Speakers
 | Dr. Lucy Perrone, MSPH, PhD Director of Program Office for Laboratory Quality Management (POLQM), Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia Dr. Lucy A. Perrone is a passionate, innovative leader of laboratory quality improvement programs and offers 18+ years’ experience building and leading multicultural, multi-disciplinary teams to strengthen health and laboratory systems. Dr. Perrone was formerly the Director of Laboratory Systems Strengthening at the International Training and Education Center for Health and an Associate Professor of Global Health and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Washington. Since March 2022, Dr. Perrone is the Donald B. Rix Professor of Laboratory Quality, and an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Dr. Perrone is currently the Chair of the ISO 17043 -accredited and ISO 9001 certified Clinical Microbiology Proficiency Testing Program (CMPT), and the Director of the Program Office for Laboratory Quality Management at the University of British Columbia where she leads the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine’s laboratory quality related programs. She holds a Bachelors of Biological Science from Fordham University, a Master’s of Science in Public Health from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and a Doctorate in Infectious Disease Pathology from the University of Texas Medical Branch. Dr. Perrone’s research and practice focuses on a systems approach to clinical and public health issues such as ensuring patient access to quality diagnostic testing, diagnostic network optimization ad sustainability, and improving laboratory quality, systems and governance. In her career, Dr. Perrone has worked closely with foreign governments, NGOs, UN agencies, private industry, and country-based community partners to design, improve, and deliver human-centric tools, innovative processes, and services that improve the health of people in the communities where they live. Dr. Perrone is a passionate educator and a highly experienced designer and implementer of educational programs to produce competent laboratory professionals, transferring deep knowledge of infectious disease pathology, diagnosis, and disease surveillance, as well as corresponding practical interventions for optimal diagnostic testing service delivery at national scale. Dr. Perrone values partnership and local empowerment to solve complex health problems. Dr. Perrone has applied these values in her work, cultivating effective, multi-disciplinary teams and bolstering local leadership to address complex health problems with projects in >25 countries in the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Middle East and Africa. Dr. Perrone has published 25 peer reviewed manuscripts, two book chapters, and 23 publicly available public health practice products including national laboratory strategic plans, national laboratory policies and guidelines, and several successful several e-learning programs for health professionals to support workforce development. |
 | Dr. Zu-hua Gao, MD, PhD, FRCPC Head, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of British Columbia Dr. Zu-hua Gao obtained his medical degree from Qingdao Medical College, Master's degree from Harbin Medical University, and PhD degree from Peking Union Medical College. Dr. Gao received his post-doctoral fellowship training at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, pathology residency training at Dalhousie University, and subspecialty pathology fellowship at the University of Chicago. As a surgical pathologist, Dr. Gao’s clinical expertise is gastrointestinal and liver pathology. As an educator, Dr. Gao teaches undergraduate medical students pathology courses, supervises graduate students, residents, and fellows. Dr. Gao has written three textbooks: The Clinical Skills Review for medical students (3 editions), the Pathology Review and Practice Guide book for pathology residents (2 editions, translated into 4 languages) and Gross Morphology of Common Diseases. As a research scientist, Dr. Gao research interest is on transplantation immunology and cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. Dr. Gao received many awards including the Junior Scientist Award at CAP-ACP, the Dalhousie Medical Foundation award, the McGill University Health Center Foundation award, etc. As an administrator, Dr. Gao has been the Chair and Chief of the Department of Pathology at McGill University between 2012-2021. Since 2019, Dr. Gao has been the President of Canadian Chairs of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. In 2017, Dr. Gao became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine (London UK). In 2019, Dr. Gao became a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. Starting November 2021, Dr. Gao became the Head, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of British Columbia. |
