Advisory Panel on Minimum Retesting Intervals

To support Using Labs Wisely, we are collaborating with Choosing Wisely Canada to convene a multidisciplinary panel of experts to provide guidance on the minimum retesting interval for 5 commonly used lab tests. Experts will deliberate on evidence from a number of sources to produce recommendations to support hospitals participating in Using Labs Wisely, and potentially other hospital and community labs across Canada.

Advisory Panel Members

Name	Province	Summary of Biography
Core panel
Daniel Beriault, PhD, FCACB	Ontario	Dr. Daniel Beriault is a clinical biochemist and fellow of the Canadian Academy of Clinical Biochemists (CACB). Daniel is the head of biochemistry and specimen management within the laboratory medicine department at Unity Health Toronto. Daniel is also an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto and the chair of the Utilization interest group for the Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists (CSCC).
Manal Elnenaei, MBChB, PhD, FRCPath, EuSpLM	Nova Scotia	Dr. Manal Elnenaei is the head of the Medical Biochemistry Division at the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and a Professor at Dalhousie University. Manal is interested in laboratory utilization, including how the lab can help drive effective and sustainable high-quality clinical services. Manal is the chair of the Provincial Laboratory Stewardship Committee in Nova Scotia and leads the Using Labs Wisely-CWC involvement of the province.
Dr. Roseline Kraft, MBC, MSc, Ph.D., P.Eng.	British Columbia	Dr. Rosilene Kraft is a professional engineer living with stage IV breast cancer since 2018. Rosilene works as a patient partner and cancer research advocate with several groups, including the Canadian Cancer Society, and is a patient member of the Board of the Canadian Cancer Research Alliance. Rosilene has lived experience as a patient with thrombophilia, familial dyslipidemia and gastroparesis, and as a caregiver to both parents diagnosed with cancer.
Janet Simons, MD, FRCPC Internal Medicine, FRCPC Medical Biochemistry	British Columbia	Dr. Janet Simons is a medical biochemist and internist at Vancouver’s Providence Health Care and an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of British Columbia. Janet’s research interests include improving clinical and laboratory services to improve health care systems' efficiencies. Janet is a clinician lead for the Choosing Wisely Canada, Using Labs Wisely program.
Alex Singer, MB BAO BCh. CCFP	Manitoba	Dr. Alex Singer is a practising family physician clinician-teacher and an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Manitoba, serving as the Director of Research and Quality Improvement. Alex is the Network Director of the Manitoba Primary Care Research Network, leading and collaborating on several regional and national practice-based research studies. Alex has published and presented several topics, including quality improvement in primary care, chronic disease management, and resource stewardship in primary care.
Li Wang, MD, MSc, FRCPC	British Columbia	Dr. Li Wang is a Medical Biochemist at the British Columbia Children's and Women's Hospital and Health Centre and a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia and serves as the president of the Canadian Association of Medical Biochemists. Li earned an MD from China Medical University, completed residency training in internal medicine and endocrinology. She also completed medical biochemistry residency training at McMaster University, and received a fellowship in Medical Biochemistry from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Li’s research primarily focuses on developing and validating new laboratory biomarkers for diagnosing and prognosis pediatric and obstetrical diseases.
Yan Yu, MD, MPP, MBA, CCFP	Alberta and Northwest Territories	Dr. Yan Yu is a family physician in Alberta and the Northwest Territories and is a member of the College of Family Physicians of Canada Board of Directors. Yan practices in clinical settings, such as community-based family medicine clinics, long-term care homes, hospitals, and rural emergency rooms. Yan’s clinical interests include working in emergency psychiatry and providing care to rural, remote, and Indigenous communities.
Specialist panel members
Natalia Calo, MD	Ontario	Dr. Natalia Calo is a therapeutic endoscopist at St. Michael's Hospital Division of Gastroenterology in Toronto, with a clinical focus on the care of patients with pancreaticobiliary disease. Natalia is also an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Toronto. Natalia’s medical education was completed at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, and she trained in adult gastroenterology at the Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires. Natalia completed a two-year fellowship in advanced therapeutic endoscopy at St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, and served as the chief fellow. Natalia’s research interests encompass patient-centred outcomes in therapeutic endoscopy, quality improvement in gastrointestinal endoscopy, and incorporating new technologies into patient care.
