Canadians are known for their dedication to building a better future, and CanPath participants are perfect examples of what it means to be Canadian. On November 17, we were thrilled to connect with over 2,400 participants across Canada for our second CanPath Participant Town Hall, held virtually via Zoom and YouTube Live.

Presentations: Progress in prevention and chronic disease research

This year’s event focused on sharing research updates made possible by your participation, with presentations from CanPath leadership and scientists, followed by a live Q&A where participant questions took centre stage:

• Dr. Philip Awadalla (CanPath National Scientific Co-Director) opened with a look back on CanPath’s 16-year journey, including recruitment milestones, data harmonization across cohorts, and exciting projects like the progress in genotyping CanPath biological samples.
• Dr. Jennifer Brooks (CanPath Executive Director) shared what’s ahead, including new studies and data collection opportunities like regional follow-up studies, firefighter recruitment in Saskatchewan, and the Synthetic Dataset and our Trusted Research Environment, tools that are enabling researchers across Canada to conduct secure, cloud-based analysis.
• Dr. Trevor Dummer (CanPath National Scientific Co-Director) gave an overview of research on environmental exposures, from air pollution to wildfire smoke, critical questions in a changing climate.
• Dr. Vikki Ho (CARTaGENE Scientific Co-Director) spoke about occupational exposures and chronic disease risk, drawing on participant data that’s helping researchers understand how work environments shape long-term health.
• Dr. Rachel Murphy (Principal Investigator) and Dr. Jennifer Vena (Alberta’s Tomorrow Project Scientific Director) presented early insights from the HEAL and CHARM studies, including how lifestyle factors like diet and physical activity influence cancer and chronic disease risk over time.

A recording of our Town Hall livestream is available on our YouTube channel in English and French for viewing at your convenience.

What participants told us

Hundreds of participants submitted thoughtful questions, and many shared what the event meant to them:

• “It gave me more reason to participate.”
• “It makes me happy that I live in a country that values science.”
• I’m interested in everything—especially the complexity of work coming out of our contributions.”

“It makes me happy that I live in a country that values science.”

We’re currently building a new FAQ section on our website to address the most frequently asked questions. Stay tuned!

Want to learn more?

We highlight studies published using CanPath data on our website, so interested participants can search for papers on their topic of interest: 

Thank you!

With over 350,000 participants across seven regional cohorts, CanPath is Canada’s largest population health study. Your ongoing support helps drive research that improves cancer prevention, chronic disease monitoring, and public health across the country.

We look forward to sharing more updates and seeing you at our next town hall. Until then, keep an eye on our website for the latest news.

For more information, please contact: 

Megan Fleming 
Communications & Knowledge Translation Officer 
Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (CanPath) 
info@canpath.ca