 | Craig Ivany, MBA Chief Provincial Diagnostic Officer -Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) Craig Ivany is a laboratory services strategist with over 35 years of experience influencing healthcare. His depth of practice includes a legacy of leadership across Canada. This includes VP roles with DynaLIFE Alberta and Dynacare Ontario, CEO of Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association, President and CEO of Alberta Public Laboratories, and currently the Chief Provincial Diagnostics Officer, Provincial Health Services Authority, British Columbia. Craig is a certified health executive and long-standing member of the Canadian College of Health Leaders, holds an ICD.D with the Institute of Corporate Directors, and is an Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columba. |
 | Christine Bruce, MHA, CHE, MLT Senior Director for the Laboratory Medicine Program at the University Health Network in Toronto ON As a multi-faceted senior leader in the Canadian medical laboratory and diagnostics services industry, Christine has spent her 25 year career primarily leading laboratory services delivery in both the private and public sector. Currently she serves as the Senior Director for the Laboratory Medicine Program at the University Health Network in Toronto ON. Christine has held varied positions in the key areas of innovation, business development, operations management, quality, and integration of mergers and partnerships, where she has demonstrated a special talent for divining creative solutions to improve and expand laboratory testing applications, while championing innovation, high employee performance and client experience. Her career milestones have been introducing new and novel laboratory diagnostics across Canada, most of which now are used as a standard of care; co leading the first BD Kiestra Microbiology Automation installation in Canada; implementing the largest Sysmex hematology line in the world, and co leading the first hospital go live for COVID-19 PCR testing, supporting up to 25% of Ontario’s testing demand at any given time throughout the pandemic to date. A MLT since 1997, Christine also holds a Master’s in Health Administration, a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and Clinical Laboratory Quality Manager certification. Christine was recently awarded the Gaman J. Modi Award of Excellence, and was nominated for the 2021 Premiers Award for trailblazing Ontario college graduates in the Health Sciences category. By 2025 she hopes to have completed her Doctorate in Business Administration, with her thesis work focused on the levers of employee engagement. |
 | Kekeletso Kao Senior Manager, Access Programme, FIND Kekeletso is a Senior Manger on the FIND Access team. She has over 20 years’ experience in diagnostic networks systems strengthening in low and middle-income countries. She currently leads FINDs initiatives that enable countries to develop and implement essential diagnostics lists (EDL) that are appropriate for their financial, infrastructure and workforce capacity, are responsive to national demands for testing and enable decentralization of testing to the lowest levels of the health system. Kekeletso also leads a team that has worked with partners to implement innovative strategies to scale up access to COVID-19 testing using antigen RDTs through primarily community-based activities. She has also previously managed projects enabling the decentralization of molecular TB/DR-TB testing, integration of TB/HIV testing on multiplex platforms and the strengthening of laboratory quality management systems. She has an MPH from the University of Liverpool. |
 | Mathew Diggle, PhD, MSc, DLSH&TM FRCPath Clinical Microbiologist, Alberta Precision Labs, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Over 20 years, held various Clinical positions within acute diagnostic and reference services throughout the world. Spending time focused on rapid/molecular diagnosis of infections (respiratory and those involved in deliberate release) and understanding complex infections, such as Gastrointestinal, Respiratory and Diabetic foot infections. My initial work involved over 10 years supporting the national reference services in Scotland before moving to Nottingham in England, where I held lead consultant and senior leadership roles in Clinical Microbiology and Pathology both locally and nationally. Over those several decades, I have also supported clinical research and transformation within Microbiology and infectious diseases with various roles at the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the National Pathology Board (NHSi). More recently since 2019 I have supported the role as, Consultant Clinical Microbiologist with Alberta Precision Laboratories (APL), Alberta, Canada. Where I am program lead for a wide range of clinical activities, including provincial lead for respiratory infections. I support education of others and work closely with National and International microbiology charities and societies, including delivery of educational tools to help develop future leaders in Pathology and Clinical Microbiology. |
