Matt Cecchini
Matthew Cecchini is a 5th year anatomical pathology resident at Western University in London Ontario. He is a graduate of the MD/PhD program at Western University and is interested in translational research and is passionate about education. He served as the director of PGME education (2016-2018) for the CAP-ACP annual meeting planning committee where he helped to develop engaging, evidence-based learning platforms for residents across Canada.
Matt Cesari
Kathy Chorneyko
Dr. Chorneyko is Medical Director and Chief of Laboratory Services in Brantford Ontario. She is active in a number of organizations including the Ontario Association of Pathologists, the Canadian Association of Pathologists, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, IQMH as well as CSMLS. She has been the QMP pathology clinical lead since 2013.
Neil Davis
Marcio Gomes
Dr. Marcio Gomes is a pathologist, Head of thoracic pathology at The Ottawa Hospital,
and an Associate Professor and Distinguished Teacher of the University of Ottawa. Dr. Gomes is also a clinician educator of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. His main areas of interest in medical education are competency-based education, workplace-based assessment, continuing professional development and interprofessional education. Dr. Gomes has developed many educational innovations and received several teaching and education awards, including the 2010 Award of Excellence and Innovation in Postgraduate Medical Education by the University of Ottawa, the 2014 Professional Association of Residents of Ontario (PARO) Clinical Teaching Award, and the Leadership in Education Award of the CAP-ACP in 2017. He is currently doing a Masters in Health Professions Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago supported by the 2017 RCPSC Robert Maudsley Fellowship for Studies in Medical Education.
Chris Griffith
Dr. Christopher C. Griffith is currently Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
He is Director of Head and Neck Pathology at Emory University Hospital Midtown. Dr. Griffith completed an Anatomic Pathology Residency, Cytopathology Fellowship and Head and Neck/Endocrine Pathology Fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center prior to joining the Faculty at Emory University.
Dr. Griffith’s clinical and research focus is in the diagnosis of head and neck and thyroid disease on surgical and cytologic material. He is also active in translational research to improve treatment options for patients with head and neck cancers. He has published numerous original research articles, multiple review articles and is involved in educational sessions at national meeting.
Fawaz Halwani
Dr. Halwani was born in Syria. He received his MD degree in 1981 in Shiraz, Iran. He came to Canada in 1983. where he first received his PhD degree in Pathology at McGill University in Montreal in 1986. He then did his residency training also at McGill and received his Royal College degree in Anatomical Pathology in 1990. He was a pathologist at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal until 2004, Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto until 2005, Scarborough hospital until 2011, Peterborough hospital until 2012, and finally settled in Ottawa General Hospital with EORLA.
Dr. Tien Le
Dr. Le graduated from the University of Toronto in 1989 and completed his residency in Obstetrics/Gynecology and subspecialty fellowship training in Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Manitoba in 1997. He is presently appointed as full Professor at the University of Ottawa and has a full time clinical practice focusing in gynecologic oncology including radical surgical and systemic therapies for gynecologic cancers.
Dr. Le is the current subspecialty fellowship training program director in the division. Dr. Le has a special interest and expertise in clinical trial design, health service research, and minimal invasive robotic surgeries. Since joining the division in 2002, he has initiated a number of prospective studies and published on a wide range of topics relevant to current gynecologic oncology practice such as evaluation of screening strategies in patients on Tamoxifen with respect to endometrial cancer, Quality of Life assessments in endometrial cancer patients treated with surgery and radiation therapies, evaluations of neoadjuvant chemotherapy protocols in ovarian cancer, and a number of investigative phase 2 and 3 research protocols as related to gynecologic cancers. He also serves as reviewers and sit on a number of editorial boards for high impact journals in the specialty.
Nationally, Dr. Le has been an active member of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologist of Canada (GOC) being involved in the development and promotion of the society web portal to facilitate communications as well as research among members. He is also actively involved with the Gynecologic Cancer Evidence-based Series (EBS) and Practice Guidelines (PG) committee of Cancer Care Ontario.
Aaron Pollett
Anu Rebbapragada
Dr. Anu Rebbapragada is currently the National Director of Scientific Affairs and Market Access for Hologic.
Prior to this role, she was the Scientific Director of Microbiology & Molecular Diagnostics at Dynacare Laboratories (2013-2018). In this role she had oversight over a diverse portfolio of diagnostic testing at high volume laboratories across Canada. As laboratory director, she implemented advanced molecular testing, automation, digitized reporting and algorithm based clinical management tools to enhance the delivery of services. Her projects received two Quality Innovation Program awards from the Ontario Ministry of Health: first lab to offer molecular diagnostics for Trichomonas vaginalis in Canada and, implementation of an electronic report to track antibiotic resistance and infection rates in long-term care facilities. Previously as Senior Scientist at the Ontario Public Health Laboratory, she focused on molecular test design/validation and epidemiological research on HPV, respiratory and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and, established the laboratory framework for population level surveillance under the Ontario Health Study. In addition, she held an Assistant Professor appointment at the University of Toronto (Dept. Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology), received multiple grants, published over 40 peer reviewed scientific publications and has garnered recognition with national & international awardsDr. Anu Rebbapragada is currently the National Director of Scientific Affairs and Market Access for Hologic.
