Wednesday, September 4, 2024
| 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. | REGISTRATION DESK OPEN |
| 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. | CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST |
| 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. | WORKSHOP 1 – In person only Qualitative Thinking and Best Practices in HTA: Unlocking Opportunities for Policy Impact Francesca Brundisini, Jamie Anne Bentz, Viviane Grandpierre, and Elijah Herington, Canada’s Drug Agency |
| 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. | WORKSHOP 2 – Hybrid Innovative Approaches to Real-World Evidence Generation: Selecting the Appropriate Study Design to Answer Your Evidence Needs Calum Neish, Brad Millson, and Jillian Murray, IQVIA Solutions Canada Inc. |
| 9:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. |
SPECIAL SESSION 1 – Hybrid Opening Doors to Meaningful Engagement Peter Dyrda, Sudha Kutty and Nicole Mittmann, Canada’s Drug Agency |
| 9:45 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. | NETWORKING BREAK |
| 10:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. | SPECIAL SESSION 2 – Hybrid New Initiatives in Health Economics at Canada’s Drug Agency Karen Lee and Alex Haines, Canada’s Drug Agency |
| 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. | LUNCH |
| 12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. | SPECIAL SESSION 3 – Hybrid A New Era of Innovation and Collaboration in PMDE Tarry Ahuja, Nadine Sulatycky, and Emily Farrell, Canada’s Drug Agency; Virgine Giroux, Merck Canada Inc. |
| 12:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. | WORKSHOP 3 – Hybrid Unlocking Ethics in HTA: Exploring Practice and Impact Renata Axler, Deirdre DeJean, and Ana Komparic, Canada’s Drug Agency; Avram Denburg, the Hospital for Sick Children |
| 12:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. | WORKSHOP 4 – Hybrid An Introduction to Health Technology Assessment Don Husereau, University of Ottawa |
| 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. | NETWORKING BREAK |
| 2:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. | SPECIAL SESSION 4 – Hybrid Canada’s Drug Agency Initiatives in Drugs for Rare Diseases Nicole Mittmann, Trish Caetano, Helen Mai, and Matthew McDonald, Canada’s Drug Agency; Andrew Taylor, Health Canada |
| 3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. | SPECIAL SESSION 5 – Hybrid Advancing HTA Methods Farah Husein, Deirdre DeJean, Saunya Dover, Renata Axler, and Viviane Grandpierre, Canada’s Drug Agency |
| 4:45 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. | STUDENT MEET AND GREET – In person only Students attending the Symposium in person are invited to meet other student attendees and senior staff from Canada’s Drug Agency. Light refreshments will be available. |
| 4:45 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. | PATIENT GROUP MEET AND GREET – In person only Representatives of patient groups attending the Symposium in person are invited to meet one another and senior staff from Canada’s Drug Agency. A cash bar and light refreshments will be available. |
| 5:15 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. | WELCOME RECEPTION AND SCIENTIFIC POSTER EXHIBITION – In person only The Welcome Reception features scientific posters and the opportunity to meet and talk with the authors about their work. Recipients of the 2024 Recognition Awards will be introduced. |
Thursday, September 5, 2024
| 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. | REGISTRATION DESK OPEN |
| 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. | BREAKFAST |
| 7:45 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. | EARLY MORNING SESSION 1 – Hybrid Operationalizing Outcomes-Based Agreements in Canada Kate Harback, Institute of Health Economics |
| 7:45 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. | EARLY MORNING SESSION 2 – Hybrid The Growing Problem of Drug Shortages: Understanding Their Impact on Research, Patients, and Health Care Systems Mina Tadrous, University of Toronto; Stephanie Di Trapani, Health Canada; Saad Ahmed, University of Toronto |
| 8:45 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. | OFFICIAL OPENING – Hybrid Suzanne McGurn, President and CEO, Canada’s Drug Agency |
| 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. |
OPENING PLENARY – Hybrid
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| 10:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. | NETWORKING BREAK |
| 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. | PANEL SESSION 1 – Hybrid Innovation in the Pharmaceutical Ecosystem Peter Dyrda, Canada’s Drug Agency, Karen Reynolds, Health Canada, Gail Attara, GI Society, Sudha Kutty, Canada’s Drug Agency (moderator), Dominic Tan, pCPA |
| 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. | PANEL SESSION 2 – Hybrid Cultivating INDequity Through Indigenous-Led Pathways to ehealth Using an Innovative P3 Model to Partnership Vanessa Ambtman-Smith, Western University (moderator and presenter); Mehmood Alibhai, Boehringer Ingelheim Canada Ltd., Laurie L. Buffalo, Samson Cree Nation; Rebecca Elizabeth Morton, Boehringer Ingelheim Canada Ltd. [All speakers in person.] |
