in patient centered care. On a personal level, through various experiences (caregiver at home for my mother 30 years ago; my husband – three cancers within 18 months). In November 2018, I went through the looking glass as I became myself a patient. I was diagnosed with an aggressive and advanced triple negative breast cancer. I took nine months to get rid of the beast. In January 2019, I joined the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke (CRCHUS) Strategic Patient Partner’s committee; and since April 2020, I am coordinating patient partnership for that organization.

Over the years, I have had the occasion to observe the health system from different perspectives. The combination of both professional and personal experiences makes me today, more aware than ever of the latent potential which lies at the heart of a real partnership between the different actors of the health system: I have the faith that by introducing such a collaboration, there is a way to better care, better costs, and better satisfaction for everyone involved in the process. Contributing to the advancement of the patient-partnership in research makes senses out of a disease I suffered from, that had none. It is like having the chance to transform the citrus life handed me into a nice lemonade.

Randy is a stage 4 cancer survivor and devotes much of his time as a patient advisor across various organizations. He is a volunteer and spokesperson with the Alberta Cancer Foundation and the OWN.CANCER campaign in Calgary, AB. His additional media involvement includes Cancer Action Now!, where he advocates for prioritizing cancer care with the Alberta Government’s Ministry of Health. Randy plays an active role with the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network, and is a member of the Colorectal Cancer Society, Alberta Health and certified in the Science of Cancer through the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network. Outside his cancer related work, Randy is a dedicated family man, married with three children and a sports enthusiast. Leveraging his background in Social Work, Randy is sole proprietor of Mindful Solutions Consulting, supporting organizations with their health & wellness needs.

Nadine Frisk is a social worker and change manager passionate about advocating for and participating in cancer research. Her personal experience of surviving B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and her diverse professional background gives her a unique perspective that enables her to champion the causes of patients effectively. As a patient partner for the CLIC-02 CD22 CAR-T grant, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Nadine promotes collaboration between cancer researchers and patients with lived experience to develop innovative therapies. Additionally, she serves as a patient adviser for the Advocacy Committee of the Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology. Nadine is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for cancer patients in the future. She lives in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia with her husband and enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, mountain biking, and Nordic skiing.

Victoria is pursuing a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology with a specialization in Pathology and Experimental Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa. Her research focuses on investigating the cellular mechanisms through which four closely related targeted drugs enhance the antitumoral effects of oncolytic herpes simplex virus-1 and vesicular stomatitis virus in solid tumors.

In addition to her research, Victoria serves as a laboratory instructor for the Bacteriophage Discovery course in the undergraduate Translational and Molecular Medicine (TMM) program. This course provides students with comprehensive training in techniques essential for identifying and characterizing bacteriophages (viruses that exclusively target bacteria), as well as giving students the opportunity to catalogue their findings in a global database hosted by the Pittsburgh Bacteriophage Institute at the University of Pittsburgh.

Victoria is a passionate advocate for science education, wellness, and patient engagement. In 2019, she founded the CHEO Research Institute Student Wellness Committee and is an active member of the Faculty Wellness Program Advisory Committee at the University of Ottawa. Her journey into patient engagement began as an Academic Scholar in the BioCanRx Learning Institute. Inspired by its mission, she initiated the creation of an Immunology and Cancer Immunotherapy educational coloring book, explaining complex scientific concepts in cancer biology, immunology, and cancer immunotherapy research. This project aims to make these topics more accessible to individuals within the cancer community.

Lauralie Short is a Ph.D. candidate in Interdisciplinary Oncology under the co-supervision of Dr. Laura Evgin and Dr. Robert Holt at the BC Cancer Research Centre in Vancouver. She received her bachelor’s in pharmacology from the University of Sherbrooke in 2020. She was first introduced to cancer immunotherapies as a Coop Student in Dr. Lee-Hwa Tai’s laboratory. She then went on to complete her Master’s in Immunology in 2021 under the co-supervision of Pr Marie-Josée Boucher and Pr Lee-Hwa Tai, where she worked on combining oncolytic viruses with chemotherapy in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Today, Lauralie’s research is focused on improving the accessibility to CD19 CAR T cells by moving away from current ex vivo manufacturing protocols and utilizing novel technologies to generate an off-the-shelf nanomedicine product that could engineer the CAR T cells in vivo.