 | Jake Bunn, MBA, BSc US CDC Clinical Laboratory Scientist Mr. Jake Bunn is a Clinical Laboratory Scientist supporting projects with the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA), Quality and Safety cores of the CDC Office Of Laboratory Science and Safety's Division of Laboratory Systems. Mr. Bunn is a board-certified American Society for Clinical Pathology Medical Laboratory Scientist. He holds a Master's of Business Administration from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Bachelor's of Science in Medical Laboratory Science from the University of Cincinnati. Before joining CDC, Mr. Bunn served as the Manager of the Clinical Microbiology and Special Pathogens laboratories and the Laboratory System Safety Officer for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Georgia. He has served as a laboratory accreditation inspector for the College of American Pathologists, inspecting clinical laboratories nationwide. He has also worked in various laboratory technical supervisory positions at a national primate research center, a cancer treatment center, and community hospitals. Mr. Bunn is a United States Air Force veteran, having served abroad in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense and National Health Service (NHS) during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. |
 | Sheila Woodcock MBA, ART, FCSMLS(D) President & principal consultant QSE CONSULTING INC Sheila Woodcock, the founder of QSE Consulting Inc., is a quality management specialist, with many years of experience in health care, education, professional regulation, and consulting. She is the Convenor of ISO/TC212 WG1 Quality and competence in the medical laboratory, and project leader for the recent revision of ISO15189. Sheila volunteers with Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and Standards Council of Canada (SCC) for ISO /TC212 Clinical laboratory testing and in vitro diagnostic test systems and ISO/TC304 Healthcare organization management. Projects and speaking engagements have taken her across Canada and around the world. At home in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Sheila is a keen community volunteer and serves on the Board of the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, that provides care for women and children in the Maritimes. |
 | Colin Carey, BSc, MLT, MBA Manager, College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia Colin Carey, MLT, MBA, is the Manager of the Diagnostic Accreditation Program, Laboratory Medicine, at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia. In this role, he oversees the accreditation of public and private medical laboratories across British Columbia. The DAP provides a diverse range of accreditation to support the complex scope of services provided by accredited facilities in BC. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Colin oversaw the DAP manage a significant number of facilities that sought and gained accreditation to provide specimen collection, Point-of-Care Testing (POCT), and PCR services. This unique opportunity allowed him to understand the challenges presented by emerging POCT services provided by non-lab professionals and the important role that accreditation plays in supporting a standard level of care. In addition to his role at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC, Colin is the MLT Director on the British Columbia Society of Laboratory Sciences (BCSLS) Board. In this role, he participates in the continual development of the profession and supports the review of emerging challenges. |
 | Daniel Holmes, MD Head and Medical Director of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver Daniel Holmes earned his undergraduate degree in Chemical Physics from the University of Toronto. He went to medical school at the University of British Columbia (UBC) where he also did his residency in Medical Biochemistry. He is a Clinical Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UBC and Head and Medical Director of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver and Interim Medical Director of the British Columbia Provincial Toxicology Laboratory. Interests include clinical endocrinology with a focus on secondary hypertension, lipidology, clinical mass spectrometry, and data science in application to data automation, visualization and clinical utilization. |
 | Romina Reyes, MD, MSc, FRCPC LifeLabs National Medical Director, Medical Microbiologist Dr. Reyes is the Medical Director for LifeLabs, B.C. In this role she helps to guide the LifeLabs Medical Leadership and work with all areas of the business to provide quality, accurate and relevant diagnostic services. She also leads a number of external projects on behalf of LifeLabs with the BCCDC Provincial Laboratory, the provincial health authorities, and the University of British Columbia. Dr. Reyes received her medical degree from the University of British Columbia and is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada with a specialty designation in Medical Microbiology. She has several appointments including Chair of the BC Diagnostic Accreditation Program Committee, involvement with BC Provincial Laboratory Medicine Services (PLMS), Executive Member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Medical Microbiology Examination Committee, Member of the Mycology and Parasitology committees for Canadian Microbiology Proficiency Testing (CMPT). Dr. Reyes also has a clinical appointment of Associate Professor of the University of British Columbia Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. Dr. Reyes maintains an active teaching and educational role with the University of British Columbia (UBC), Department of Medicine. She lectures in the Undergraduate Medical School, in the Post-Graduate residency training. |
