Dr. Rachel Goodwin, MD, FRCPC (Medical Oncology)

Dr. Rachel Goodwin completed her medical oncology training at the University of Ottawa.  She went on to complete a two year Investigational New Drug Development Fellowship at the Canadian Cancer Trials Group, Queens University.  She is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa.  Her clinical interests include gastrointestinal cancers, neuroendocrine cancers and new drug development.  

Dr. Goodwin has been actively involved in the development of national NET consensus guidelines and presenting neuroendocrine topics for Oncology Education and CNETS (Carcinoid-Neuroendocrine Tumour Society of Canada).   As well, she was appointed to the CommNETS (Commonwealth Neuroendocrine Tumour Group) Planning and Project Oversight Committee.  She is also an expert member on the Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) PRRT Regional Access Committee and Neuroendocrine Tumour Advisory Committee.

Dr. Janice Pasieka, MD, FRCSC, FACS (Surgery)

Dr. Janice L Pasieka graduated from the University of Western Medical School and did her General Surgery Training at the University of Calgary. She then did two and a half years of Endocrine Surgical Training. The first year was spent in Dr. David Hanley’s lab at the University of Calgary, then a year at the University of Michigan, under the mentorship of Dr. Norman Thompson followed by time at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. She then returned to Calgary and has devoted her clinical practice solely to endocrine surgical diseases. At the Tom Baker Clinic Center, Dr. Pasieka was the driving force behind the development of a multidisciplinary clinic for Neuroendocrine Tumors as well as the Multidisciplinary Hereditary Endocrine Clinic. She is responsible for the development of the only Canadian AAES accredited fellowship program in Endocrine Surgery. Dr. Pasieka has been Secretary-Treasurer of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons (AAES) and in 2010 she became the first Canadian and second woman to become President. She has served on the Council of the International Association of Endocrine Surgeons (IAES), and in 2016 became the Secretary-Treasurer, a position she holds at the present time. Dr. Pasieka was the Canadian James IV Traveling Surgical Fellow 2006 and recently was appointed to the James IV Board of Directors. In 2007, the Women’s Executive Network named her as one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women. Dr Pasieka recently completed her 6 year term as a Governor of the American College of Surgeons. Her areas of interests (besides running, mountain biking, cycling and hiking & snowshoeing with her dog Kocher) evolve around neuroendocrine tumors, adrenal disease, thyroid cancer and the study of surgical outcomes in patients with hyperparathyroidism. To date she has over 140 peer-review publications, has edited 3 Endocrine Surgical textbooks and written over 24 book chapters.

Dr. Simron Singh, MD, FRCPC (Medical Oncology)

Dr. Simron Singh is a medical oncologist at the Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. He is also an assistant professor at the University of Toronto. He is the provincial head and clinical lead for the person centered care strategy at Cancer Care Ontario.

Dr. Singh completed his BSc and MD at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. He completed post-graduate training in internal medicine at Queen’s University in Kingston and medical oncology at the University of Toronto. After completing his clinical training, he completed his master’s degree in public health at Harvard University.

Dr. Singh’s research interests include neuroendocrine neoplasms, population health, and cancer care utilization discrepancies.

He helped establish a patient-centered, multi-disciplinary, specialized neuroendocrine clinic at the Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre (one of the first of its kind in the region), where he is currently co-head. Dr. Singh is involved in numerous activities and publishes articles related to the treatment of neuroendocrine cancer and the role of ki-67 as a prognostic marker. He has a particular interest in NETs epidemiology, the utilization of health care resources in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with neuroendocrine tumors as well as the patient experience and journey.

Dr. Julie Hallet MD, MSc, FRCSC (Surgery)

Dr. Girish Shah PhD (Research)

PROF. GIRISH SHAH, the recipient of “Outstanding Achievement in Carcinoid/ Neuroendocrine Tumor Research” in 2006 from the Carcinoid Cancer Foundation, Inc. of USA, is a Professor at the Faculty of Medicine at Laval University in Quebec City. He has been chief of the Laboratory for Skin Cancer Research at the CHU de Quebec (CHUL) Hospital Research Centre of Laval University since 1997. Prof. Shah’s research is focused on carcinoid neuroendocrine tumors and solar ultraviolet radiation-induced skin cancers with specific emphasis on DNA damage, DNA repair and cell death processes, all of which can influence either the development of these cancers or their resistance to therapy. Dr. Shah has authored 55 peer-reviewed articles, which have been cited more than 2,387 times in literature. In addition, he has authored 4 book chapters and 119 presentations at the meetings. Dr. Shah’s team, in collaboration with two carcinoid clinicians in Canada and USA, had earlier reported that nearly ¼ of the carcinoid neuroendocrine tumor patients suffer from subclinical niacin (vitamin B3) deficiency, an incidence that is much higher than pellagra, the clinical niacin deficiency syndrome reported in these patients. His recent work has identified how this biochemical anomaly can be exploited to improve efficiency of chemotherapy of carcinoid NET cancers.

