Arif Ali AwanBio: Dr. Arif Ali Awan is a medical oncologist at The Ottawa Hospital and Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. He serves as Director of Clinical and Translational Research and Medical Lead of the Cancer Clinical Trials Unit, with a focus on precision oncology, breast cancer and biomarker-driven clinical trials.VISION statement: The VISION program represents an opportunity to learn from international experts in advancing the care of patients with cancer through clinical trials using a cooperative group strategy.Ricardo FernandesBio: Dr. Ricardo Fernandes is a Medical Oncologist specializing in Genitourinary Malignancies at the Verspeeten Family Cancer Centre (VFCC) - London Health Sciences Centre, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Oncology at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University. He is the current Director of the Medical Oncology Fellowship Program, Chair of the Data Safety Monitoring Committee within the Clinical Research Unit at the VFCC , and National Site Representative for the CCTG Genitourinary Cancer Disease Site.VISION statement: I am particularly excited about VISION’s focus on reflective leadership development, longitudinal coaching, and direct exposure to CCTG governance and disease-site leadership. As my responsibilities within education and cooperative group research continue to grow, I hope to gain greater self-awareness, strategic leadership skills, and the confidence to contribute meaningfully to national clinical trial leadership within CCTG.Joelle HelouBio: Dr. Joelle Helou, MD, MSc is a radiation oncologist and clinician–investigator at the Verspeeten Family Cancer Centre and an Assistant Professor at Western University. Within CCTG, She is an active member of the Clinical Trials Committee and currently serve as Co-Chair of the Quality of Life (QoL) CommitteeVISION statement: As my career has progressed, I have increasingly assumed leadership responsibilities within trials and committees, and I recognize the importance of developing formal leadership skills to complement my clinical and academic expertise. The VISION program’s emphasis on self-awareness, leadership styles and communication aligns closely with my professional development needs. Participation in expert-facilitated workshops and observation of CCTG executive leadership committees will provide valuable insight into effective leadership within a cooperative group setting and enhance my ability to lead multidisciplinary teams.Ultimately, this program will strengthen my capacity to contribute to efficient, patient-centered, and impactful clinical trials that align with CCTG’s mission and advance cancer care in Canada.Katarzyna JerzakBio: Dr. Jerzak is a Medical Oncologist at the Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre and Associate Professor, Department of Medicine University of Toronto. She is also an Associate Scientist at Sunnybrook Research Institute, with a research interest in clinical trials and brain metastases.VISION statement: I'm excited to participate in the VISION program to enhance my leadership skills by participating in workshops and interactive training sessions with Canadian colleagues and mentors.Daniel KhalafBio: Dr. Daniel Khalaf, is a Medical Oncologist at Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre with a clinical focus on Genitourinary malignancies. He started practice at BC Cancer in Vancouver in 2019 following a two-year clinical and research fellowship in Prostate cancer. VISION statement: I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to attend the VISION program, which offers a range of seminars addressing important aptitudes required to build a successful research career, including leadership, team building and working within collaborative groups. Vision has gathered a group of true experts in these domains, and I feel confident that I will gain highly practical and applicable skills for expanding the scope of my research career at the conclusion of the program. Swati KulkarniBio: Dr. Swati Kulkarni completed her medical degree in India where she worked as a medical officer before immigrating to Canada. She went through a competitive program for International Medical Graduates (IMG) in Ontario where she was selected to complete a senior clerkship program at the University of Toronto. She completed her Internal Medicine Residency and Medical Oncology Fellowship at Queen’s University in Kingston. Dr. Kulkarni is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Windsor and Assistant Professor in the Department of Oncology at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry – Windsor Campus. She is also a member of the Ontario Cancer Research Ethics Board (OCREB) Leah LambertBio: Dr. Leah Lambert is a Senior Scientist in the Department of Clinical Research at BC Cancer and a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia School of Nursing. Her research focuses on equity in cancer