| 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. | PANEL SESSION 3 – In person only Level 2 – Room 201 Developing a Real-World Readiness Framework for Patient Support Programs: A Collaborative Approach Rob Chalmers, ZS; Bryan Asher, Shoppers Drug Mart; Sarah Power, Takeda; Barry Stein, Colorectal Cancer Canada |
| 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. | PANEL SESSION 4 – Hybrid Level 2 – Room 207/208 Breaking Barriers: Tackling Challenges in Mental Health Drug Health Technology Assessments Pierre Blier, University of Ottawa, Susan Farrell, Canadian Mental Health Association Ottawa Chapter, Don Husereau, University of Ottawa; Kobina Quansah, Johnson & Johnson, Nancy Zorzi, Mood Disorders Society of Canada |
| 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. | PANEL SESSION 5 – Hybrid Delivering Precision Oncology as Standard of Care – How Genomic Testing Is Driving Better Patient Outcomes and Increased Access to Clinical Trials for Cancer Patients Michael Carter and Tanya Gillian, Nova Scotia Health; Ravi Ramjeesingh, Dalhousie University |
| 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. | NETWORKING LUNCH |
| 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. | PANEL SESSION 6 – Hybrid Enhancing Rare Disease Registries for Health Technology Assessment: Current Initiatives and Preliminary Findings Trish Caetano (Moderator), Claudia Sikorski, Viktoria Roman, and Sinwan Basharat, Canada’s Drug Agency; Alfonso Iorio, McMaster University |
| 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. | ORAL PRESENTATIONS 1 – Hybrid ONCOLOGY The Growing Importance of Companion Diagnostics on Cancer Therapeutics and Funding Scott Gavura, Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) PROgress Tracker Breast Cancer Registry: Diverse Real-World Evidence to Inform HTA via a Patient Reported Outcomes Longitudinal Study of Canadian Breast Cancer Survivors Kimberly Carson and Shaniah Leduc, Breast Cancer Canada Patient Values Project: Understanding Patient Preferences for Cancer Treatments to Inform a Framework for Incorporating Patient Values Into Health Technology Assessment Barry Stein, Colorectal Cancer Canada Timelines of Health Technology Assessments and Price Negotiations for Oncology Drugs in Canada Nigel Rawson, Macdonald-Laurier Institute |
| 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. | ORAL PRESENTATIONS 2 – Hybrid HOT TOPICS Navigating Growth: Ontario’s CAR T-Cell Therapy Program Cassandra McKay, Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) Developing a Drug Shortages Predictive Model Using Real-World Canadian Drug Utilization Araniy Santhireswaran, University of Toronto Improving Equity Assessment in Drug Policy Decisions Jolanta Piszczek, University of British Columbia Therapeutic Value of Drugs for Orphan Diseases Joel Lexchin, York University |
| 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. | ORAL PRESENTATIONS 3 – Hybrid ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND DIGITAL HEALTH Homecare Innovations: At the Intersection of Technology and Humanity Corelia Kostovic and Marie-Helene Raymond, INESSS A National Standard for Cyber Resiliency in Health care Siri Chunduri and Jonathan I. Mitchell, HealthCareCAN Clinical Practice in a Digital Health Environment: New Best Practice Guideline Lauren Bailey, Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) Partnering Together for Integrated Person- and Family-Centric Care Across the Mental Wellness Care Continuum: Stepped Care 2.0 in the Northwest Territories Danielle Impey, Mental Health Commission of Canada |
| 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. | PANEL SESSION 7 – In person only A Researcher-Policy-Maker Partnership to Design, Implement, and Evaluate Canada’s First Universal Contraception Subsidy: Impact of British Columbia’s Contraception Subsidy Laura Schummers, University of British Columbia; Wendy V. Norman, University of British Columbia; I Fan Kuo, BC Ministry of Health; Martin Odendaal, BC Ministry of Health; Michael Law, University of British Columbia; Bonnie Henry, BC Ministry of Health (moderator); |
| 2:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. | NETWORKING BREAK |
| 3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. | PANEL SESSION 8 – Hybrid Disruptive Partnership: Charting the Future of pan-Canadian Data and Analytics Elena Lungu, Canada’s Drug Agency (Moderator); Connie Côté, Health Charities Coalition of Canada; Brent Diverty, Canadian Institute for Health Information; Kimberlyn McGrail, HDRN Canada; Brad Millson, IQVIA Solutions Canada Inc. |
| 3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. | PANEL SESSION 9 – Hybrid Accelerating Access: Leveraging Target Zero to Expedite Time to Access for New Therapies Angie Wong, Ontario Ministry of Health; Lana Duan, MORSE Consulting Inc.; Beth Kidd, Health Coalition of Alberta; Imran Ali, Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada; Sudha Kutty, Canada’s Drug Agency; Katherine Scott, Morse Consulting Inc. (moderator) |