Dr. Sylvia Asa MD, PhD (Pathology)

Sylvia L. Asa, MD, PhD, Endocrine Pathologist, Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, has published over 400 scientific articles, written five books, co-edited five books and contributed 100 book chapters on endocrine pathology. She serves on numerous editorial boards of scientific journals and has given over 200 invited lectures. Dr. Asa was President of the Endocrine Pathology Society (1997–1998) and the US-Canadian Academy of Pathology (2005-6) and has received many awards from national and international scientific organizations.

As head of the largest pathology department in Canada for 15 years, Dr. Asa made innovative changes to the practice of the discipline, with emphasis on subspecialization, automation, electronic initiatives and telepathology. She has emphasized the importance of education and research. To ensure public knowledge of the role of Pathology and maintain a direct connection with patients, Dr. Asa is a consultant to several patient groups.

Dr. Jean-Mathieu Beauregard, MD, MSc, FRCPC (Nuclear Medicine)

Assistant Professor, Université Laval – Nuclear Medicine Physician, CHU de Québec-Université Laval – Clinician-Scientist, CRCHU de Québec-Université Laval

Dr. Jean-Mathieu Beauregard is Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at Université Laval and Clinician-Scientist at CHU de Québec in Quebec City, Canada. He has over 12 years of experience in dosimetry based on quantitative imaging, including PET and SPECT. During his fellowship at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, he developed his expertise in molecular imaging and radionuclide therapy of neuroendocrine tumours, one of the most successful theranostic application in nuclear medicine to date. Upon his return to CHU de Québec, he started a PRRT program and, more recently, launched a first-of-its-kind prospective clinical trial of personalized Lu-177-octreotate PRRT. Through this trial, quantitative SPECT-based dosimetry methods will be optimized in collaboration with a team of physicists. Dr. Beauregard also conducts a pre-clinical research program in which he investigates the application of novel radiosensitizing approaches for radionuclide therapy. Besides, he is also involved in molecular imaging research in the fields of prostate cancer and dementia.

Dr. Shereen Ezzat, MD, FRCP(C), FACP (Endocrine Oncology)

Shereen Ezzat, M.D., FRCP(C), FACP, Professor of Medicine & Oncology, Endocrine Oncology Site Group, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network. Dr. Ezzat obtained his medical degree from the University of Manitoba, completed his residency training at the University of British Columbia, and his post-doctoral research training in molecular oncology at Cedars-Sinai-UCLA School of Medicine in Los Angeles. Dr. Ezzat has authored or co-authored more than 250 original research articles and 40 invited review articles, and he has delivered more than 150 invited lectures. He supervises undergraduate and graduate students, as well as postdoctoral fellows. He teaches a number of courses, including physiology, biochemistry, and developmental biology. Dr. Ezzat served as an Editorial Board member for a number of journals including Endocrinology, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, American Journal of Physiology, Journal of Endocrinology, Endocrine Practice, and BMJ-Endocrine. He is a regular reviewer for the New England Journal of Medicine and the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Dr. David Laidley, MD, FRCPC (Nuclear Medicine)

Dr. David Laidley completed his undergraduate medical degree at Memorial University of Newfoundland. He then went on to complete his Nuclear Medicine residency training at the University of Western Ontario. Following residency, Dr. Laidley completed a one-year fellowship in oncological PET-CT at McGill University. A further six months of dedicated fellowship training in Nuclear oncology was obtained at the University of Western Ontario. Following fellowship training, Dr. Laidley joined the Division of Nuclear Medicine at the University of Western Ontario as an assistant professor. Dr. Laidley is actively involved in the residency training program in London as assistant program director. With respect to the therapeutic Nuclear Medicine program in London, Dr. Laidley is an investigator on London’s single-centre Safety Registry Lu-177 DOTA-TATE study and the local principal investigator for the provincial CCO Lu-177 DOTA-TATE trial. He routinely participates in the local bi-monthly and monthly provincial multi-disciplinary neuroendocrine rounds. Dr. Laidley has been invited to give lectures at his local and regional academic institutions on the topic of radionuclide therapy and has presented at a number of CNETS patient education days.

