Our 8th Annual Access to Innovation conference is a full day event that brings together life sciences leaders from academia, research, health institutions, government, and industry to discuss emerging trends, innovation, economic impact, translational science, and policies to advance the sector. This year’s event will resume in person.

The BC life sciences sector has never been stronger, leading the country in the pace of discovery and company creation. By leveraging our world-class research, we are well-positioned to deliver innovative product solutions and services critical to the health system while driving economic diversification and competitiveness.

As leaders, we need to seize the opportunity to significantly advance the sector and ensure that BC builds on the extraordinary momentum of the last few years by working together to develop policies and strategies that attract capital and talent and enable scale. The time for sustained collaborative action – between industry, research and academia, and government – is now.

Please join us as we dive into the most pressing issues facing the BC life sciences sector.

Confirmed Speakers:

Paul Armitage, Partner, Gowling WLG
Dr. Julia Bickford, Regional Director, Research Evaluation and Analytics, Northern Health
Dr. Michael Chen, Clinical Pathologist, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Island Health; Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of British Columbia & University of Victoria
Abi Coman-Walker, COO, Acuitas Therapeutics
Stephen Filby, Founder & Principal Consultant, WestPAR Consultancy
Dr. David Goodlett, Professor, University of Victoria; Director, University of Victoria-Genome BC Proteomics Centre
Dr. Fraser Hof, AVP Research, University of Victoria
Dr. Diana Ionescu, Clinical Professor, University of British Columbia; Consultant Pathologist, BC Cancer Agency
Dr. Tim Jacobs, Director, Molecular Design & Engineering, AbCellera
Dr. Shirin Kalyan, VP, Scientific Innovation, Qu Biologics
Dr. Barb Kinnaird, CEO, Response Biomedical
Dr. Véronique Lecault, COO, AbCellera
Jennifer Marles, Partner, Oyen Wiggs
Dr. Robert McMaster, Vice Dean, Research & Professor, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia
Nathan Michaels, Director, Precision Medicine and Genetic Services, Ministry of Health
Alison Orth, Director, Clinical Trials BC, Michael Smith Health Research BC
Dr. Federica Di Palma, CSO & VP, Research and Innovation, Genome BC
Eric Petersson, Trade Commissioner, Pacific Regional Office, Global Affairs Canada
Darcia Pope, Chief Transformation Officer & Vice President, Innovation & Planetary Health, Vancouver Coastal Health
Andrea Sambati, President and CEO, Boehringer Ingelheim Canada
Angie Schick, Executive Director, New Ventures BC
Helen Sheridan, Chief Human Resources Officer, STEMCELL Technologies
Dr. Cynthia Shippam, Industry Technology Advisor, National Research Council Canada – IRAP
Dr. Ted Steiner, Professor, Medicine & Head of the Division of Infectious Diseases, University of British Columbia
Dr. Gavin C.E. Stuart, Professor, Department Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of British Columbia
James Taylor, General Manager, Genomics Medicine, Cytiva
Dr. Ali Tehrani, Venture Partner, Amplitude Ventures
Dr. Bryan Tennant, Scientific Director, Medical Affairs – Vaccines, GSK
Carlene Todd, VP Access, Roche
Laura Walsh, Senior Vice President, Philanthropy, VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation
Dr. Stephen Yip, Neuropathologist, Vancouver General Hospital; Medical Director of CGL/CCG, BC Cancer
Confirmed Session Themes:

A Vision for Clinical Trials in British Columbia
Evolving Access to Innovations in Precision Medicine
Immuno-engineering: From Genomics to Therapeutics
Innovations in Infection and Immunity
Licensing and Collaboration Agreements in the Life Sciences Sector
Navigating Government Support of IP Strategies