Get to know our special guest Dr. Lynne Postovit. Dr. Postovit earned her Bachelor of Science (Honours) at Queen’s University in 1999. After receiving her PhD in Anatomy and Cell Biology at Queen’s, Dr. Postovit completed a CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowship at Northwestern University in the Department of Cancer Biology and Epigenomics. Dr. Postovit was an Assistant Professor at Western University from 2007-2013 and has been an Associate Professor at the University of Alberta since 2014, where she co-directed the Cancer Research Institute of Northern Alberta.

As a recognized authority on ovarian cancer, Dr. Postovit has published more than 60 papers in peer-reviewed journals, including the International Journal of Molecular Science, Frontiers in Immunology, and Scientific Reports. Dr. Postovit has been invited to present her work at national and international research institutes and conferences, including the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and the Canadian Cancer Research Conference. In 2009, she was the recipient of the Peter Lougheed/CIHR New Investigator Award. Demonstrating excellence as a researcher, Dr. Postovit was elected as a Member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists in 2016.

In addition to her prolific research output, Dr. Postovit has made remarkable contributions to the wider community through her service to the profession. She serves on the editorial boards of Oncology Signaling, Scientific Reports, and the Journal of Cell Communication and Signaling. In 2018, Dr. Postovit chaired the Canadian Conference on Ovarian Cancer Research and was an organizing committee member for the Canadian Oxidative Stress Consortium. She has made outreach and public-facing research a priority as part of her career, participating in a number of community events such as Ovarian Cancer Canada Run for Hope and the Royal Alex Foundation.

Get to know our special guest Dr. Bernard Thébaud. Dr. Thébaud is a clinician-scientist with a focus on the clinical translation of stem cell-based therapies for lung diseases. Dr. Thébaud is a senior scientist with the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute (CHEO RI), and a neonatologist with the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), where he provides care to critically ill newborns. He is a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Ottawa and holds the uOttawa Partnership Research Chair in Regenerative Medicine.

Dr. Thébaud obtained his MD at the University Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France in 1991 and trained in pediatrics and neonatology at the University Paris V in Paris, France, where he also obtained his MSc and PhD. He then completed a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Alberta.

Dr. Thébaud has participated on numerous peer reviews committees and scientific advisory boards at the international, national and provincial level, including NIH and CIHR. He has over 120 peer-reviewed publications, and given over 80 lectures at leading international meetings and institutions in the past 5 years. He was a Canada Research Chair from 2005-2012. He received the “Rising Star in Perinatal Research” award from the CIHR Institute for Human Development, Child and Youth Health in 2008, and the “Best in Current Canadian Child Health Research” Sanofi Pasteur Research Award in 2007.

Get to know Dr. Annette Hay. Dr. Annette Hay is a Hematologist within the Department of Medicine, Queen’s University, cross-appointed to the Departments of Oncology and Pediatrics, and a Senior Investigator with the Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG). She became Chair of the Division of Hematology in January 2021. Commencing at the University of Dundee (Sept 1996 – June 2001, MB ChB received July 2001), Dr. Hay completed her medical and hematology training in Scotland. In 2012 she undertook a 30-month Fellowship with the NCIC Clinical Trials Group (now CCTG), transitioning to a Senior Investigator role in 2014. Dr. Hay’s clinical practice includes all areas of Hematology, with special interest in hematological malignancies. Clinics are held at the Cancer Center of Southeastern Ontario.

Dr. Hay’s specific research interests, delivered through collaboration with national and international investigators, include:

• Clinical trial design, conduct and analysis: Completion of phase I, II and III trials for patients with lymphoma, leukemia, myeloma and myelodysplasia.
• Under-represented populations: Enhancing research opportunities and clinical trial uptake for the elderly, and adolescents and young adults with cancer.
• Economic analyses: Determining the costs and benefits of healthcare interventions, aiding policy makers.
• Data linkage: Piloting means to conduct clinical trials more efficiently, while maintaining patient safety and privacy, though linkage with existing data sources.
• Data sharing: Creating the infrastructure for responsible data sharing in Canada to accelerate health care advances.