Advisory Panel on a Framework to Assess Cancer Biomarkers

With the rapidly emerging field of precision medicine, more complex, expensive, and promising genetic and genomic tests are being developed to identify biomarkers that can help inform treatment and care — particularly in the field of oncology. Approaches to evaluating and implementing testing for various biomarkers are inconsistent and vary between jurisdictions in Canada, which can contribute to disparities in availability and timely access to biomarker testing and precision medicine technologies.  

A time-limited advisory panel has been developed to create a consensus-based assessment framework to support standardized, efficient, and transparent assessment of genetic and genomic biomarkers in cancer care in Canada. The panel is composed of 15 members, including a chair. Members represent diverse experiences, perspectives, and roles in the health system, across sex and gender, race, culture, and geographic regions in Canada.

Chair

Maureen Trudeau – Ontario  

Medical Oncologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre  

Dr. Maureen Trudeau is the past chair of the pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review Expert Review Committee and is currently a member of the Formulary Management Expert Committee. She was awarded a Canada’s Drug Agency 35th Anniversary Medal in 2024. She is a medical oncologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, an Affiliate Scientist at the Sunnybrook Research Institute, and Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Trudeau has been involved in practice guideline development for Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) – Ontario Health and the American Society of Clinical Oncology for many years. She was a former provincial head of the Systemic Treatment Program for CCO and head of the Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology at Sunnybrook for 15 years. Her research interests include targeted neoadjuvant therapies and health services research in breast cancer, as well as the use of new drugs.

In 2019, she was awarded membership in the Academy of Master Clinicians in the University of Toronto Department of Medicine and more recently has taken on the role of a Clinical Faculty Advocate for the Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

Conflict of Interest Statement: Dr. Trudeau is a member of the ASCO breast cancer guidelines advisory committee and has unpaid roles with Rna Diagnostics and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre as clinical trial lead (1 trial related to tissue biopsies to predict patient outcomes). She is the recipient of more than $10,000 in shares, stocks, or stock options from Rna Diagnostics to support clinical trial development.  

Member

Helen Anderson – Payer Perspective, British Columbia  

Medical Oncologist and Senior Executive Director, Systemic Therapy and Clinical Programs, BC Cancer–Provincial Health Services Authority

Dr. Helen Anderson has worked at BC Cancer as a medical oncologist since 2001 and is currently the Senior Executive Director of Systemic Therapy and Clinical Programs. Her primary clinical interest is in lung cancer. She is also a Clinical Associate Professor at UBC, Chair of the BC Cancer Provincial Systemic Therapy Network and Community Oncology Leadership Committee, and a member of several other provincial and national committees. Her special interests include health technology assessment, drug policy, and the interface between evidence and implementation.

Dr. Anderson completed her medical and oncology training in Auckland, New Zealand, and has a doctorate from the University of London, where she did a fellowship in translational research.

Conflict of Interest Statement: Dr. Anderson is a member of the Granville Group, which is an academic group interested in expensive drugs for rare diseases.

Shantanu Banerji – Medical Oncology, Manitoba

Director of Precision Oncology and Medical Oncologist at CancerCare Manitoba

Dr. Banerji is a medical oncologist at CancerCare Manitoba, with a practice focused on lung cancer and sarcoma, and where he is also the Director of Precision Oncology and Advanced Therapeutics. His laboratory at the Paul Albrechtsen Research Institute is focused on the application of comprehensive genomic profiling to guide cancer discovery and treatment.

Conflict of Interest Statement: Dr. Banerji has received honorariums from pharmaceutical companies as an advisor for several cancer drugs, including companion diagnostics (companies include AstraZeneca, Roche, Bayer, BMS, Janssen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck, and GSK). He is employed by Cancer Care Manitoba and is a member of the medical advisory board for Lung Cancer Canada.

Darryl Boehm – Payer Perspective, Saskatchewan

Director, Oncology Pharmacy Services, Saskatchewan Cancer Agency

Darryl Boehm is co-chair of the Provincial Advisory Group and lead negotiator for Saskatchewan Cancer Agency on oncology files at the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA). He is also involved with implementing new drug programs, including coordination of companion biomarkers, drug budgets, contracts, and rebates. Darryl is Chair of the Saskatchewan Oncology Drugs and Therapeutics Committee, and responsible for overall operational, strategic, capital, and financial aspects of the provincial oncology pharmacy program.

Conflict of Interest Statement: Darryl Boehm reports no conflicts of interest in accordance with the Canada’s Drug Agency Conflicts of Interest Guideline.

Yvonne Bombard – Health Services, Genomics, Ethics, Ontario  

Canada Research Chair in Genomics Health Services and Policy Professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto  

Dr. Yvonne Bombard is a genomics health services researcher and scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto. She is also a professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, at the University of Toronto and directs the Genomics Health Services Research Program at St. Michael’s Hospital. She sets research direction at national and international levels as a board member of the American Society of Human Genetics and the CIHR Institute of Genetics. Dr. Bombard advises on funding recommendations on emerging genetic testing technologies for Ontario. She also shapes genomics health services research as an editor for Genetics in Medicine Open, the leading genetics practice journal.

