Speakers
Dr. Ian Rongve, Assistant Deputy Minister, Health System Policy and Oversight Division, BC Ministry of Health
(Keynote speaker)
Dr. Ian Rongve was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister of the Health System Policy and Oversight Division on April 14, 2025. Since joining the Ministry of Health in 2016, he has held key leadership roles, including Assistant Deputy Minister for the Provincial, Hospital and Laboratory Health Services Division and the COVID Response and Health Emergency Management Division. Previously, Ian served as an Assistant Deputy
Minister at the Ministries of Education and Advanced Education, overseeing strategic initiatives and policy development.
Ian holds a Ph.D. in economics and spent eight years as an Assistant Professor at the University of Regina before transitioning to public service. His current work focuses on supporting British Columbia’s health system through innovation and sustainable service delivery.
Breaking Barriers: Improving Patient Access to New Medications in BC
Gail Attara, CEO, Gastrointestinal Society and the president of the Canadian Society of Intestinal Research (Moderator)
Gail has led the Canadian Society of Intestinal Research since 1996, guiding its growth from a small BC charity into a national organization advocating for people living with gastrointestinal and liver diseases, including obesity. As co-founder and now CEO of the GI Society, she champions patient-centred care and works to improve awareness, access to treatment, and support services for Canadians affected by GI conditions. With a background in public relations and fundraising, she regularly engages healthcare professionals, patients, and decision-makers across Canada to advance equitable access to care and medications.
Terry Lake, Former BC Minister of Health
Terry Lake, former B.C. Minister of Health (2013–2017), received the King Charles III Coronation Medal in recognition of his leadership in healthcare and education. Throughout his career, he has worked to strengthen Canada’s health system by expanding training opportunities for those entering the healthcare field. As former CEO of BCCPA, now retired, he has built strong partnerships with educational institutions to address workforce shortages in seniors’ care, helping improve access to essential health services for an aging population.
Cassandra Nieman, living with multiple sclerosis
Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 32, Cassandra experienced rapid vision loss until accessing a therapy that stabilized her disease and preserved her sight. After losing coverage, she became a patient advocate for equitable access to MS treatments. She now works to ensure patients can remain stable on effective therapies while improving access to newer, recommended treatments for those who need them.
Diane McIntosh, BSc Pharmacy, MD, FRCPC
psychiatrist, author, and educator
Dr. McIntosh obtained an undergraduate degree in pharmacy before completing her medical school training, two years of a pediatric residency and then an adult psychiatry residency.
A widely respected psychiatrist, author, educator, podcaster and patient advocate, Dr. McIntosh’s career-long focus has been to improve access to psychiatric care through education
and technology. In 2011, she co-founded SwitchRx, an online resource used by more than 100,000 healthcare professionals. In 2018, she founded PsychedUpCME to provide high-quality
psychopharmacology education focused on the confident, rational prescribing of psychiatric medications. In response to the inaccessibility of psychiatric care, in 2019 she founded RAPIDS, an innovative technology developed to support clinicians to optimize and personalize their psychiatric care, reducing suffering and improving patient outcomes. Dr. McIntosh has helmed three podcasts, including PsychedUp, a 2025 Amazon Hidden Gem. She’s published three books, including This is Depression and You Belong Here.
In 2025, she was honoured to receive the King Charles III Coronation Medal for service to Canadians for her psychiatric advocacy and education and the Alum of the Year Award from the
Dalhousie Medical Alumni Association. She is a senior advisor to British Columbia’s Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable Wendy Cocchia, supporting her scientific innovation pillar.
Rare Disease Realities: Challenges and Opportunities for Patients and Families
John Adams, Co-founder & past-President, Canadian PKU and Allied Disorders (Moderator)
John Adams is a seasoned management consultant and passionate patient advocate. He is co-founder and advocacy advisory of Canadian PKU and Allied Disorders after 17 years as its President. It works for people living with rare metabolic conditions. He served nine years as Chair of the national Best Medicines Coalition and continues as vice chair, which works for timely and equitable access to medically necessary drugs and other treatments for all Canadians. He serves on two Health Canada advisory committees: one on drugs for rare disorders and the other on drug shortages and supply chain resiliencies. He is a survivor of a coronary event and a rare cancer, living cancer-free at present.
As a Senior Fellow on health policy at the independent think tank known as the Macdonald Laurier Institute, he with others contributes to analysis and commentary on Canadian health issues, policies and system performance.
