Professor, McMaster University

Dr. Verdú holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Microbial Therapeutics and Nutrition in Gastroenterology. She is Associate Director of the Farncombe Institute at McMaster University where she studies microbial metabolism of dietary antigens and its role in food sensitivities and intestinal inflammation. She is Senior Associate Editor for the journal Gastroenterology and Secretary of the International Society for the Study of Celiac Disease. She received the American Gastroenterology Association (AGA) Master’s Award, the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology Research Excellence Award, the ...

Professeure titulaire, Faculté des sciences infirmières, University of Montreal

Dr. Bilkis Vissandjée is a Full Professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Montreal. She is a researcherat the SHERPA frontline research Centre, the Montreal Centre for International Studies, and the Centre for Public Health Research funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé (FRQS). Alongside national and international partners, her research work's focus is to address the challenges associated with providing accessible, equitable, and quality care within a diversified socio-cultural context while taking into account the complex intersection of gender, migration ...

Dr. Thombs is Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, McGill University and a Senior Investigator, Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Quebec. Dr. Thombs' research focuses on developing strategies to improve quality of life and reduce disability among people living with the rare autoimmune disease scleroderma, on evaluating depression screening tools and screening programs, and on meta-research studies of how research conduct and reporting may influence outcomes. Dr. Thombs is the Founder and Director of the Scleroderma Patient-centered ...

Dr. David Spence, a clinician-scientist trained in Neurology, Internal Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology, has devoted his entire career to prevention of stroke. His clinical work has prevented an estimated 5,000 strokes, but his research, teaching and publications, by changing the way physicians approach stroke prevention, have prevented many more. He led many clinical trials of stroke prevention, including 4 major trials funded by NIH. He pioneered the understanding of pseudohypertension, co-discovered the effect of grapefruit on drug metabolism, pioneered the measurement of carotid ...

Ernesto Schiffrin has made seminal contributions to our understanding of the mechanisms leading and contributing to hypertension. He has delineated the role that hormones such as angiotensin, aldosterone and endothelin play in the regulation of the vasculature in hypertension. He characterized arteries involved in blood pressure elevation in patients with hypertension, and effects of treatment on their blood vessels, contributing to improving outcome for hypertensive patients. He is past President of the Canadian Hypertension Society and Chair of the High Blood Pressure Research Council of ...

Professor, Department of Pediatrics; Director, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, McGill University Health Center (Children's Hospital) Dr. Constantin Polychronakos is a physician scientist who has made seminal contributions to understanding the cause of type 1 diabetes, towards finding an effective prevention for this common and serious disease. As a paediatric endocrinologist, he is motivated on a daily basis by his contact with his young patients to push the understanding of what in an individual’s genome makes them susceptible to diabetes. Using cutting edge technologies he has advanced ...

Professor Emeritus, Department of Family Practice, University of British Columbia

Louise Nasmith has been Principal of the College of Health Disciplines at the University of British Columbia since 2007. She was previously Chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto from 2001-2007, and the Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at McGill from 1995-2002. Her scholarship has centred on medical education resulting in her obtaining a Master’s of Education from McGill in 1994 and a series of publications and presentations in this area. In addition she has been involved in a number of projects that focus on integration of care for ...

Senior Scientist, University of Montreal

Bruce Murphy has made highly significant and original contributions to biomedical science in the domain of reproductive biology. He has made seminal discoveries that explain the processes of ovarian function and embryo implantation. He has shown exceptional leadership in and commitment to the advancement of academic health sciences, in establishment and direction of high quality biomedical research centers, leadership in the evolution of the CIHR Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health, and service on national and international grant panels and advisory boards.

Dr. Julio Montaner is globally recognized for his exceptional leadership, vision, and innovative contributions to the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS. He led the development of new drugs and therapeutic strategies to stop disease progression, premature death, and simultaneously stop HIV transmission. His Treatment as Prevention strategy inspired his 90-90-90 by 2020 and the 95-95-95 by 2025 Targets, which together provide the road map to achieve the “End of AIDS as a Pandemicby 2030”. His strategy was formally adopted by the United Nations in 2015, ratified in 2021, and is a central part ...

Prof. Montalban has been the Director of the Neurology Division, University of Toronto. He is Chair of Neurology and Director of Cemcat at Vall d'Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona. He is an internationally renowned neurologist whose work led to significant advances for understanding the mechanisms associated with a devastating neurological disease, such as Multiple Sclerosis. His ground-breaking work led to great scientific discoveries, helping to define important clinical features that impact significantly on the health and quality-of-life of patients. Prof. Montalban's commitment for ...