Prior to this role, she was the Scientific Director of Microbiology & Molecular Diagnostics at Dynacare Laboratories (2013-2018). In this role she had oversight over a diverse portfolio of diagnostic testing at high volume laboratories across Canada. As laboratory director, she implemented advanced molecular testing, automation, digitized reporting and algorithm based clinical management tools to enhance the delivery of services. Her projects received two Quality Innovation Program awards from the Ontario Ministry of Health: first lab to offer molecular diagnostics for Trichomonas vaginalis in Canada and, implementation of an electronic report to track antibiotic resistance and infection rates in long-term care facilities. Previously as Senior Scientist at the Ontario Public Health Laboratory, she focused on molecular test design/validation and epidemiological research on HPV, respiratory and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and, established the laboratory framework for population level surveillance under the Ontario Health Study. In addition, she held an Assistant Professor appointment at the University of Toronto (Dept. Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology), received multiple grants, published over 40 peer reviewed scientific publications and has garnered recognition with national & international awards
Corwyn Roswell
Dr. Corwyn Rowsell is a Staff Pathologist at St. Michael’s Hospital and Associate Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine at University of Toronto.
He is one of three members of the GI pathology group at St. Michael’s Hospital responsible for therapeutic endoscopy cases. Previously, he spent 8 years as part of the GI and hepatobiliary pathology team at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, where he helped develop national consensus guidelines for management of GI neuroendocrine tumours.
In addition to gastrointestinal pathology, Dr. Rowsell has had a long-standing interest in quality assurance in pathology, having previously served on the Advisory committee for the Quality Management Program (CCO/CPSO) and as Chair of the Pathology Scientific Committee at the Institute for Quality Management in Healthcare.
Fraser Symmans
Joanne Swift
Joanne Swift is a Certified Pathologist Assistant currently working as Charge Pathologists’ Assistant at the
Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association Reference Centre (EORLA). Joanne graduated as a Medical Laboratory Technologist from Algonquin College in Ottawa in 1984. She worked in Biochemistry at the Ottawa Civic Hospital for 3 years after graduating, before obtaining her dream job as a PA in 1987 and is an On the job trained PA. Joanne got into Medical Lab Technology because she wanted to do what Sam did on the show Quincy. Joanne became one of 2 Charge Pathologists’ Assistants at TOH in 2008. Her duties currently include Supervisor of Surgical Pathology at all three campuses of TOH which became the EORLA Reference Centre in 2012. Joanne also has responsibilities in Quality, Document Control and the new EPIC project.
Joanne is a life long learner taking many courses and attending many conferences in her career including:
Quality Laboratory Management Certificate through the University of British Columbia, The Leadership Academy and Management Foundations, through TOH, Modern Management through the Canadian Hospital Association, Teachers and Trainers of Adults Certificate through Algonquin College, anatomy and physiology courses through Athabasca University and other online, as well as safety courses through Algonquin college to name a few.
Joanne has lectured on Formalin Fixation Fact or Fiction and was the co-speaker on Lung Cancer patients and their journey from symptoms to treatment.
In her free time Joanne and her husband raise, show and breed English Mastiffs on their 27-acre property in Ottawa South.
Dawn Thorpe
Ming Tsao
Mark Vincent
Dr. Mark Vincent received his MD from the University of Cape Town, South Africa in 1976. He then trained in oncology at The Royal Marsden Hospital in London, England and came to Canada in 1987. Dr. Vincent completed his postgraduate training in the Department of Medicine at the University of Ottawa.
Dr. Vincent is currently a medical oncologist at the London Regional Cancer Centre, a part of Cancer Care Ontario, where his activities include the management of lung and gastrointestinal cancer, and laboratory research into the reversal of cytotoxic drug resistance by means of gene therapy. He is also a Full Professor (Senate Stream) at the University of Western Ontario in the Department of Oncology; it was in the Division of Medical Oncology where Dr. Vincent received the Award of Excellence in Teaching in 2004.
Dr. Vincent’s interests include the translation of basic research into the clinic, and the design and conduct of clinical trials in lung and colorectal cancer. He is also interested in toxicity minimisation/avoidance as well as resistance reversal by means of gene-directed therapy and small molecule chemopotentiation.