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Scientific Advisory Committee on Oncology Therapies (SAC-OT)

Contact: Bureau of Policy, Science and International Programs Enquiries

Membership List

Core Members:

Ad hoc Members:

Related Information: The Summary of Expertise, Experience, Affiliations and Interests for the Scientific Advisory Committee on Oncology Therapies accompanies the member biographies. It summarizes the information provided by each member regarding their expertise/experience, and their affiliations and interests, which is required as part of the nominations process.

Core Members

Alexander H.G. Paterson, MD, FRCP, FACP, MBChB (Chair)

Medical Oncologist, Department of Medical Oncology, Tom Baker Cancer Centre
Professor, Department of Medicine and Oncology, University of Calgary
Calgary, Alberta

Biography:

Alexander Paterson graduated Medicine from Edinburgh University, United Kingdom in 1977 and subsequently trained at St. Bartholomew's Hospital and Royal Marsden, London, England. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and has been a Medical Oncologist at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary since 1990. He is also Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Oncology at the University of Calgary, Alberta since 1995. He is a member of the Alberta Out-of-Province/Country Health Services Appeal Panel and the Board of Directors of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSAPB). He is also Chair of the NSABP Protocol B-34 and the Alberta Breast Cancer Programme. He has published over 100 articles, authored over 15 book chapters, is the Editor of Fundamental Problems in Breast Cancer (I and II) and contributes a regular column to Alberta Doctors' Digest. He has given over 200 invited lectures.

Rick Abbott, BScPharm, RPEBC

Pharmacy Manager, Provincial Systemic Therapy, Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Centre, Eastern Health
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

Biography:

Rick Abbott graduated from the School of Pharmacy in 1990 at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. He has been the Pharmacy Manager of the Provincial Systemic Therapy since 2002 and is actively involved in the Pharmacy Profession. Since moving to Oncology Pharmacy Practice, he has been very involved in Cancer Care, and serves on several national committees and advisory boards. He also has a strong interest in outcome-based research with a focus on improving models of pharmaceutical care and patient safety and, is the recipient of several awards including the 2007 Pharmacists Association of NL James C. Quick Award for innovative pharmacy practice and outstanding achievement in the practice of pharmacy.

Charles A. Butts, MD, FRCPC

Medical Oncologist, Division of Medical Oncology, Cross Cancer Institute
Associate Professor, Department of Oncology, University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta

Biography:

Charles A. Butts graduated from medical school in 1985 from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and subsequently completed Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology training at the University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario in the Ottawa Regional Cancer Center. He is a Medical Oncologist at the Cross Cancer Institute and Associate Professor at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta. He is currently the Associate Vice-President for Community Oncology with Alberta Health Services - Cancer Care, and has been President of the Canadian Association of Medical Oncologists since 2008. His main clinical research interests are in Thoracic Oncology and therapeutic cancer vaccines as he was involved in the clinical development of the BLP-25 vaccine.

Diana M. Ermel, BSc, MV/Ed

Representative to the Cancer Guidelines Action group of the Canadian Partnership against Cancer, Canadian Cancer Action Network
Regina, Saskatchewan

Biography:

Diana M. Ermel obtained her BSc in Nursing from the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 1967 and Masters of Vocational Education from the University of Regina, Saskatchewan in 1992. She has worked as a nurse educator for over 40 years and has recently retired from the faculty of the Nursing Education Program of Saskatchewan. She has been a Canadian Cancer Action Network representative to the Clinical Guidelines Action Group of the Canadian Partnership against Cancer since 2002 and was the President of the Canadian Breast Cancer Network for 3 years. As a breast cancer survivor, educator, and health care professional, she has dedicated her volunteer time and energy to cancer issues at the provincial and national levels through membership in several committees and associations but also by giving lectures and presentations at conferences.

