Biographies

Dr. Suzanne Tough is a Professor jointly appointed to the Departments of Paediatrics and Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine. A Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, she has served on several national and international advisory boards, including the World Health Organization Preterm Birth International Consortium. She serves on the Canadian Maternal Infant Child Youth Research Network, and CIHR Institutes. Tough has held the role of Scientific Director for three provincial organizations and initiatives and is a faculty member of the MaxBell Public Policy Training Institute. Her accomplishments have been recognized through numerous honors and awards.

Professor Adalsteinn Brown has served as the Dean of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto since 2017. His research utilizes evidence and data to inform public policy decisions. A prolific scholar with over 100 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, reports, and commentaries, he held influential positions like Director of the Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, and Assistant Deputy Minister in Ontario government ministries. With a Harvard undergraduate degree and a doctorate from Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, Brown’s exceptional contributions earned him a fellowship in the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

An expert in mammalian development and pregnancy health, Dr. Cross transitioned from the University of Toronto to the University of Calgary in 2000, serving as the founding Director of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and Associate Dean of Research for the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Elected as a Fellow of both the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and the Royal Society of Canada, he has served on the CAHS board and as its President for the 2022/23 term. Dr. Cross has made significant contributions to bridging human and animal health through his pioneering work at their intersection. He has also served on the boards of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, the Kids Cancer Care Foundation, and The Arthritis Society.

Dr. Bev Holmes is a leader in health research funding, production, and utilization to improve outcomes. Her expertise and passion have garnered recognition through memberships on numerous influential advisory groups, including as an associate editor at Implementation Science Communications and participation in the National Alliance of Provincial Health Research Organizations. With adjunct academic appointments at Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia, she holds the Chartered Director designation from McMaster University and is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. Her career includes key management positions within prominent non-profit agencies. Bev gratefully makes her home on the traditional, unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) First Nations.

Dr. Judy Illes is a Professor of Neurology at the University of British Columbia, where she holds the prestigious title of UBC Distinguished University Scholar and serves as the Director of Neuroethics Canada. Appointed to the Order of Canada in 2017, she held the Tier I Canada Research Chair in Neuroethics from 2007 to 2021. Her research, teaching, and service address ethical, legal, social, and policy challenges at the intersection of brain sciences and biomedical ethics. Illes has authored an influential series on neuroethics and bioethics published by Elsevier Press, and has received numerous awards for her exceptional work and advocacy.

Dr. Renée Lyons is the Founding Bridgepoint Chair in Complex Chronic Disease Research (Emeritus) and former Scientific Director of the Bridgepoint Collaboratory for Research and Innovation at the Lunenfeld-Tannebaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, Toronto. She is also a Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto. Her career has focused on chronic disease, health systems improvement, and knowledge translation, securing over $25M in peer-reviewed grants as PI. At Dalhousie University, she held a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Health Promotion and directed the Atlantic Health Promotion Research Centre. Lyons has served on Industry Canada’s and Health Canada’s Science Advisory Boards and as Special Advisor to the CIHR President. She co-hosted a knowledge translation symposium with Oxford University and has advised several Canadian Networks of Centres of Excellence on KT development. Currently, she serves on the Board of the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation.

Dr. Louise Potvin is a Professor in the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Montreal. In 2001, she was selected for a prestigious CHSRF/CIHR Chair in Health Services Research in public health intervention, recognizing her exceptional research contributions. Her work investigates how community-based programs addressing social determinants of health can reduce health inequalities. Potvin has played a pivotal role in shaping Canadian policies aimed at addressing health inequalities, as well as developing strategies for knowledge translation in public health practice, collaborating extensively with the World Health Organization on evaluation research in health promotion.

Dr. Bram Ramjiawan is the Director of Research Innovation and Regulatory Affairs and the Director of Research at the Asper Clinical Research Institute at St. Boniface Hospital and Research Centre in Winnipeg. He oversees clinical research endeavors, ensuring compliance with national and international regulations, and contributes expertise through collaborations with industrial partners. Ramjiawan’s research focuses on developing precise detection methods and evaluating novel biomedical technologies. He previously served as an Industrial Technology Advisor at the National Research Council and is an adjunct professor of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of Manitoba.

Dr. Ingrid Sketris is a Professor of Pharmacy (post-retirement) at Dalhousie University and the former President of the Association of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada. Honored with fellowships from the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists, the American College of Clinical Pharmacy and the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology she held one of the 12 CHSRF/CIHR chairs in the Capacity for Applied Developmental Research and Evaluation in Health Services program. Her research examines approaches to increase the uptake of evidence-based drug therapies and evaluates the effectiveness of policy levers employed by pharmacare programs. Sketris has received the “best teacher” award three times for her exceptional teaching abilities.