 | Phillip Morehouse, MLT, CMQ/OE National Director of Quality and Regulatory Affairs for LifeLabs • MLT with 40 yrs experience in the public and private sector • CMQ/OE from the ASQ • From 1999 - 2015, held the position of Director of Laboratory services and then Director of Performance Excellence (Health System Quality and Risk, Infection Prevention and Control, Decision Support and Science of Improvement) for a large District Health Authority • First ISO Laboratory certification achieved in 2005 – ISO 17025 • Highlights included mitigating a highly publicized C Diff outbreak resulting in significant IFPC improvements and a 25% reduction in HAI’s, developed a Lab utilization initiative that reduced testing by 14% saving close to $1.2 M over 3yrs, and led several highly successful lean initiatives. • With LifeLabs since 2015 and currently National Director Quality and Regulatory Affairs located at the Burnaby Reference Lab in BC • LL’s is the largest Reference Laboratory in Canada with over 380 PSC’s and 14 Laboratories serving over 75K patients each day. • Phillip leads a team of Quality professionals’ supporting over 100 regulatory assessments each year from ACD, DAP and CAP and including hundreds of process and instrument validations, SOP’s, risk assessments, training and competency assessments including issues management (NCE’s) • Instructor in the Certificate program for Laboratory Quality Management at UBC since 2020. • CLSI committee member and contributor to 4 QMS documents including QMS 01 and the QMS20 The Cost of Quality in Medical Laboratories • Accreditation Canada Diagnostics Advisory Panel Member – 3yr term starting 2023 • Phillip grew up in Nova Scotia and currently lives in White Rock, BC with his wife Laurie |
 | Batchimeg Tsedenbal, MD, PhD Head of the Training and Research and Foreign Relations department at the National Center for Mongolia Dr. Batchimeg Tsedenbal is a pathologist, cytopathologist, and head of the Training and Research and Foreign Relations department at the National Center for Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Currently, she works as a researcher at Shiga University of Medical Science, Shiga, Japan. She was formerly a Lecturer at the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences. She obtained his MD from the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences and completed an anatomic pathology residency. Therefore, she completed a Ph.D. program and fellowships in cytopathology at the Medical Faculty of Gunma University, Japan. Dr. Tsedenbal has done her academic and research performance in various pathological fields, one of them concerned with cervical cancer among young women, which is the second highest mortality reason of women in Mongolia. The research “Human papillomavirus genotyping among women with cervical abnormalities in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia” is now being a reference in the screening strategy for the cervical cancer campaign in the Ministry of Health, Mongolia. She is particularly interested in cell morphology, histopathology, digital pathology, and quality assurance in Pathology. She actively volunteers in the peer-reviewing process of international and domestic journals. Therefore, she has been working as a Secretary of the International Academy of Pathology, Mongolian Division, since 2019 and a member of the International Academy of Cytology. |
 | Geoffrey Baird, MD, PhD Chair, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Washington Dr. Geoffrey Baird is the Chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Washington, Seattle. His clinical interests include clinical chemistry and toxicology, as well as laboratory test stewardship. |
 | Michael Allard BSc, MD, FRCP(C) Vice-Dean, Health Engagement and Professor in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the UBC Faculty of Medicine. Cardiovascular Pathologist at St. Paul’s Hospital. Dr. Allard is a native Vancouverite, Dr. Allard obtained his BSc and MD at UBC where he undertook postgraduate clinical training and postdoctoral research. He pursued further cardiovascular research training at the University of Alabama, Birmingham in the USA. Upon returning to UBC, he developed a research program focused on how substrate use by the heart is altered in the setting of pathologic and physiologic cardiac hypertrophy, including delineation of the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible, and how these alterations influence heart function. Dr. Allard is also active in undergraduate and graduate educational