Dr. Bombard was the inaugural recipient of the Maurice McGregor Award for Demonstrated Excellence and Leadership Potential from CADTH and received a “Rising Star” award from the CIHR Institute of Health Services and Policy Research. She has also been awarded a CIHR Foundation grant as an early career investigator, CIHR Maud Menten Early Career Prize in Genetics, and recently received a Canadian Cancer Society early career investigator award for her work and policy change.

Conflict of Interest Statement: Dr. Bombard reports no conflicts of interest in accordance with the Canada’s Drug Agency Conflicts of Interest Guideline.

Stirling Bryan – Economics, British Columbia  

Professor, School of Population and Public Health, UBC; Health Economist

Dr. Stirling Bryan is a health economist. In 2021, he was appointed as Chief Scientific Officer for British Columbia’s health research agency, Michael Smith Health Research BC. Dr. Bryan is also a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and currently serves as President for the Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research (CAHSPR).

He began his career in the UK, with appointments at St. Thomas’ Hospital Medical School and then Brunel University, before moving to the University of Birmingham in 1997. In 2005, he was awarded a Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellowship and spent a year at Stanford University. After immigrating to Canada in 2008, Dr. Bryan took on roles at UBC, including as a professor for the School of Population and Public Health, and director of the Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluation, before moving to Michael Smith Health Research BC.

Conflict of Interest Statement: Dr. Bryan has received research funding from Genome BC in support of a study on the implementation of pharmacogenetics in major depression.

Michael Carter – Molecular Pathology, Nova Scotia

Medical Director, Molecular Diagnostics, Nova Scotia Health

Dr. Carter is the Medical Director of Molecular Diagnostics at Nova Scotia Health. He is also the Medical Director of Research within the Division of Anatomical Pathology at the University of Dalhousie.

Dr. Carter completed medical school at the University of Toronto, followed by residency training in anatomical pathology at Dalhousie University and a 1-year fellowship in molecular genetic pathology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He began as an anatomical and molecular pathologist at Nova Scotia Health Central Zone and Assistant Professor of Pathology at Dalhousie University in 2018.

Conflict of Interest Statement: Dr. Carter has received honorariums or expenses paid for participation on advisory boards for various pharmaceutical companies to provide feedback on anticipated requirements and barriers to implementing or optimizing solid tumour biomarker testing, including from AstraZeneca, Merck, Amgen, and Pfizer.

Harriet Feilotter – Molecular Genetics, Ontario

Director and Lead, Clinical Implementation at Ontario Molecular Pathology Research Network, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research

Dr. Feilotter is a molecular geneticist with a strong interest in improving pathways for clinical adoption of genomic biomarkers in human disease. She is currently Division Head of Genome Diagnostics at the University Health Network. She holds positions at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, where she is co-lead for Implementation Science and Practice, Director of the Ontario Molecular Pathology Research Network (OMPRN), and a key part of the emerging Ontario Joint Genomics Program. At Ontario Health, she holds the position of Clinical Lead for Genetic Testing within the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Ontario Laboratory Medicine programs.

Conflict of Interest Statement: Dr. Feilotter has received honorariums to develop and host advisory boards for various pharmaceutical companies on breast cancer biomarkers, including AstraZeneca, Merck, Roche EMD Serano, and Amgen.

Eric Hamilton – Lived Experience, Alberta

Health Innovation, Patient Engagement and Advocacy

Eric Hamilton has stage IV colorectal cancer and lives in Edmonton, Alberta. He and his wife, Jasmine, have 2 children: Byron, aged 11, and Julianne, aged 8. While continuing systemic treatment, he works full time as a senior policy analyst with the Government of Alberta. He was initially diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in June 2022 at age 41 and underwent successful colon resection surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. Unfortunately, 18 months later, the disease was found to have spread to his liver and nearby lymph nodes. Eric then underwent a liver resection and currently has disease only in the retroperitoneal lymph nodes. He hopes to regain his health in the long-term and be off treatment eventually. Eric understands the young-onset patient experience well. He advocates for aggressive, curative treatments for himself and other under-50 patients with colorectal cancer who may also have young families, careers, and potentially decades left to live. Despite being in treatment, Eric is determined to make the best of life through camping, cycling, and most recently learning to play the piano.

Conflict of Interest Statement: Eric reports no conflicts of interest in accordance with the Canada’s Drug Agency Conflicts of Interest Guideline.

Tammy Hofer – Decision-Maker, Alberta

Chief Operating Officer at Alberta Precision Laboratories

With a career spanning over 30 years, Tammy has been a fixture in the Alberta laboratory landscape and has been actively involved in the progressive restructuring of laboratory medicine in Alberta. Prior to forming Alberta Precision Laboratories (APL), Tammy was a senior operating officer for Alberta Health Services (AHS), where she led the provincial laboratory system serving acute care, community, and specialty services, and the Provincial Laboratory for Public Health. In 2018, AHS formed APL, a wholly owned subsidiary responsible for the provision of all laboratory services for the province of Alberta. As the Chief Operating Officer of APL, Tammy is directly responsible for all APL operations; she is also the Chief Transition Officer overseeing the Integration of DynaLIFE Medical Labs to APL. Tammy continues to lead the ongoing transformation of laboratory medicine, including the conversion to a single provincial laboratory information system (Connect Care), standardization of equipment and processes across the province, and Alberta’s latest initiative to further integrate laboratory services into a single provincial provider.