Stan Z. Gertler, MD, FRCPC

Medical Oncologist, Division of Medical Oncology, Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa
Ottawa, Ontario

Biography:

Stan Z. Gertler graduated Medicine in 1983 from the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Ontario after which he completed a Fellowship in Medical Biochemistry, Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology. He joined the Medical Oncology Group at the Ottawa Regional Cancer Centre in 1994 where he currently holds the position of Staff, Medical Oncology. He is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. His clinical practice emphasizes on the treatment of breast and central nervous system malignancies and he is also involved in the design and implementation of oncology clinical trials. His current interests involve the study of the impact of chemotherapy on the quality of life of cancer patients and the design of well-tolerated chemotherapy protocols.

Kong E. Khoo, BSc, MD, FRCPC

Medical Oncologist, British Columbia Cancer Agency - Centre for the Southern Interior
Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Oncology, University of British Columbia
Kelowna, British Columbia

Biography:

Kong E. Khoo graduated from Medical School in 1985 at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. He subsequently trained in Internal Medicine and Hematology at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and in Medical Oncology at British Columbia (BC) Cancer Agency/University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, BC. He has been a Medical Oncologist at BC Cancer Agency - Centre for the Southern Interior since 2004 and Clinical Assistant Professor at UBC since 1997. He has interest in oncology collaborative care models, tele-oncology, and cancer drug development. He has specialized interest in head and neck, sarcoma and gastro-intestinal cancers management. He is also involved in cancer advocacy as vice-chair of the Cancer Advocacy Coalition of Canada, particularly in highlighting the large discrepancies in access to and funding of new drugs for cancer patients.

Kara E. Laing, MD, FRCPC

Clinical Chief, Cancer Care Program, Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Centre, Eastern Health
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Memorial University
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

Biography:

Kara E. Laing obtained her medical degree in 1993 at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. She is a Medical Oncologist at the Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Centre, the Clinical Chief for the Cancer Care program, the Head of the Provincial Systemic Therapy Program and an Associate Professor with the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Her clinical practice involves the treatment of patients with malignancies of the breast and brain. She is a principal investigator in numerous clinical trials but also conducts research in the areas of tele-oncology and in the genetics of breast cancer. She is a member of several national committees and advisory boards pertaining to breast and brain cancers. In 1999, she received the American Society of Clinical Oncology Merit Award.

Ronald E. MacCormick, MD, FRCPC

Medical Director, Cape Breton Cancer Centre
Associate Professor, Department of Medicine and Department of Radiation Oncology
Dalhousie University
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Biography:

Ronald E. MacCormick graduated Medicine in 1977 from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. He then specialized in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology at the Princess Margaret Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario. He is the founding Medical Director of the Cape Breton Cancer Centre, an Associate Professor at the Department of Medicine at Dalhousie University, and an Adjunct Professor at Cape Breton University in Sydney, Nova Scotia. His main interests are delivery of cancer services in underserviced areas, with special interest in West Africa. He is a past recipient of the R. M. Taylor Medal from the National Cancer Institute of Canada and the Canadian Cancer Society, for his efforts in cancer control. In 2007, he was named Mentor of the Year by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Wojciech Morzycki , MD , FRCPC

Medical Oncologist, Division of Medical Oncology, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Biography:

Wojciech Morzycki obtained a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1988 from Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland. After moving to Nova Scotia, he subsequently specialized in Immuno-Pathology, Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology. Since 2001, he has been an Assistant Professor at Dalhousie University and a Medical Oncologist at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He is a Principal Investigator for a number of clinical studies on lung cancer, mesothelioma and cancers of unknown primary, which are his main areas of clinical care and research. He is also a member of the Provincial Thoracic Cancer Site Team and is actively involved in undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing medical education at Dalhousie University.

