Distinguished Professor, University of Manitoba

Dr. Cheryl Rockman-Greenberg, Professor and Head of Pediatrics and Child Health at the University of Manitoba, and Medical Director of the Child Health Programme for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA), recognized the importance of molecular medicine and was the driving force behind the opening o the first lab in Winnipeg for the diagnosis of genetic disease with DNA testing. This internationally known researcher has identified the molecular source of some of Manitoba's most devastating inherited diseases, including those most prevalent in the province's Aboriginal, Mennonite and ...

Renee Martin is a human geneticist who has pioneered research into the causes of chromosomal abnormalities in human sperm. These abnormalities are responsible for infertility, pregnancy loss, and the birth of children with mental and physical handicaps. Dr. Martin has developed sophisticated new techniques to compare sperm chromosomes from healthy men and men with an increased risk of chromosome abnormalities due to factors such as infertility and exposure to radiotherapy, chemotherapy and pesticides. This innovative research program has allowed her to identify some significant causes of ...

Dr. MacDonald has developed ground breaking vision research at two universities (Alberta and Ottawa). As an Ontario Ministry of Health Career Scientist, he established the first vision science laboratory in the Departments of Ophthalmology and Biochemistry, University of Ottawa. He was intimately involved in the planning and construction of the Eye Institute of the University of Ottawa, in particular its basic science laboratories. Since 1992, in his role as Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alberta, he has built and shaped its academic program into one of the leading ...

Professor, University of British Columbia

Dr. Huntsman is a pathologist and clinical molecular geneticist. Through a combination of genetic and pathology approaches, Dr. Huntsman has redefined our understanding of ovarian and several rare cancers, including hereditary stomach cancer, leading to significant improvements in management. He proposed, developed, and promulgated the subtype-specific approach to ovarian cancer research, prevention, and treatment that is now the international standard. He discovered the key mutations in several ovarian cancer subtypes. His research has been published in prestigious journals, is highly cited, ...

Professor Emeritus, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Dr. Jane Green has been at the fore-front of genetic research of hereditary cancers and hereditary eye diseases for 35 years. Her studies led to the discovery of novel genes in Newfoundland and Labrador families and a new understanding of pathways to development of cancer and blindness. In 1993, her research was key to identifying a major colon cancer gene and to the provision of genetic testing. Green pioneered the development of screening programs for earlier and more successful treatment of hereditary tumours. Her work has saved lives and profoundly improved health and quality of life for ...

Dr. Judith G. Hall is a Clinical Geneticist and Pediatrician. She trained at Wellesley College, UW School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins Hospital. She was chair of Pediatrics at UBC & BC Children's Hospital from 1990-2000. She is presently Professor Emerita of Pediatrics & Medical Genetics at UBC based at Children's & Women's Health Centre of BC. Her areas of research interest are human congenital anomalies, natural history of genetic disorders, and non-traditional mechanisms of genetic disease.

Dr. Friedman is a medical geneticist whose research bridges clinical genetics and more fundamental studies in genetics and genomics. He holds MS and MD degrees from Tulane University, a PhD in genetics from the University of Washington, and fellowship in the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the Canadian College of Medical Geneticists, the American Board of Medical Genetics, and the American Association of Pediatrics. His research focuses in three major areas: (1) using advanced genomic technology to identify genetic causes of intellectual disability; (2) using birth defects ...

Dr. Chitayat is a Professor of Paediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology and Molecular Genetics, the head of the Prenatal Diagnosis and Medical Genetics Program at Mount Sinai Hospital, the Medical Director of the MSc Program in Genetic Counseling at the University of Toronto and a staff at the Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics at HSC. He has received many awards in recognition of his significant contributions and has published over 15 book chapters and over 400 peer reviewed papers in the field of Medical Genetics. His research interests include ...