Dr. Cynthia Landry, MD (Primary Care Medicine)

After earning her Medical Degree from Université de Sherbrooke, Dr Landry completed her residency training in Primary Care Medicine at Université de Montréal. She is working as an emergency physician in Anna-Laberge Hospital (Châteauguay) since 2012.  As a McGill University Clinical Faculty Lecturer, she supervises and evaluate undergraduate and graduate students in their emergency medicine rotation. She is also a tutor for the Endocrinology & Reproduction phase at University de Montréal. Dr. Landry aims to improve awareness of NET among general practitioners and ER doctors.

Dr. Calvin Law, MD, MPH, FRCSC

Dr. Calvin Law is the Chief, Edmond Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Regional Vice President, Cancer Care Ontario. He is also a cancer surgeon specializing in hepatobiliary, pancreatic and gastrointestinal surgical oncology. As a leader, Dr. Law has held several leadership positions prior to his current role including being the Cancer Care Ontario Head and Regional Lead of Surgical Oncology for Toronto Central North and the Chair for Gastrointestinal Oncology Site Group at the Edmond Odette Cancer Centre. He was also the co-founder of the Susan Leslie Clinic for Neuroendocrine Tumours. From an academic point of view, Dr. Law holds the rank of Full Professor at the University of Toronto in the Department Surgery and the Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. He also serves as an Affiliate Scientist at Sunnybrook Research Institute and has served as an Adjunct Scientist for the Institute of Clinical Evaluative Sciences. Dr. Law was the inaugural holder of the Sherif and Mary-Lou Hanna Research Chair in Surgical Oncology at the University of Toronto. He has also completed a term as a Career Scientist for the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care of Ontario. His research focuses on health services research and population outcomes, where he has published over 120 peer reviewed publications.

Dr. Jonathan Loree MD, FRCPC (Medical Oncology)

Dr. Jonathan Loree is a medical oncologist at BC Cancer who treats cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, and is an Assistant professor at the University of British Columbia. He completed his medical school and Internal Medicine training at the University of Alberta before completing his medical oncology fellowship at BC Cancer. He subsequently undertook a translational research fellowship at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas where he completed a Master’s of Science before returning to British Columbia.

His research interests are focused on biomarker development, genomics, and liquid biopsies to guide therapy selection. He is co-chair of the BC Cancer Gastrointestinal Cancers Clinical Outcomes Unit, co-chair of the Canadian Cancer Trials Group Colon Cancer Disease Group, and in 2019 Dr. Loree received a Michael Smith Health Professional Investigator Award.

Dr. Ozgur Mete, MD, FRCPC (Pathology)

Ozgur Mete, MD, FRCPC is a Consultant Endocrine Pathologist at the University Health Network and Associate Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto. Dr. Mete received his medical degree from Istanbul University in 2001 and completed his residency training in Anatomical Pathology at Istanbul University in 2005. He then did fellowship training in endocrine pathology under the supervision of Professor Sylvia Asa at the University of Toronto. He was appointed as an academic pathologist at Istanbul University before joining the faculty at the University of Toronto in 2011.

Dr. Iacovos Michael,  Ph.D.

Dr. Iacovos Michael earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto. He carried out his postdoctoral training at the Swiss Institute of Cancer Research at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, under the mentorship of Dr. Douglas Hanahan, during which he examined the role of miRNAs and cellular plasticity in neuroendocrine tumors. Dr. Michael is a Scientist at the Sunnybrook Research Institute and an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. He is also a Canada Research Chair in Tumor Biology and Precision Oncology. His group focuses on developing preclinical models, identifying the drivers of metastasis and therapeutic targets for neuroendocrine tumors.

Dr. Daniel Rayson MD, FRCPC, FACP (Medical Oncology)

Dr. Rayson is a medical oncologist and professor in the Division of Medical Oncology. He is director of the Atlantic Clinical Cancer Research Unit (ACCRU), a Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute (BHCRI) senior scientist and a principle investigator and steering committee member with the Canadian Cancer Clinical Trial Network (CCCTN) as well as the Halifax Centre Representative at the National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC).

Dr. Radhika Yelamanchili, MD, FRCPC (Medical Oncology)

Dr. Radhika Yelamanchili is a medical oncologist, GI /NET disease site lead at the Walker Family Cancer Centre, St. Catharines, Assistant Clinical Professor, McMaster University, Hamilton.  Her Oncology practice includes Breast, GI, and NET Disease sites.

She obtained her undergraduate degree from NTR University, India, and then Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology from McMaster University.

She strongly believes in bringing quality care closer to home, collaboration and coordination among health care teams, and education. This reflects in the projects that she is involved in, in Niagara and her active collaboration with the NET expert centers in Ontario.

She is one of the few medical oncologists’ outside an academic center, with a high volume of NET practice. She is actively involved in the CommNETs community and has a keen interest in improving NET patient care through research, education, and collaboration.