programs at UBC. Dr. Allard served as Head of the UBC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine from 2009 to 2018 prior to becoming Vice Dean, Health Engagement. As Vice Dean, he led development of the Faculty’s response to the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation of Canada in 2021 and co-sponsors a multiphase project with PHSA to create compensation model(s) that ensure clinicians have an optimal distribution of time among clinical care, research, education/training of health care practitioners/learners, and clinical-academic leadership activities, including development of clear accountability processes to ensure consistency and appropriate stewardship of any funding received. Dr. Allard also co-leads the UBC Remote Communities Drone Transport Initiative (DTI) that you will hear more about today. Away from work, Dr. Allard is married with two adult children and used to have a dog. He plays recreational ice hockey and pickleball year-round, and has a passion for travel. |
 | Karen Mooder, PhD, MPH Director Community Based Testing and Biomedical Initiatives A/Director Community Based Testing and Biomedical Initiatives First Nations Health Authority Karen Mooder is a white settler of Northern European ancestry born in the beautiful northern boreal forest now known as Treaty 8 territory. Dually trained in evolutionary genetics and public health, Karen serves as a health system's strengthening specialist in British Columbia. Karen’s intersectional work has crossed realms of academic research, health human resource training and operational oversight for complex laboratory service delivery in British Columbia. Currently, Karen is walking alongside her Indigenous partners at the First Nations Health Authority to address diagnostic testing access inequities through strengthening and scaling high-quality adoption of Indigenous-led community-based testing initiatives. |
 | Heidi Albert, PhD, MPH Head, FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics, South Africa Dr. Heidi Albert is Principal Scientist, Access at FIND and supports Ministries of Health to introduce and scale up new diagnostics. She holds a PhD in Pharmacy and Pharmacology from University of Bath, UK, and Masters in Public Health (Health Economics) from University of Cape Town. She has over 20 years’ experience in TB diagnostics development, implementation and quality improvement in LMICs. She currently serves on WHO's Global TB Programme Technical Advisory Group for Diagnostics and Lab Systems Strengthening, previously served on the Global Laboratory Initiative core group, and has contributed to multiple global and national TB diagnostic guidelines and tools. She leads FIND’s work on diagnostic network optimization including TB, HIV and other diseases, providing data-driven recommendations to inform strategic plans and investment decisions to improve access and efficiency of integrated diagnostic systems. |
 | David Rickets, DBMS Head of Laboratory Process Improvement. Head of Laboratory Process Improvement Health Services Laboratories David currently works as head of process improvement for Health Service Laboratories in central London, which is part of the wider Sonic Healthcare group and is the managing director of his own Consultancy firm. David chairs the TC212 mirror committee and is head of delegation for the UK on the international TC212 committee. David has experience in writing standards and was the project lead on ISO22870, on the drafting team of the new ISO15189 as well as being involved in many other standards including ISO22367. David has written many expert commentaries for British Standards. The commentaries are designed to explain the changes in new version of ISO standards and explain how to use them in the laboratory setting, ISO22367 and ISO15190 (safety) are two recent commentaries. David has a strong background in laboratory process improvement and links this to the needs of compliance with ISO requirements. David has spoken nationally and internationally on a wide range of subjects including quality and compliance and is speaking on risk and safety as well as the new version of ISO15189. |
 | David Goldfarb, MD FRCPC Investigator and Medical Microbiologist, BC Children's Hospital David Goldfarb is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at University of British Columbia and Medical Microbiologist and Pediatric Infectious Disease Physician at BC Children’s and Women’s Hospitals. His research focuses on novel diagnostic, prevention, and management strategies for childhood infectious diseases particularly in remote and resource limited settings. |