| 3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. | PANEL SESSION 10 – In person only Incorporating the Child’s Perspective in Health Technology Assessment in Canada Jesse Elliott, Canada’s Drug Agency; Brittany Humphries, McMaster University; Wendy Ungar, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute; Feng Xie, McMaster University |
| 3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. | PANEL SESSION 11 – Hybrid Rethinking How We Do HTA – Toward a Broader Health System Approach Leslie Anne Campbell, Dalhousie University; Craig Mitton, UBC; Laura Weeks, Canada’s Drug Agency; Dan Coulombe, Department of Health, New Brunswick (moderator); Lesley Dunfield, Institute of Health Economics |
| 3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. | PANEL SESSION 12 – Hybrid Advancing Patient Engagement and Impact in Canada's Drug Agency Deliberative Process: A Multistakeholder Collaboration William Dempster, 3Sixty Public Affairs (Moderator); Gail Attara, Gastrointestinal Society; Bonnie Macfarlane, Janssen Inc.; Nicole Mittmann, Canada’s Drug Agency; Jessy Ranger, Myeloma Canada; Nancy Zorzi, Mood Disorders Society of Canada |
| 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. | SYMPOSIUM DINNER Join us for an evening of casual networking and camaraderie at the Symposium Dinner. After a day of great speakers, engaging sessions, and insightful discussions, unwind and connect over a beverage and a good meal. Enjoy the food and the conversation, and be inspired by our guest speaker – Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng. He is the Department Head of Critical Care at The Ottawa Hospital, host of the Solving Healthcare podcast, and the author of Unapologetic Leadership. His talk will focus on the need for change in health care and the important role of leaders in embracing change. The Symposium dinner is the perfect opportunity to forge new connections and deepen existing ones in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Dinner ticket required. |
Friday, September 6, 2024
| 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. | REGISTRATION DESK OPEN |
| 7:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. | BREAKFAST |
| 7:45 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. | EARLY MORNING SESSION 3 – In person only HEALTH ECONOMICS ORAL PRESENTATIONS Severity Weighting of QALYs in Economic Evaluation: Why, How and Where Next? Shehzad Ali, Western University Using a 1-Day Living Kidney Donor Evaluation Process to Boost Kidney Transplant Rates: An Early Economic Evaluation Andrew Scarffe, Ottawa Hospital Research Hospital Equity of Financial Protection For Health in High-Income Countries: A Scoping Review of Methodologies and Values Edward Xie, University of Toronto |
| 7:45 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. | EARLY MORNING SESSION 4 – Hybrid Real-World Evidence (RWE): Empowering Patient Advocacy Groups to Co-Design Registries That Fill a Data Gap for Their Community Shawn Paron, Alzheimer Society of Ontario, Christa Studzinski, Ontario Brain Institute |
| 7:45 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. | EARLY MORNING SESSION 5 – Hybrid Insight Into How CIHI’s Data and Tools Can Be Leveraged to Improve the Information Available on Drugs for Rare Diseases Tracy Fisher and Lacey Langlois, Canadian Institute for Health Information |
| 7:45 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. | EARLY MORNING SESSION 6 – Hybrid Tackling Environmental Impacts in Health Care Systems and in Health Technology Assessment Agencies Toward 2030: Where Do We Stand With 6 Years Left? Corelia Kostovic, INESSS |
| 7:45 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. | EARLY MORNING SESSION 7 – Hybrid What’s New in US HTA? A Snapshot of ICER’s Value Assessment Framework Update Daniel Ollendorf and Marina Richardson, Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) |
| 8:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. | PANEL SESSION 13 – Hybrid Closing the Gap Or Widening The Divide: Do We Need a Framework for Truly Embedding Equity in Health Technology Assessment (HTA)? Jonathan Pearson-Stuttard, Lane Clark & Peacock LLP (Moderator), Stephen Duffield, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence; Susan Griffin, University of York; Chris Lubker, Novo Nordisk; Marina Richardson, Institute for Clinical and Economic Review |
| 8:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. | PANEL SESSION 14 – Hybrid Improving Patient Safety and Outcomes: A Vision for a pan-Canadian Coordinated Approach to Appropriate Use Connie Newman, Lived Experience Partner, Canada’s Drug Agency Appropriate Use Advisory Committee; Stephen Samis, Co-Chair, Canada’s Drug Agency Appropriate Use Advisory Committee; Jim Silvius, Co-Chair, Canada’s Drug Agency Appropriate Use Advisory Committee; and Sudha Kutty, Canada’s Drug Agency (Moderator) |