Charles Brown, Director of Government Affairs, Innovative Medicines Canada
Charles Brown is Director of Government Affairs at Innovative Medicines Canada, bringing more than 25 years of leadership experience across government relations, market access, pricing, and commercial strategy within the global life sciences sector.
Charles has held senior roles at Novartis and Gilead Sciences, where he led global pricing and market access initiatives, including oncology and rare disease portfolios. Charles is recognized for his ability to navigate complex health policy environments, build collaborative partnerships with government and stakeholders, and advance strategies that improve patient access to innovative medicines. He holds an MBA from Royal Roads University and a BA in Economics from Simon Fraser University and has published research on pharmaceutical pricing and access, presented at ISPOR, where his work received a Top 5% Research Award.
Dr. David Kendler, Medical Director, Prohealth Clinical Research
Dr. Kendler graduated from the MD program at the University of Toronto in 1977. After completing a rotating internship in Toronto, he practiced for several years in Canada, Botswana, and New Zealand. He returned to Internal Medicine training in 1983 in
Christchurch, New Zealand and in 1984 joined the Internal Medicine program in Halifax, Canada. In 1985 he moved to Vancouver to complete Internal Medicine and Endocrinology training at the University of British Columbia. After a 2-year thyroid immunology Fellowship in New York, he returned to the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine where he is now an emeritus Professor of Medicine in Endocrinology. He has led osteoporosis programs at Children and Women’s Hospital and St. Paul’s Hospital. He is the medical director of Prohealth Clinical Research, a major North American centre for osteoporosis clinical trials. He serves on the Scientific Advisory Council of Osteoporosis Canada. He is a Past-President of the International Society for Clinical Densitometry. He is a member of the Committee of Scientific Advisors of the International Osteoporosis Foundation and is co-Chair of the Western Osteoporosis Alliance. He has been awarded the John Bilezekian ISCD Global Leadership Award, Osteoporosis Canada Lindy Fraser award and the IOF President’s award. He has lectured extensively internationally on osteoporosis evaluation and management. He has published over 160 peer-reviewed papers on osteoporosis therapies, osteoporosis risk assessment and autoimmune thyroid disease.
David Fowler, living with transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR)
David and his wife, Swee Lin, are retired and living in Kelowna. David will share his journey with being diagnosed with a rare heart disease (Transthyretin Amyloidosis) in 2023. David would also like to engage the audience in a discussion on Canada’s approval of new drugs.
Maximizing Impact: Vaccines as a Cornerstone for Public Health and Fiscal Sustainability
Antonella Scali CEO, Psoriasis Canada (Moderator)
Antonella Scali is a seasoned leader in the nonprofit sector, specializing in health policy, community engagement, and coalition-building. As the Chief Executive Officer of Psoriasis Canada, she focuses on raising awareness about psoriatic disease, enhancing care, and fostering community support.
With a background as a registered social worker, Antonella has experience in crisis counseling, community engagement, and mental health policy analysis. This informs her collaborative
leadership style and her dedication to supporting individuals with psoriatic disease. Her personal experiences as a family caregiver and community volunteer further motivate her commitment to improving health and social care.
Alison Pozzobon, Vice President of Government Affairs, Market Access & Communications, GSK
Alison Pozzobon was appointed to the role of Vice-President, Communications, Government Affairs and Market Access in January 2025, bringing more than 20 years of industry experience and over 14 years of progressive leadership at GSK. As a highly respected member of GSK Canada’s Leadership Team, Alison plays a pivotal role in shaping the organization’s governance, strategic direction, and culture.
In her current position, Alison oversees corporate communications, linguistics, government affairs, patient advocacy, pricing and market access functions, with a focus on
making a meaningful impact for the health of Canadians. She also supports community well-being by championing GSK’s philanthropic strategy.
Alison holds an Honours BA in Political Science and Communications from Wilfrid Laurier University (Waterloo, Ontario) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Corporate Communications from Seneca College (Toronto, Ontario).
Theresa Tang, Co-founder & CEO, Praxus Health
Theresa Tang is the co-founder and CEO of Praxus Health (formerly 19 To Zero) a national not for profit focused on empowering communities towards safer health behaviours. She is the co-chair and co-founder of the Canadian Immunocompromised Advocacy Network.