care, models of care innovation, and health workforce strategy, with a particular interest in strengthening the integration of clinical trials within real-world care settings.VISION statement: I am excited to participate in VISION to advance my knowledge of trial leadership within the CCTG network and to learn from experienced investigators across the country. I hope to strengthen my ability to contribute meaningfully to multi-centre trials by bringing systems, implementation, and equity lens to trial design and leadership.Sangjune LeeBio: Sangjune Laurence Lee is a clinical assistant professor in the division of radiation oncology at the Arthur Child Cancer Centre, University of Calgary. He specializes in breast and gastrointestinal malignancies and has an interest in MR-guided radiotherapy and artificial intelligence. VISION statement: My goal with the VISION program is to learn how to lead clinical trials within our existing health care system of often misaligned extrinsic incentives and to learn how to change the system to better align incentives.Jonathan LoreeBio: Jonathan Loree is a Senior Investigator at the CCTG and a medical oncologist at BC Cancer in Vancouver, Canada. His research interests include circulating tumour DNA and bringing precision medicine to colorectal cancer and neuroendocrine neoplasms.VISION statement: I am excited to participate in the VISION Investigator Leadership Training Program because it offers structured opportunities to deepen my leadership capabilities through personalized coaching and expert-facilitated workshops that will strengthen my ability to lead multidisciplinary teams. As a medical oncologist with a lab and clinical program eight years into practice, I see this as an invaluable way to develop the skills needed for future leadership and program development roles within clinical research and academic medicine.Mita MannaBio: Dr. Mita Manna, MD FRCPC, is a medical oncologist at the Saskatoon Cancer Centre, Saskatchewan Cancer Agency with a focus in breast malignancies. She is also the Chair of REAL - Canadian Breast Cancer Alliance. VISION statement: I value the opportunity to be part of the inaugural CCTG VISION program, learning from experienced leaders while engaging with a national network of investigators.Hira MianBio: Dr. Mita Manna, MD FRCPC, is a medical oncologist at the Saskatoon Cancer Centre, Saskatchewan Cancer Agency with a focus in breast malignancies. She is also the Chair of REAL - Canadian Breast Cancer Alliance. VISION statement: I value the opportunity to be part of the inaugural CCTG VISION program, learning from experienced leaders while engaging with a national network of investigators.Lucia NappiBio: Hira Mian, MD MSc FRCPC is a hematologist specializing in multiple myeloma at Juravinski Hospital & Cancer Centre and an Associate Professor in the Department of Oncology at McMaster University. She is the Multiple Myeloma Disease Site Lead at Juravinski Cancer Centre and holds the ArcelorMittal Dofasco Chair in Cancer Therapeutics Research.VISION statement: I’m excited about VISION’s focus on defining my leadership identity, emotional intelligence, resilience, and time/priority management which are skills that will directly strengthen how I lead multidisciplinary teams while maintaining high-quality clinical trial conduct alongside a busy clinical program. I also hope to sharpen my strategic communication and stakeholder-engagement skills to build consensus across partners and accelerate delivery of high-impact cooperative group trials. Finally, I’m looking forward to deeper engagement with CCTG structures and expectations through exposure to Disease Site Committee operations, helping me identify concrete ways to contribute beyond the site level and grow into future committee leadership roles.Anca PricaBio: Dr. Anca Prica is a staff hematologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and Associate Professor in the Division of Hematology at University of Toronto, appointed in 2014. Her clinical work focuses on lymphoproliferative disorders, as well as autologous stem cell transplantation and CAR-T therapy. Her research interests include clinical trials across the spectrum of lymphoma, particularly CNS lymphoma, and health services research, examining resource use and cost of care, as well as toxicity of chemotherapies, and their effects on quality of life and caregiver burden. VISION statement: I am passionate about truly collaborative work, mentorship and answering research questions that really matter to Canadian lymphoma patients and will help us provide better care. I am excited to participate in this fantastic program with other keen CCTG investigators and global experts in leadership and teamwork, to develop skills and confidence to assume greater investigator leadership opportunities. As well, this programme will further enable my passion for mentorship, helping me gain more skills to lead larger teams and mentor multidisciplinary teams.
