Guest Speaker

Joy Abbas RN
Nurse Navigator GI and Colorectal Cancers
De Souza Certification-Patient Navigation
Scarborough Health Network
Joy Abbas is a registered nurse with a career spanning over three decades. Beginning her nursing journey in 1986, she has developed extensive patient care and management expertise. With a deep passion for endoscopy—its intricacies and impact—she remains committed to advancing patient support and care. When the opportunity arose to become a Patient GI Navigator, she eagerly accepted, recognizing the critical need for enhanced patient advocacy.
As part of a newly established program within Scarborough Health Network (SHN), covering all three sites, Joy has been instrumental in building, implementing, and improving the patient experience since its launch in late September. Previously, many patients left the endoscopy suites uncertain about their next steps. Now, as their dedicated advocate, she ensures they receive the guidance and support they need—a role she finds incredibly fulfilling.
Beyond her professional life, Joy is deeply devoted to her family. Married for 34 years, she is a proud mother of four. She finds personal joy in baking, gardening, and antique collecting. Her dedication to patient care is further driven by her family’s strong history of colon cancer, having recently lost her 34-year-old nephew to the disease. This personal connection fuels her unwavering commitment to supporting patients, their families, and their loved ones through challenging times.

Winson Y Cheung MD MPH FRCPC
Professor, Departments of Medicine and Oncology
University of Calgary
Director, Oncology Outcomes (O2) Program
Charbonneau Cancer Institute
Dr. Winson Y. Cheung, MD, MPH, is a senior medical oncologist and real-world data scientist with over 15 years of cancer research experience. He is currently a Full Professor in the Departments of Oncology, Medicine, and Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary, where he is also the Provincial Director and Chair of the Health Services Research and Real-World Evidence (RWE) Generation Program. Dr. Cheung’s main research interests are health outcomes research and RWE generation across all cancer types, including solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. He has cultivated strong and effective partnerships with the public and private sectors. He is the Principal Director of the Oncology Outcomes (O2) Program, which focuses on enriching data sources and leveraging new technologies to facilitate “fit-for-purpose” cancer RWE generation in North America. His track record consists of over 100 invited presentations and over 300 peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts in the RWE space as well as more than $20M in competitive research grant funding. He acts as the chief sounding board for projects using cancer data and often serves as the preferred point of first contact for oncology RWE queries in Canada.

Joseph C. Del Paggio MD FRCPC
Associate Professor
NOSM University
Departmental Chief of Oncology
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre
Dr. Joseph C. Del Paggio is the Chief of the Department of Oncology at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. He completed his Medical Oncology training at the University of Toronto. He is an Associate Professor at NOSM University and serves as the undergraduate co-Chair for the Committee to Support Student Professionalism. His primary treatment focus is on patients with genitourinary, gastrointestinal, head and neck, and central nervous system malignancies.

Alexandra Gangi MD
Associate Professor of Surgery
Director, Gastrointestinal Tumor Program
Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery
Cedars-Sinai
Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Center
Dr. Gangi is an Associate Professor of Surgery and the Director of the Gastrointestinal Tumor Program and Cancer Regional Therapies Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. Board-certified in General Surgery and Complex General Surgical Oncology, she also serves as the Program Director for the Complex General Surgical Oncology Fellowship Program.
Her clinical and research expertise focuses on the management of complex gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary malignancies, with a particular emphasis on gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) and metastatic colorectal cancer. Dr. Gangi is currently a co-investigator on two NIH-funded studies: one exploring the implementation of innovative methylated ctDNA technology and another examining the “determinants of liver metastasis” in colon, pancreatic, and prostate cancer. She has also secured Department of Defense (DoD) funding to investigate chemotherapy-induced liver injury in mouse models. Dr. Gangi has authored over 90 peer-reviewed publications and multiple book chapters related to her research. Additionally, she is actively studying the heterogeneity of primary and metastatic GEP-NETs to enhance prognostication and inform therapeutic decision-making.

Robert Grant MD PhD FRCPC
Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
University Health Network
Hold’em for Life Professor in Cancer Research
Associate Member, Institute of Medical Science, School of Graduate Studies, University of
Toronto
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine
Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Adjunct Scientist, ICES
Associate, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research
Robert Grant is an MD/PhD Clinician Investigator at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre specializing in the treatment of biliary and pancreatic cancer, who is also affiliated with the Institute for Medical Science at the University of Toronto, ICES, and the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research. His research focuses on applying artificial intelligence to clinical and genomic data to improve outcomes for people with cancer. He is currently the Principal Investigator of AIM2REDUCE and Co-Leads the Legresley Biliary Registry and the PanCuRx Translational Research Initiative.