| 8:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. | PANEL SESSION 15 – Hybrid An Innovative and Learning Health System Fuelled by Digital and Technological Transformation – Recent Successes From the Nova Scotia Health Cancer Care Program Amanda Caissie, Helmut Hollenhorst, and Gail Tomblin Murphy, Nova Scotia Health |
| 8:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. | PANEL SESSION 16 – Hybrid From Disruption to Opportunity: What Can HTA Learn From Taylor Swift? Laura Weeks, Canada’s Drug Agency; Wendy Ungar, Technology Assessment at SickKids (TASK), Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute; Kali Barrett, THETA; Maggie Keresteci, CAHSPR; Paul Bradley, Medtech Consulting; Jovan Matic, Government of Ontario |
| 8:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. | PANEL SESSION 17 – In person only Doing More Together: Aging With Dignity and in Place –Working Together Across PCHOs and Canada Tanya MacDonald, Healthcare Excellence Canada; Maria Judd, Healthcare Excellence Canada (moderator); Gino De Angelis, Canada’s Drug Agency; Alesha Gaudet, Department of Social Development, New Brunswick |
| 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. | NETWORKING BREAK |
| 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. | ORAL PRESENTATIONS 4 – Hybrid DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES Prioritizing Community Partnerships: A Collaborative Approach to Promoting Medication Appropriateness Across Diverse British Columbia Communities Leslie Gaudette, Council of Senior Citizens' Organizations of British Columbia Advancing Justice-Oriented Patient Engagement in Health Technology Assessment Roma Dhamanaskar, McMaster University Public Preferences for Improving Health Equity in Canada: A Qualitative Focus Group Study Christopher Cadham, University of Michigan Indigenizing Medication Appropriateness in Canada: Charting a Path Towards Equity and Healing Cheryl A. Sadowski, University of Alberta |
| 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. | ORAL PRESENTATIONS 5 – Hybrid MAXIMIZING THE IMPACT OF HTA Improving the Impact of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) in Canada Craig Mitton, University of British Columbia An Actionable and Legible Toolbox for the Appraisal of Health Care Innovations Developed Through Provincial Stakeholder Collaboration Pascale Lehoux, INESSS |
| 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. | ORAL PRESENTATIONS 6 – Hybrid HTA METHODS Quantitative Assessment of Effect Modifiers in NMA - Leveraging Subgroup Data Timothy Disher, CRG-EVERSANA Humanizing HTA Practices: The INESSS Users’ and Relatives’ Panel Denis Lefebvre and Olivier Demers-Payette , INESSS Understanding and Measuring Health Outcomes in Children with Rare Genetic Conditions Jeff Round, Institute of Health Economics |
| 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. | ORAL PRESENTATIONS 7 – Hybrid HEALTH ECONOMICS Model-Based Estimates of the Cost of Obstetric Evacuation for Fly-In First Nation Communities in Ontario Majd Radhaa, Western University Identifying High-Cost Users in Ontario: Implications of Follow-Up Time and Censoring for Measuring High-Cost Users Using Administrative Data Kali Barrett, University of Toronto Integrating Lived Experience: Developing a Theoretical and Methodological Approach to Conducting an Institutional Ethnography for Economic Evaluations Chantal Valiquette, University of Toronto 23 and (not just) Me: Incorporating Family Members in Economic Evaluation of Genetic Testing Technologies Wendy Ungar, Technology Assessment at SickKids (TASK), Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute |
| 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. | ORAL PRESENTATIONS 8 – In person only MEDICAL DEVICES Level 2 Polysomnography for the Diagnosis of Sleep Disorders: An HTA Stacey Vandersluis The Canadian Medical Imaging Inventory (CMII): A Decade of Difference Andra Morrison, Canada’s Drug Agency How To Conduct Agile Reviews of Medical Devices for the Management of Diabetes Julie Nieminen, INESSS |
| 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. | NETWORKING BREAK |
| 12:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. |
CLOSING PLENARY– Hybrid
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| 1:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. | PRESENTATION OF THE STUDENT POSTER AWARD AND OFFICIAL CLOSING – Hybrid Suzanne McGurn, President and CEO, Canada’s Drug Agency |
| 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. | CLOSING RECEPTION – In person only Join us for the grand finale of Symposium 2024 at the closing reception! Unwind and network with fellow attendees. Celebrate the culmination of insightful discussions and fruitful connections in a relaxed and inviting atmosphere. Don't miss this opportunity to toast the success of another memorable Symposium experience! Delectable appetizers and a cash bar will be available. |
Symposium 2024 Workshops
Workshop 1
Qualitative Thinking and Best Practices in HTA: Unlocking Opportunities for Policy Impact
Wednesday, September 4, 2024: 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
In-person only. Participation limited to 30 attendees.