 | Michael Laposata, M.D., Ph.D Professor and Chairman Department of Pathology University of Texas Dr. Michael Laposata is the Professor and Chair of the Department of Pathology at the University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston and Director of the MD PhD Program at the university. He received his MD and PhD from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship and residency in Laboratory Medicine (Clinical Pathology) at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He took his first faculty position at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia in 1985, where he was an Assistant Professor and Director of the hospital's Coagulation Laboratory. In 1989, he became Director of Clinical Laboratories at the Massachusetts General Hospital and was appointed to the faculty in the Department of Pathology at Harvard Medical School, where he became a tenured full Professor of Pathology. Dr. Laposata joined Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 2008 where he was the Edward and Nancy Fody Professor of Pathology and Medicine. Additionally, he was Pathologist-in-Chief at Vanderbilt University Hospital and Director of Clinical Laboratories. He has authored more than 170 peer-reviewed publications in basic and clinical research. His work on diagnostic errors earned him an appointment to the 21-member panel of the National Academy of Medicine which issued the 2015 report on Improving Diagnosis in Healthcare. Dr. Laposata is the recipient of 14 major teaching prizes at Harvard, the Massachusetts General Hospital, and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. His textbook, in its third edition, Laposata's Laboratory Medicine, has been translated into multiple languages. It is used globally by those learning laboratory medicine and those using the clinical laboratory. In a peer nominated survey performed by The Pathologist, a journal reporting on the practice of pathology, the November 2015 issue identified Dr. Laposata as the most influential pathologist in the United States, and the third most influential pathologist in the world. |
 | Lisa Chu, MBA Dean, School of Health Sciences at BC Institute of Technology Lisa has more than 30 years of leadership experience in the post-secondary education and health care sectors. She joined BCIT in 2015 as Associate Dean, Laboratory and Allied Health, and became Dean, School of Health Sciences (34 programs) in 2018. Known as a strategic, collaborative and visionary leader, Lisa is passionate in leading transformational change and engaging diverse stakeholders to achieve common goals. Lisa holds a Master of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University and received her undergraduate degree in Dietetics and Nutrition from the University of British Columbia. |
 | Joanne Isber, MLT Program Director for Interior Health Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Currently residing in Kelowna, BC, Joanne’s professional career spans 36 years with experience as a Lab professional employed in both Canada and the USA. Joanne currently is the Program Director for Interior Health Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, leading a new strategic vision for present and future environments. With a passion for quality and education, Joanne has also been the Instructor for CSMLS Quality Systems course since 2016 and has accomplished personal educational accolades in Medical Technology, Health Administration, and a Masters of Business. Education is for life! |
 | Michelle Hoad, CAE, FIS, PTS CEO, Medical Laboratory Professionals Association of Ontario. Michelle is the CEO of the Medical Laboratory Professionals Association of Ontario. Michelle joined the MLPAO in October 2016 and over the past 7 years have seen a 73% growth in membership. The MLPAO have positioned themselves as the voice of med lab professionals in Ontario are go to place for government, media and stakeholders for lab human health resource information. Prior to joining the MLPAO, Michelle consulted with several provinces in helping them raise the profile of med lab professionals with government and media. She is a Certified Association Executive, has been invited to speak at many lab industry events across the country and has made tremendous progress the Ontario government influencing policy and obtaining much needed funding. Through COVID she had over 200+ media appearances in Ontario and across the country reinforcing the message that med lab professionals are at the center of healthcare, and that healthcare is more than just doctors and nurses. She is a certified personal trainer, fitness instructor and competitive golfer. She lives in Stoney Creek Ontario with her husband and two fur babies, Vegas and Maui Hoad. |
 | Elyn Rowe, PhD Candidate, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Devine Lab | Centre for Blood Research University of British Columbia, Vancouver Elyn Rowe is a PhD candidate in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of British Columbia, co-supervised by Dr. Dana Devine and Dr. James Johnson. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Biology at Carleton University in Ottawa in 2019, before moving across the country to pursue graduate studies in Vancouver. Her PhD thesis is focused on understanding the variability in transfusion blood product quality, with a focus on older blood donors and those with diabetes. She hopes her findings will directly feed into policies at Canadian Blood Services to optimize blood product inventory management, and advance basic diabetes research. |