Zameera Jaclyn Sayed RN BN BSc
Patient Navigator
Colorectal Cancer Diagnostic Assessment Program
& Anal Squamous Cell Canal Cancer Navigation Program
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Zameera received her B.Sc from the University of Toronto in Human Biology and Sociology and her Bachelor of Nursing from Humber (University of New Brunswick). Since 2013, she has worked at Sunnybrook’s Odette Cancer Centre in the ambulatory Oncology clinics with multiple sites and the nurse-led injection clinic.
In 2017, she started working with the Lung and Colorectal Diagnostic Assessment Programs as a Nurse Navigator. She has been in her permanent role with the Colorectal DAP since 2023, with the recent addition of the Anal Squamous Cell Canal Cancer Navigation Program to the DAP roster. She is also currently the Chair for the Odette Nursing Practice Council.

Ravi Ramjeesingh MD Ph.D. FRCPC
Medical Oncologist & Assistant Professor
Chair of the HPB Cancer Disease Site Group Halifax
Medical Director of ACCRU and Interim Medical Director of ACTN Oncology
Division of Medical Oncology and Department of Community Health and Epidemiology
Nova Scotia Cancer Centre & Dalhousie University
Dr. Ramjeesingh holds an MD and PhD from the University of Toronto and completed residency training in internal medicine and medical oncology through Queen’s University. He then undertook a two-year clinical trial methodology and translational research fellowship with the NCIC Clinical Trials Group at Queen’s. His work focused on the appropriate timing of administration of adjuvant chemotherapy to patients with breast cancer.
Clinical and research interests
Dr. Ramjeesingh focuses his clinical practice on treatment of breast cancer, gastrointestinal cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma, pancreatic and cholangiocarcinomas, and melanoma. His primary research interests include translational and health services research, and oncology education of residents and medical students.

Sarah Temple MD FRCSC
Chief of Surgery
Surgical Oncology and General Surgery
Southlake Regional Health Centre
Dr. Temple earned her undergraduate degree from Memorial University in Newfoundland before attending medical school at the University of Toronto, where she graduated in 2008. She completed her residency in General Surgery and a General Surgical Oncology Fellowship at the University of Toronto.
In 2017, Dr. Temple joined Southlake as a full-time Surgical Oncologist and General Surgeon. She was appointed Chief of Surgery in July 2021 and became Chair of the Physician’s Council in June 2023.
Her main clinical interests include the surgical treatment of melanoma, breast cancer, and gastrointestinal cancers.

Prof. Dr. med. Arndt Vogel
Clinician Scientist, full professor
Longo Family Chair in Liver Cancer Research
Toronto General Hospital
Princess Margarete Cancer Center
Prof. Vogel is a clinician scientist at the rank of a full professor at the University of Toronto, Canada. He is appointed as the Longo Family Chair in Liver Cancer Research and is leading a multi-pronged research program in basic and clinical science at the Toronto General Hospital and the Princess Margarete Cancer Center. Before joining UNH, he worked as senior consultant at Hannover Medical School for more than 20 years and still holds a research position there.
Prof. Vogel’s scientific focus is the translational and clinical research in gastrointestinal cancer. Since 2004, he is leading a translational research group interested in the pathogenesis of hepatobiliary cancers and in precision medicine. Arndt Vogel is a clinical investigator in oncology since 2006 and has served as principal investigator on numerous clinical trials. He is author or co-author of more than 330 articles published in peer-reviewed journals including Lancet, Lancet Oncology, Cancer Cell, and Gastroenterology among others.
Prof. Vogel is member of societies including ESMO, ASCO, and EASL. He is member and chairman of Hepatobiliary Cancer Study Group of the AIO, a collaborative group in clinical oncology in Germany. Within ESMO, he is member of the ESMO Guidelines Steering Committee. He has responsibilities in the establishment of the national guideline and is the coordinator of the ESMO clinical practice guideline on the management of hepatocellular carcinoma and biliary tract cancer.
Planning Committee
Usmaan Hameed MD FRCSC
Chair, Planning Committee 2025
Surgical Oncology and Minimally Invasive Surgery
North York General Hospital
Lecturer, Department of Surgery, Division of General Surgery
Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Charles Cho MSc MD FRCPC
Radiation Oncologist
Southlake Regional Cancer Centre
Professor, Department of Radiology
Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Suneil Khanna MD FRCPC
Medical Oncologist
Mackenzie Health
Lecturer, Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology
Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Christina Kim RN(EC), MN
Nurse Practitioner
Odette Cancer Centre- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Paul Lau M.D, FRCPC
Medical Oncologist
Division Head Hematology and Oncology
Scarborough Health Network
Adjunt Lecturer, Department of Medicine
Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Mark Pasetka BSc BScPharm PharmD CES RPh
Oncology Pharmacy Clinical Practice Lead
Odette Cancer Centre – Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Pharmacy Residency Coordinator (Year I)
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Adjunct Assistant Professor
University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy
Sheron Perera MD PhD FRCPC
Staff Medical Oncologist, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology
Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Melanie Tsang MD MSc FRCSC (she/her)
Hepatobiliary, Pancreatic and General Surgical Oncology
St. Joseph’s Health Centre, Unity Health Toronto
Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, Division of General Surgery
Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Elaine Yeung MD FRCPC
Gastroenterologist
Lecturer, University of Toronto
Chief of Staff, Scarborough Health Network