Conflict of Interest Statement: Tammy reports no conflicts of interest in accordance with the Canada’s Drug Agency Conflicts of Interest Guideline.

Dr. Angela Hyde – Medical Oncology, Newfoundland and Labrador

Medical Oncologist, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services

Dr. Angela Hyde is a medical oncologist and clinician scientist with Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, clinical assistant professor in the Disciplines of Oncology and Laboratory Medicine at Memorial University, and oncology lead at the Centre for Translational Genomics. Her clinical focus is gastrointestinal malignancies and hereditary cancers. She is co-lead on numerous clinical and research initiatives relating to precision medicine, cancer genetics and genomics, and hereditary cancer syndromes. Dr. Hyde completed her MD and PhD in Cancer Genetics and Internal Medicine residency at Memorial University of Newfoundland, and completed Medical Oncology at the University of Ottawa.

Conflict of Interest Statement: Dr. Hyde has received honorariums for advisory and consultancy roles for pharmaceutical companies including Merck, Pfizer, and Daiichi Sankyo.

Eshwar Kumar – Decision-Maker, New Brunswick  

Co-Chief Executive Officer, New Brunswick Cancer Network

Biography, to come  

Conflict of Interest Statement: Eshwar reports no conflicts of interest in accordance with the Canada’s Drug Agency Conflicts of Interest Guideline.

François Sanschagrin – Health Ministry, Quebec

Conseiller en biologie médicale à la Direction des laboratoires et de l’imagerie médicale du Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec

Medical Biology Advisor at the Laboratory and Medical Imaging Directorate of the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services

François has been with the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services since 2013 and, for the past 10 years, has been a medical biology advisor within the Laboratory and Medical Imaging Directorate on issues related to pathology, molecular biology, microbiology, genetics, quality assurance, and the organization of medical laboratories.  

François has over 20 years of experience in research and clinical activities related to microbiology-immunology. He has authored numerous scientific articles, presented at international conferences, contributed to 2 patents, and trained multiple master’s and PhD students. His past positions include molecular biologist for the Molecular Oncopathology Laboratory of the Anatomopathology Service at Hôpital du Saint-Sacrement of the CHU de Québec, associate researcher at the CHU de Québec Research Center, and associate professor at the Faculty of Medicine of Université Laval.

He holds a PhD and a master’s degree in microbiology-immunology, as well as a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from Université Laval.  

Conflict of Interest Statement: François reports no conflicts of interest in accordance with the Canada’s Drug Agency Conflicts of Interest Guideline.

 Scott Sinclair – Decision-Maker, Manitoba

Deputy Minister of Health, Province of Manitoba

Biography, to come  

Conflict of Interest Statement: To come  

Robby Spring – Lived Experience, Ontario

Health Innovation, Patient Engagement and Advocacy

Robby Spring is an experienced professional in health innovation, commercialization, patient engagement, and public affairs, holding a BSc in medical biophysics, an MSc in neuroscience, and an MHSc in translational research. Robby has over 15 years of experience across academia, hospital, government, industry, and charitable organizations in the health and life sciences sector. Her recent experience as both a patient with breast cancer and a care partner has enriched her perspective on the health care system. Leveraging her professional background and personal insights, Robby is committed to making significant contributions as a consultant focused on patient engagement, as well as improving and increasing the adoption of health technologies.

Conflict of Interest Statement: Robby has received employment, consulting, and/or travel expenses paid in support of patient advocacy meetings and initiatives with various organizations, including Canadian Cancer Society, HealthPartners, Creative Destruction Lab, and Rethink Breast Cancer. She was formerly employed by or consulted with the organizations adMare Bioinnovations, RetiSpec, and the Danish Trade Council. She has taken on various volunteer roles in support of innovations, including with Lab2Market, CanCertainty Coalition, and Cancer Action Now. She formerly cofounded the social enterprise Health Innovation Implementation in Ontario. She is also an active patient advocate for health system change, including across social media platforms.  

Mélanie Martin (Observer) – Health Technology Assessment, Quebec

Directrice adjointe, Innovation technologique et biologie médicale et génomique, INESSS

Mélanie Martin is the Deputy Director in Technology Innovation and Medical Biology and Genomics of the Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS) in Quebec.

She joined INESSS in July 2015 as a scientific professional. She was the scientific coordinator of the chronic disease screening team (2017 to 2019) and primary care improvement team (2019 to 2022), as well as associate director of the Methods and Ethics Bureau from 2022 to 2024.  

She developed an extensive understanding of health technology assessment throughout her career.  

She holds a PhD in microbiology and immunology, a microprogram in business (strategic project management), and a microprogram in pharmaceutical product development from Laval University.

Conflict of Interest Statement: Mélanie is employed as Directrice adjointe, Innovation technologique et biologie médicale et génomique.