Lynne Nakashima, BScPharm, PharmD

Registered Pharmacist
Pharmacy Professional Practice Leader, Bristish Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver Cancer Centre
Vancouver, British Columbia

Biography:

Lynne Nakashima obtained a BSc(Pharm) in 1988 from the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, British Columbia, and a doctorate's degree in Pharmacy in 1990 from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States of America. Since 1997, she has been the Pharmacy Professional Practice Leader for the British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver Cancer Centre and she holds an academic appointment with UBC as a Clinical Professor. She is also an active member of a number of professional organizations including the Canadian Association of Pharmacy in Oncology and the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists. She has been recognized professionally with the Distinguished Service Award from Canadian Association of Pharmacy in Oncology and the Safe Medication Practice Award from Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists.

Scott A. North, MD, FRCPC, MHPE

Medical Oncologist, Department of Medicine, Cross Cancer Institute
Associate Professor, Department of Oncology, University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta

Biography:

Scott A. North received his medical degree in 1994 from the University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario and subsequently trained in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta. He joined the medical staff of the Cross Cancer Institute as a Medical Oncologist and the University of Alberta's Department of Oncology in 1999 as an Associate Professor. He later completed a Masters in Health Professions Education in 2004 at the University of Illinois, Chicago, United States of America. His areas of expertise are genitourinary oncology and medical education. He is actively involved in the treatment of patients with genitourinary cancers and conducts numerous related clinical trials. He is also involved in all levels medical education, including undergraduate, post-graduate and continuing medical education at the University of Alberta.

Lesley K. Seymour, MD, FRCPC, PhD

Co-Director, Investigational New Drug Program, National Cancer Institute of Canada, Clinical Trials Group
Professor, Department of Oncology, Queen's University
Kingston, Ontario

Biography:

Lesley K. Seymour graduated Medicine in 1978 from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, and subsequently specialized in Internal Medicine, Clinical Hematology and Medical Oncology. She has been the Co-Director of the Investigational New Drug Program at the National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC) Clinical Trials Group (CTG) since 1996 and serves as the Director of the Audit and Monitoring Group of NCIC CTG. She is also a staff oncologist at the Cancer Centre of Southeastern Ontario, and a Professor of Oncology at Queens University, Kingston, Ontario. She serves on many provincial, national and international committees as well as review and grants panels. In her current role, she is a principal investigator and co-investigator on numerous grants for clinical research and training pertaining to Phase I and II studies of novel compounds, as well as research into lung malignancies.

Ian F. Tannock, MD, FRCPC, PhD

Staff Physician, Princess Margaret Hospital and Ontario Cancer Institute
Daniel E Bergsagel Professor, Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Princess Margaret Hospital and University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario

Biography:

Ian F. Tannock obtained his PhD in 1968 from the Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom and graduated Medicine in 1974 from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States of America. He is the Daniel E Bergsagel Professor of Medical Oncology as well as a Staff Physician at the Princess Margaret Hospital and the University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario. His laboratory-based research focuses on physiological causes of resistance to chemotherapy in solid tumours and methods of overcoming them. His clinical research interests are prostate and breast cancers, fatigue and cognitive dysfunction associated with chemotherapy. He has received several awards including the 2001 Professor of Survivorship award from the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and the 2003 Harold Warwick prize from the National Cancer Institute of Canada for contributions to cancer control.

Maureen E. Trudeau, MA, MD, FRCPC

Head, Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario

Biography:

Maureen E. Trudeau graduated Medicine in 1981 from the University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario where she is a Professor in the Department of Medicine. She is a Medical Oncologist, specializing in breast cancer, currently Head of the Division of Medical Oncology/Hematology at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and leads the Systemic Therapy Program at the Odette Cancer Centre. Since 2006, she has been an associate scientist at the Sunnybrook Research Institute. She has also been the Provincial Head of the Systemic Treatment Program for Cancer Care Ontario since 2006 which will end as of January 1st, 2010. She co-chairs the Breast Cancer Disease Site Group for the Program in Evidence-Based Care of Cancer Care Ontario for which she is involved in practice guideline development. Her research interests include long-term survivorship and targeted neo-adjuvant therapies in breast cancer.

