Scientific Directors
The Leadership Team provides guidance and leadership to CanPath’s pan-Canadian strategic directions, scientific priorities, continuing development and oversight of operations, including the development and approval of strategic plans, and approval of operational workplans that guide CanPath’s establishment, implementation, usage and sustainability.
Dr. Philip Awadalla
National Scientific Director, CanPath; Executive Scientific Director, Ontario Health Study
Dr. John McLaughlin
Executive Director, CanPath
Dr. Trevor Dummer
National Scientific Co-Director, CanPath
Mr. Riaz Alvi
Scientific Director, Healthy Future Sask
Dr. Parveen Bhatti
Scientific Director,
BC Generations Project
Dr. Simon Gravel
Co-Scientific Director, CARTaGENE
Ms. Shandra Harman
Strategic Director, Alberta’s Tomorrow Project
Mr. Jason Hicks
Executive Director, Atlantic PATH
Dr. Vikki Ho
Co-Scientific Director, CARTaGENE
Dr. Guillaume Lettre
Co-Scientific Director of CARTaGENE
Dr. Donna Turner
Scientific Director, The Manitoba Tomorrow Project
Dr. Robin Urquhart
Scientific Director, Atlantic PATH
Dr. Jennifer Vena
Scientific Director, Alberta’s Tomorrow Project
Dr. Grace Shen-Tu
Acting Scientific Director, Alberta’s Tomorrow Project
Operations Committee
The CanPath Operations Committee is composed of the Scientific Directors and Operations Leads from each regional cohort, the CanPath Executive Director, the Ethical, Legal and Social Issues Standing Committee Chair, the Harmonization Standing Committee Chair, and the Biosamples Standing Committee Chair.
It provides operational input on strategic plans and scientific priorities while determining work plans for CanPath Committees, Working Groups, and potentially ad-hoc Task Forces as needed, in consultation with the Leadership Team.
Operations Committee Members
- Riaz Alvi
Scientific Director, Healthy Future Sask - Philip Awadalla
National Scientific Director, CanPath; Executive Scientific Director, Ontario Health Study - Parveen Bhatti
Scientific Director, BC Generations Project - Trevor Dummer
National Scientific Co-Director, CanPath - Isabel Fortier
Harmonization Standing Committee Chair - Simon Gravel
Co-Scientific Director, CARTaGENE - Shandra Harman
Strategic Director, Alberta’s Tomorrow Project - Jason Hicks
Executive Director, Atlantic PATH - Vikki Ho
Co-Scientific Director, CARTaGENE - Travis Hrubeniuk
Project Lead, Manitoba Tomorrow Project - Tedd Konya
Research Operations Manager, CanPath - Catherine Labbé
Scientific Lead and Director of Operations, CARTaGENE - Guillaume Lettre
Co-Scientific Director, CARTaGENE - Kelly McDonald
Program Manager, Ontario Health Study - Treena McDonald
National Biosample Coordinator, CanPath; Project Manager, Biosamples, BC Generations Project - John McLaughlin
Executive Director, CanPath - Kathleen Murdoch
Research Operations Lead, Alberta’s Tomorrow Project - Sara Nejatinamini
Research Lead, Alberta’s Tomorrow Project - Alexandra Obadia
Executive Director, CARTaGENE - Grace Shen-Tu
Acting Scientific Director, Alberta’s Tomorrow Project - Kimberly Skead
National Scientific Coordinator, CanPath - Ellen Sweeney
Director, Strategic Research Initiatives, Atlantic PATH - Donna Turner
Scientific Director, The Manitoba Tomorrow Project - Robin Urquhart
Scientific Director, Atlantic PATH - Jennifer Vena
Scientific Director, Alberta’s Tomorrow Project - Peter Watson
Biosamples Standing Committee Chair - Ma’n Zawati
Ethical, Legal and Social Issues Committee Chair
Advisory Boards & Committees
International Scientific Advisory Board
The purpose of the ISAB is to advise CanPath on mechanisms to maximize the scientific value and merit of the platform, including providing advice to ensure CanPath activities meet high international standards of scientific excellence.
- Stephen Chanock, Chair
National Cancer Institute - Naomi Allen
University of Oxford - Nancy Cox
Vanderbilt University - Edward Dove
University of Edinburgh - Marc Gunter
Imperial College London - Teri Manolio
National Human Genome Research Institute - Jill Reedy
National Cancer Institute - Roel Vermeulen
Utrecht University
National Strategic Advisory Council
A forum for sponsors, funders and key national organizations to provide advice and recommendations to the Executive Leads on the strategic direction of CanPath.
- Christine Williams, Co-Chair
Ontario Institute for Cancer Research - François Bénard
BC Cancer - Adalsteinn Brown
Dalla Lana School of Public Health - Brenda Hubley
Alberta Health Services - Craig Earle
Canadian Partnership Against Cancer - France Gagnon
Dalla Lana School of Public Health - Nhu Le
BC Cancer Agency - Jacques Michaud
CHU Saint-Justine - Kate Murie
Government of Alberta - Stephen Robbins
Canadian Institutes for Health Research - Neil Watkins
Cancer Care Manitoba - Kevin Wilson
Saskatchewan Cancer Agency
Access Committee
The Access Committee reviews and makes approval decisions on research applications submitted for CanPath data and/or biological samples. The committee is composed of 7 independent members from across Canada who have expertise in such relevant fields as biostatistics, epidemiology, and genomics.
Biosamples Standing Committee
The Biosamples Standing Committee provides sample counsel and input that have impact at the pan-Canadian level, as well as enhancing the level of sample coordination and best practice sharing at the regional level of the project.
It ensures that biosamples are collected, processed and stored in each CanPath region according to a core set of operating procedures that reflect as much consistency across the Regions as possible.
Ethical, Legal and Social Issues Committee
The Ethical, Legal and Social Issues Committee (ELSI) Committee is responsible for advising on governance issues and emergent ethical, legal and social issues.
It produces Statements and Discussion Papers to be disseminated within CanPath nationally and regionally. Statements and Discussion Papers covered by the mandate of the ELSI Standing Committee include, but are not limited to: governance of the CanPath project, linkage, data management and sharing in the era of systems thinking research, ethics & scientific communication, the return of results & incidental findings, and, re-consent.
Harmonization Standing Committee
The Harmonization Standing Committee coordinates cohort data activities, provides recommendations on issues that impact data harmonization and data quality at the pan-Canadian level, and establishs the expected level of coordination and best practice sharing on matters related to harmonization at the regional level.