11th Annual Charbonneau Research Symposium
The Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute Annual Research Symposium brings together trainees, staff, principle investigators and clinicians affiliated with the institute for a day of presentations and discussions around the diverse range of cancer research carried out within Charbonneau. This diversity in cancer research includes biomedical, clinical, health services, and social, cultural environmental and population health research. Each year we invite an external keynote speaker who is an internationally recognized leader in one or more of these areas to present their cutting-edge research and join in with discussions throughout the day. Additional oral presenters are chosen to introduce our newest recruited faculty members, highlight established Charbonneau investigators that have made outstanding contributions to cancer research, and give opportunities for our senior trainees to share their exciting research results.
Program Schedule
Friday, May 15, 2026 | Arthur Child Auditorium & Azrieli (HRIC) Atrium
8:30 am - 9:00 am
- Research Day Check-In outside the Arthur Child Auditorium (YC021161)
9:00 am - 9:05 am
- Welcome address from Dr. Jennifer Chan, Director of the Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute
Arthur Child Auditorium
Session Chair: Dr. Jongbok Lee
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9:05 am - 9:30 am
- Dr. Brian Kelly, Professor, Department of Oncology
Title: Cancer, Mental Illness, and Inequity: A Research Perspective
9:30 am - 9:55 am
- Dr. Augusto Andrade, Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Title: Exploiting the challenging tumor microenvironment of pediatric brain tumors for therapeutic development
9:55 am - 10:10 am
- Amy Banks, PhD Candidate supervised by Dr. Ana Nikolic
Title: Spatial and temporal evolution of a gene fusion driven pediatric brain tumour.
Azrieli (HRIC) Atrium
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10:30 am - 12:00 pm
- Trainee Poster Session in Azrieli (HRIC) Atrium
12:00 pm - 12:50 pm
- Conference Lunch in Azrieli (HRIC) Atrium (**Must have lunch ticket to attend**)
Arthur Child Auditorium
Session Chair: Dr. Pinaki Bose
—
1:15 pm - 2:15 pm
- KEYNOTE LECTURE: Dr. Rayjean Hung, Associate Director of Population Health, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, and Professor, Division of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Title: From Cancer Omics Discovery to Population Health
2:15 pm - 2:30 pm
- Dr. Nebojša Oravec, Medical Resident supervised by Dr. Alison Laws
Title: Nodal burden among women with early-stage lobular breast cancer
2:30 pm - 2:40 pm
- Celebrating the successes of our trainees, presented by Dr. Jennifer Chan
2:40 pm - 2:55 pm
- Break
Arthur Child Auditorium
Session Chair: Dr. Ioana Nicolau
—
3:00 pm - 3:25 pm
- Dr. Etienne Mahe, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Title: Next Generation Cytogenomics: Bringing Optical Genome Mapping to Alberta
3:25 pm - 3:40 pm
- Colby Regel, Intermediate Data Management Specialist supervised by Dr. Alain Tremblay
Title: Lung Cancer Screening for High-Risk Individuals in Alberta
3:40 pm - 3:55 pm
- Shannon Snelling, PhD Candidate supervised by Dr. Jennifer Chan
Title: CAR‑macrophages drive CD8⁺ T cell–dependent control of glioblastoma and synergize with temozolomide and checkpoint blockade
4:00 pm - 4:15 pm
- Announcement of winners of poster and oral presentation
- Closing remarks
Keynote & Talks
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Rayjean Hung
Dr. Rayjean Hung is the Associate Director of Population Health and a Senior Investigator at Sinai Health’s Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute (LTRI), Head of the Prosserman Centre for Population Health, and holds the Canada Research Chair in Integrative Molecular Epidemiology. Dr. Hung is an internationally recognized leader in cancer epidemiology, focusing on etiology, prevention, and early detection. Her work covers the spectrum from omics discovery and predictive models to implementation, with emphasis on diverse populations.
Faculty and Trainee Speakers
Dr. Augusto Andrade
Faculty Speaker
Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Dr. Etienne Mahe
Faculty Speaker
Associate Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Amy Banks
Trainee Speaker
PhD Candidate supervised by Dr. Ana Nikolic
Dr. Nebojša Oravec
Trainee Speaker
Medical Resident supervised by Dr. Alison Laws
Colby Regel
Trainee Speaker
Intermediate Data Management Specialist supervised by Dr. Alain Tremblay
Shannon Snelling
Trainee Speaker
PhD Candidate supervised by Dr. Jennifer Chan and Dr. Douglas Mahoney
- 1st Annual Charbonneau Research Symposium | January 30, 2015 | Download program
- 2nd Annual Charbonneau Research Symposium | February 5, 2016 | Download program
- 3rd Annual Charbonneau Research Symposium | January 30, 2017 | Download program
- 4th Annual Charbonneau Research Symposium | February 2, 2018 | Download program
- 5th Annual Charbonneau Research Symposium | February 11, 2019 | Download program
- 6th Annual Charbonneau Research Symposium | February 10, 2020 | Download program
- 7th Annual Charbonneau Research Symposium | May 27, 2022 | Download program
- 8th Annual Charbonneau Research Symposium | April 28, 2023 | Download program
- 9th Annual Charbonneau Research Symposium | May 10, 2024 | Download program
- 10th Annual Charbonneau Research Symposium | May 9, 2025 | Download program