Ad hoc Members

Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Western Ontario
London, Ontario

Biography:

Allan Donner did his undergraduate work at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba and obtained his PhD in 1973 in Statistics from Harvard University in Boston, United States of America. He is currently Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Director, Biometrics at Robarts Clinical Trials, Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario. His methodological research includes contributions to the design and analysis of clinical trials and he frequently presents lectures and workshops on this topic to the government and industry. He has collaborated with researchers at the World Health Organization for over ten years and is currently a consultant with the International Vaccine Institute and a member of several scientific advisory committees, including the Scientific Advisory Committee on Bioavailability and Bioequivalence (SAC-BB) and the Scientific Advisory Committee on Respiratory and Allergy Therapies (SAC-OT). He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, the American Statistical Association and the Royal Society of Canada.

Justin T. Gerstle, MD, FRCSC, FACS, FAAP

Program Director, Division of General Surgery, Hospital for Sick Children
Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario

Biography:

Justin T. Gerstle obtained his Medical Degree in 1988 from Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America (USA). He further completed a general surgical training program and a postdoctoral research fellowship at Pennsylvania State University, USA, and a pediatric surgery fellowship at The Hospital for Sick Children. Since 1998, he has been a member of the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto and an attending staff surgeon at The Hospital for Sick Children. He has been a Project Investigator in the Program in Cell Biology at the Research Institute of The Hospital for Sick Children since 2006. His clinical and research interests are in the treatment of solid tumours in children, particularly neuroblastoma.

Alwin Jeyakumar, MBBS, ABIM, FRCPC

Medical Oncologist, Division of Medical Oncology, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Biography:

Alwin Jeyakumar obtained his MBBS degree in 1992 from the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and subsequently specialized in Internal Medicine and Oncology/Hematology. He is a Medical Oncologist in the Division of Medical Oncology at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre and the Nova Scotia Cancer Centre since 2006, and is an Assistant Professor with the Department of Medicine at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His interests are in the treatment of breast, gastrointestinal and thoracic malignancies. He is also a member of the Breast and Gastrointestinal Disease Site groups and he participates in the satellite Oncology Clinics in New Glasgow. He is involved in undergraduate and postgraduate education and has given lectures to the public, including breast cancer survivors, their families and support programs.

Natasha B. Leighl, MD, FRCPC, MSc

Medical Oncologist, Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Princess Margaret Hospital and University Health Network
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario

Biography:

Natasha B. Leighl obtained her medical degree in 1994 from the University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario and obtained a master's degree in Clinical Epidemiology in 2001 from the University of Newcastle, Australia. She is a Medical Oncologist at the Princess Margaret Hospital, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Her main interests lie in the management of lung and breast cancers, and she is involved in clinical studies of novel agents for cancer therapy. She is a member of the Lung Disease Site Group Executive and Co-Chair of the Working Group on Economic Analyses of the National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group. She also serves on several committees including the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer Communications Committee, and currently chairs the Lung Cancer Canada Medical Advisory Committee as well as serving on the Board of Directors.

Wendy R. Parulekar, MD, FRCPC

Physician Coordinator, NCIC Clinical Trials Group
Associate Professor, Department of Oncology, Queen's University
Kingston, Ontario

Biography:

Wendy R. Parulekar graduated from medical school in 1988 at the University of Ottawa, Ottawa Ontario where she also completed residency training in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology in 1996. She then did a fellowship in Clinical Pharmacology at the Toronto Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Centre. Since 1999, she has held a joint clinical/research position as an Associate Professor at Queen's University, Kingston Ontario. Within the National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group, she acts as Physician Coordinator for national and international studies in carcinoma of the breast, head and neck and genitourinary systems. Her research interests include the methodology of efficient clinical trial design and conduct from a non-statistician's perspective as well as the issues and challenges of global collaboration in cancer clinical trials.

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