ISSUE NO. 21 | JANUARY 2023 THE DIVISION OF MEDICAL ONCOLOGY & HEMATOLOGY
NEWSLETTER
MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF
Welcome to Our New Staff
Greetings members of the Divi-
sion of Medical Oncology and
Hematology. Dr. Lucy Ma joined DMOH as a Medical Oncologist and
Clinician Investigator with a focus on the Gastrointes-
Happy New Year! I would like
to welcome you to our January tinal and Neuroendocrine Disease Sites at the Princess
2023 issue! I am pleased to high- Margaret Cancer Centre. Prior to this she completed a
light our many milestones and Clinical Research Fellowship in Medical Oncology at the
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and her postgrad-
achievements in the past month.
In the next few pages, you will uate Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology residency
read about: training at the University of Toronto. She is completing
a Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology and Health
• New staff & fellows Care Research at the Institute of Health Policy, Manage-
ment and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. In her
• Outstanding awards & spare time, Dr. Ma enjoys running, Barry's Bootcamp,
accomplishments and spending time with friends and family.
• Notable publications
• Staff shout outs
Dr. Vikaash Kumar joined DMOH as a Medical Oncol-
• Staff spotlights ogist and Clinician Teacher with a focus on the Breast
and Genitourinary Disease Sites at Princess Margaret
• Upcoming events Cancer Centre. Prior to this he was a part-time staff in
Please feel free to share this the Medical Oncology Program at Princess Margaret
newsletter with colleagues. We Cancer Centre. Dr. Kumar completed a Breast Oncology
also welcome your feedback, Fellowship at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and
content, and suggestions for completed his Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology
future issues. Residency at McMaster University. He also completed
a Masters of Clinical Epidemiology at the University of
Happy reading, Toronto. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with
wife and two children, martial arts, and playing squash.
Amit Oza
Dr. Warren Fingrut joined DMOH as a locum Malig-
nant Hematologist at the Princess Margaret Cancer
Centre. Prior to this he completed a Fellowship in
Adult Bone Marrow Transplantation at Memorial Sloan
Kettering Cancer Center and a Hematology Fellowship
at University of British Columbia. He completed his
Internal Medicine Residency training at the University of
Toronto and is currently completing a Masters of Public
Health in Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School
of Public Health. Dr. Fingrut is also the Founder and
Director of Stem Cell Club (stemcellclub.ca), a non-profit
organization with chapters across Canada that works to
address racial disparity in access to volunteer unrelated stem cell donors. Since
he founded the organization in 2011, Stem Cell Club has recruited over 20,000
Canadians as potential stem cell donors (>50% male and >50% non-Caucasian).
Dr. Fingrut’s interests include health equity and addressing healthcare disparities.
DMOH Newsletter PAGE 1
WELCOME TO OUR NEW STAFF
Welcome to Our New Staff
Dr. Shivani Dadwal joined
DMOH as a part time Clinical
Associate in the Medical Oncology
Program at the Princess Margaret
Cancer Centre. She currently has See a Pharmacist:
a full time Associate staff appoint-
ment as a Medical Oncologist at 13 Conditions You Can
Markham Stouffville Hospital, Oak Have Treated at an
Valley Health. Prior to this she
completed her Internal Medicine Ontario Pharmacy in 2023
and Medical Oncology residency
training at McMaster University. She then completed a
Medical Oncology GI oncology clinical and research fellow-
ship at Juravinski Cancer Center under the supervision of
Dr. Bindi Dhesy. She is presently completing, a Master of Effective January 1, 2023, pharmacies can
Health Professions Education at Maastricht University. Her prescribe medication for these conditions:
academic interests include Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Allergic rhinitis, Candidal stomatitis (oral
wellness, teaching, and curricular design. thrush), Conjunctivitis (bacterial, allergic and
viral), Dermatitis (atopic, eczema, allergic
and contact), Dysmenorrhea, Gastroesopha-
geal reflux disease, Hemorrhoids, Herpes
Lenia Ardalan joined DMOH labialis (cold sores), Impetigo, Insect bites
as an Administrative Assistant to and urticaria (hives), Tick bites, post-exposure
Dr. Vikas Gupta at the Princess prophylaxis to prevent Lyme disease, Muscu-
Margaret Cancer Centre. Prior to loskeletal sprains and strains and Urinary
this, she worked on the Malignant tract infections. For details click here.
Hematology in-patient units as a
Ward Clerk. Lenia graduated from
Toronto Metropolitan University
(Ryerson University) and has a
Bachelor of Science in Biological
Sciences. Her interests include
theater shows, reading about the human body, and doing
hot yoga after a long day at work.
Jessica Danquah has accepted
the position of Physician Assis-
tant (PA) Co-Lead at UHN effective
December 1, 2022. Jess is an Acute
Care Oncology Physician Assis-
tant, working in DMOH at Princess
Margaret Cancer Centre, since
2013. She was appointed as the
Interim PA Co-Lead in April 2022.