This is an introductory-level workshop that will be of particular interest to patients and caregivers, policy-makers, health policy analysts, health technology assessment (HTA) producers and health researchers, and health care professionals.
This workshop will discuss fundamental principles of qualitative thinking and best practices in HTA, explore the scope of these, and provide an overview of the type of questions and approaches best suited to inform contextually relevant, actionable recommendations.
What You Will Learn
Attendees will leave with an understanding of the scope of qualitative best practices in HTA. They will understand how these practices, along with qualitatively derived evidence, can support decision-makers navigating complex policy decisions and addressing disruptive changes in the health system.
Presenters
Francesca Brundisini, Jamie Anne Bentz, Viviane Grandpierre, and Elijah Herington, Canada’s Drug Agency
Workshop 2
Innovative Approaches to Real-World Evidence Generation: Selecting the Appropriate Study Design to Answer Your Evidence Needs
Wednesday, September 4, 2024: 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
In-person only.
This is an intermediate-level workshop that will be of particular interest to HTA producers, health researchers, health economists, and health care professionals.
Approaches to the generation and collection of real-world data (RWD) are evolving, driven by the expanding volume and enhanced accessibility of health data. However, to optimally leverage these techniques, producers of real-world evidence (RWE) must make appropriate decisions about how and when to apply them. This session aims to provide an overview and understanding of several innovative approaches to the generation of RWE for decision-making.
What You Will Learn
Attendees will leave with an understanding of innovative approaches and how and when to apply these to your RWE generation needs.
Presenter
Calum Neish, IQVIA Solutions Canada Inc.
Workshop 3
Unlocking Ethics in HTA: Exploring Practice and Impact
Wednesday, September 4, 2024: 12:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
In-person only.
This is an introductory-level workshop that will be of particular interest to policy-makers, HTA producers, and health researchers.
Attention to ethical considerations is increasingly being recognized as integral to HTA and health care decision-making. Despite the growing recognition of the importance of ethics in HTA, capacity remains limited in how to apply, understand, and leverage key ethical considerations and approaches in HTA and health care decision-making.
What You Will Learn
Attendees will leave equipped with a greater understanding of ethics in HTA and a toolkit of methods, strategies, and resources to better understand and leverage ethics analyses in their own work.
Presenters
Renata Axler and Ana Komparic, Canada’s Drug Agency, and Avram Denburg , The Hospital for Sick Children
Workshop 4
An Introduction to Health Technology Assessment
Wednesday, September 4, 2024: 12:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Hybrid. Open to in-person and online attendees.
This is an introductory-level workshop that will be of particular interest to anyone new to HTA, including patients, students, policy-makers, health care professionals, and anyone attending the Symposium for the first time.
This session will be an introduction to HTA principles and practices, including approaches to assess clinical effectiveness (benefits and harms), meta-analysis and modelling, cost-effectiveness, ethical issues, and organizational and implementation issues.
What You Will Learn:
Attendees will leave with an understanding of HTA, where it fits in the health care systems in Canada, how it relates to other programs in the drug and medical devices spaces, opportunities to engage in HTA processes, and future trends.
Presenter
Don Husereau, University of Ottawa