Her previous roles included supporting the launch of Alberta’s first Primary Care Integration Network at Alberta Health Services and Alberta Medical Association’s first portfolio of population health projects. She was also part of the founding team invited to build the Institute for Better Health at Trillium Health Partners in Mississauga and was part of the initial team that launched the McMaster Health Forum in Hamilton, Ontario. Theresa has worked at the University Health Network in Toronto, the World Health Organization in Switzerland, and supported evidence-informed policymaking in Australia.
She is a passionate health leader who believes in building emerging leaders to pursue an understanding of unmet needs in their communities, consider the future, and engage in activities to foster innovative and sustainable solutions to social and health challenges. She was the Curator for Global Shapers, an initiative of the World Economic Forum and Co-Chair for Emerging Health Leaders in Calgary.
Dr. Jia Hu, 'Interim medical director, immunization programs and vaccine preventable disease services, BC Centre for Disease Contro
Dr. Hu is the interim medical director of immunization programs and vaccine preventable disease service at BC Centre for Disease Control and a Clinical Assistant Professor at UBC. In this role, he helps oversee BC’s publicly funded immunization program, including procurement, guidelines, eligibility, policy, and more. He is also a medical lead within BCCDC’s Prevention and Health Promotion Team, where he works on topics including social determinants of health and cancer prevention.
Dr. Hu completed his medical training at the University of Alberta. He completed residency training in family medicine and public health and preventive medicine at the University of Toronto, during which time he completed a Masters of Science in Health Policy, Planning, and Finance at the London School of Economics and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He has previously worked in management consulting, as a medical health officer, and in the health not-for-profit sector.
Strengthening Resilience: Overcoming Implementation Barriers for Innovative Therapies
Graham Statt -Chief Administrative Officer, District of Summerland, BC & former ADM, Pharmaceutical and Supplementary Benefits Division, Alberta Health
Graham currently serves as Chief Administrative Officer for the District of Summerland, bringing extensive public sector leadership experience from the Government of Alberta, where he served as Assistant Deputy Minister across several ministries. In Health, he oversaw major operational portfolios including the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan and physician payments, and negotiated a $3.5B pharmacy compensation framework supporting sustainable access to medications. His career has included leadership roles in environment, parks, and emergency response, including serving as Alberta’s Incident Commander during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through his work in public policy, health system governance, and crisis management, he has helped shape programs that support sustainable public services and access to care.
Hélène Lalonde, living with multiple myeloma
Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2012 after a prolonged and challenging path to diagnosis, Hélène experienced significant delays despite ongoing symptoms—highlighting the importance of early detection and awareness. Following radiation and an unsuccessful stem cell transplant, she later gained access to a Phase III clinical trial, where treatment with daratumumab-based therapy led to sustained positive outcomes. Through her experience, she underscores the critical role of timely diagnosis, access to innovative therapies, and clinical trials in improving patient outcomes, while drawing strength from a strong network of family support.
Matthew Sebastiani, living with inflammatory bowel disease
Matthew Sebastiani is an experienced policy analyst and community leader with a diverse background spanning government, financial services, and life sciences. He currently serves as a Senior Analyst at the Bank of Canada, and previously worked in a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company and as a policy advisor to the Deputy Leader in the Senate of Canada. A dedicated volunteer, Matthew serves on several non-profit and professional boards.
Diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) at 18 years old, Matthew has been actively involved with Crohn’s and Colitis Canada in various capacities fundraising for a cure and advocating for patients. He is currently Past President of the Vancouver Chapter, after serving seven years as President. He has also chaired/co-chaired Vancouver’s Gutsy Walk since 2017, volunteered three years on the National Volunteer Advisory Committee, and has helped to expand the charity’s GoHere Washroom Access program. In 2021, he was honoured to receive Crohn’s and Colitis Canada’s National Unsung Hero Award.
He holds an MBA in Finance from UBC’s Sauder School of Business and a BA (Honours) in Economics from SFU.
Jennifer Lyle, CEO, Alzheimer Society of BC and Yukon
Jennifer Lyle is the Chief Executive Officer of the Alzheimer Society of BC and Yukon. Prior to joining the
Alzheimer Society of BC and Yukon, she was the founding CEO of BC’s continuing care workplace safety association, SafeCare BC. Jen has also previously worked in a dual role as a health-care practitioner and the Director of Operations for a Burnaby-based rehabilitation organization and has collaborated on research looking at the impact of design on people living with dementia. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Simon Fraser University and a Master of Health Administration from the University of British Columbia.