Matthew Cheung, SM, MD, FRCP(C)	Ontario	Dr. Matthew Cheung is a clinician-investigator and clinical hematologist at the Odette Cancer Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and a professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Matthew is the co-chair of the Committee on Economic Analysis at the Canada Cancer Trials Group, a member of the pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review Expert Review Committee, and chair of the American Society of Hematology Guideline Oversight Subcommittee. Matthew obtained a medical degree and completed internal medicine and hematology residency programs at the University of Toronto. Matthew also completed a clinical and research fellowship in lymphoma, a Canadian Institutes of Health Research HIV-AIDS postdoctoral research fellowship and a master’s degree in clinical epidemiology. Matthew’s research interests include clinical trial development in lymphoma, economic evaluations in clinical trials, and health outcomes research in hematologic malignancies.
Nowell M. Fine, MD, SM, FRCPC, FACC, FCCS, FASE, FHFSA	Alberta	Dr. Nowell Fine is a heart failure cardiologist and echocardiologist in Calgary and an associate clinical professor at the University of Calgary. Nowell is the clinical director of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute, director of the Clinical and Research/Core Echocardiography Laboratories, and co-lead of the heart failure research program. Nowell is the co-director of the Amyloidosis Program of Calgary and Cardiac Amyloidosis Clinic and the co-principal investigator for the Canadian Registry for Amyloidosis Research. Nowell has a clinical and research interest in heart failure and infiltrative cardiomyopathies, particularly cardiac amyloidosis and Anderson-Fabry disease.
Dr. Michael Khoury, MD	Alberta	Dr. Michael Khoury is a pediatric cardiologist and assistant professor at the Stollery Children’s Hospital, University of Alberta. Michael completed his pediatric residency at the University of Toronto and pediatric cardiology fellowship at the University of Toronto and the University of Alberta. Michael underwent subspecialty fellowships in pediatric preventive cardiology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) and advanced heart failure and transplant at CCHMC and the University of Alberta. Michael is a co-lead of the Kawasaki Disease/MIS-C clinic at the University of Alberta and a member of the Advanced Heart Function and Transplantation team.
Ferhan Siddiqi, MD FRCPC MScHQ	Nova Scotia	Dr. Ferhan Siddiqi is an endocrinologist at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in Nova Scotia, an associate professor at Dalhousie University, and the chair of the Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism Quality Improvement Committee. Ferhan obtained a medical degree at the University of Toronto and completed his internal medicine residency at Dalhousie University. Ferhan completed further postgraduate subspecialty training in adult endocrinology and metabolism at the University of Toronto, a Banting and Best Fellowship in Diabetes Care at the Keenan Research Centre, and a Master of Science in Healthcare Quality from Queen’s University. Ferhan’s research interests include quality improvement in diabetes care and complications and reducing inappropriate laboratory testing in endocrinology.
William Silverstein, MD	Ontario	Dr. William (Billy) Silverstein is a Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre general internist and assistant professor at the University of Toronto. Billy is the chair of the Canadian Society of Internal Medicine Committee and Sunnybrook’s Choosing Wisely Committee, and also leads Choosing Wisely Canada STARS. Billy has completed a master of science degree with a concentration in quality improvement and patient safety at the University of Toronto, an editorial fellowship at JAMA Internal Medicine, and a Healthcare Improvement Fellowship through Choosing Wisely Canada and the Centre for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety. Billy is the editor of the Teachable Moments Series at JAMA Internal Medicine, a series intended to educate medical trainees about the harms of overuse of health services. Billy’s research interests include implementing initiatives to reduce the provision of low-value care, using health system databases to identify areas of low-value care, and leading educational programs to educate trainees and clinicians on how to incorporate high-value care into their practices.
Carter Thorne, MD., FRCPC, FACP, MACR	Ontario	Dr. Carter Thorne is a consultant staff rheumatologist at Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto, and a principal investigator with The Arthritis Program Research Group Inc. Carter serves as the chair of the board for the new Centre of Arthritis Excellence and sits on the Steering and Scientific Committee of the Ontario Best Practices Research Initiative. Carter is a founding member of the Ontario Rheumatology Association and has been recognized by the American and Canadian Rheumatology Associations for contributions to the rheumatology field.

Last Updated : December 4, 2024