She has a keen interest in patient,
caregiver and provider well-being
and sits as part of the DMOH Wellness Committee and Prin-
cess Margaret Caregiver Advisory Committee. She will be
working alongside Dr. Richard Tsang to provide oversight
and support for the Physician Assistants across UHN. Jess
will play a critical role in the development of organizational
structure and policy related to PAs toward the delivery of
timely, high quality and safe patient care, and the fostering
of collaborative professional relationships in the interpro-
fessional environment.
DMOH Newsletter | January 2023 PAGE 2
WELCOME TO OUR NEW FELLOWS
Welcome to Our New Fellows
Dr. Sheeraz Ali joined DMOH as Dr. Marie-Philippe Saltiel
an Acute Oncology fellow. Prior to joined DMOH as a gastrointes-
this he was working as an Oncolo- tinal medical oncology fellow,
gist in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. Dr. Ali working mainly with Dr. Elimova
was born in a family with a rich and Dr. Jang. She completed a
educational background in one MD and Internal Medicine at
of the most politically rich cities of McGill University, and just finished
Pakistan. He has completed fellow- her residency in oncology at the
ships in Medicine and Medical University of Toronto. She is also
Oncology from the College of doing a Master's in Health Profes-
physicians and Surgeons in Paki- sions Education from Western and
stan. He was the best table tennis player while in college, Maastricht University. She is originally from Montreal, and
and is crazy about cricket and Arabic cuisines. He is very will return there to work at the CHUM. She has a son who is
excited for his fellowship at the University of Toronto, as this almost 2 years old, and loves hiking and cooking.
is a dream he has been chasing since he graduated.
Dr. Tomohiro Aoki joined Dr. Pamella Paul joined DMOH
DMOH as a Clinical Research as a clinical fellow in the Cellular
Fellow in Lymphoma at the Prin- Therapy Program. She grew up in
cess Margaret Cancer Centre. He Sao Paulo, Brazil. She graduated
grew up in a beautiful small town, from the University of Campinas in
Niigata, which is famous for Sake Brazil in 2009 and completed her
(rice wine) and Seafoods in Japan. post graduate training in Internal
He trained in Hematology and Medicine and Hematology in 2012
Oncology in Tokyo and Nagoya in the same University. In 2019 she
in Japan. He obtained a PhD at moved to Switzerland, where she
Nagoya University in 2017, and lived and worked as a hematolo-
moved to Vancouver where he learned cutting-edge transla- gist until September 2022.
tional research skills and he is very thrilled to join the team.
His interests include baseball, travel and outdoor activities
(e.g. camping, ski, scuba diving).
Our Condolences
Dr. Yomna Eissa joined DMOH as
an Allogeneic Bone Marrow Trans-
plantation fellow. Dr. Eissa gradu- It is with a very heavy
ated from the Faculty of Medicine heart that we share with
at Cairo University in January 2012 you the sad news that
and subsequently completed her Deborah Denis passed
Internal Medicine and Hematology away in December.
Residency Training at Cairo Univer- Deborah worked at
sity Hospitals, before deciding PM since 2014 as an
to move to North America. Her Administrative Assistant
passion is Acute Leukemia and in DMOH, supporting
Bone Marrow Transplant and this has shaped her pursuit physicians and most
in medicine around the world. She trained in multiple trans- recently the BMT-IEC
plant centers including Fred Hutch in Seattle and Vancouver team. Deborah always wore a smile on her face,
General Hospital in BC. Subsequently, she became a Locum was warm and welcoming to everyone and was
Assistant Professor of Hematology at Dalhousie University an avid dog lover. She will be forever missed by
for 1 year. Knowing that Princess Margaret Cancer Centre is friends, family and colleagues. We extend our
one of the top Cancer Centers in North America and world- condolences and sympathy to Deborah’s family
wide, she wanted to further pursue her passion for HSCT and friends.
here and is very excited to be joining the exceptional Allo-
BMT Program as a Fellow. Can’t wait to do great things with
this excellent team!
DMOH Newsletter | January 2023 PAGE 3
STAFF ACHIEVEMENTS
Congratulations to Dr.
Michelle Nadler for
receiving the UHN/Mount
Sinai Hospital Academic
Medical Oncology grant!
This grant is given to
support innovative proj- Congratulations to Dr. Elena
ects and enable academic Elimova for her CIHR Faces of
physicians to develop Health Research Profile!
programs and evaluate
novel strategies to trans- Publicized earlier this, the
form health care delivery in Canadian Institutes of Health
Ontario. Specifically, Dr. Nadler’s project focuses on Research (CIHR) announced
implementing guideline-concordant care for breast the recipients of the Clinical
cancer screening for women ages 40-49 in Ontario. Trials Fund. The Canadian
Cancer Trials Group (CCTG)
with study lead Dr. Elena
Elimova at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre were
granted $3,744,953 over 3 years to fund the CCTG GA4
study in HER2 overexpressing advanced gastroesopha-
geal adenocarcinoma. Read more here.
Congratulations to Dr. Pavlina
Spiliopoulou for receiving the
following:
The grant Hold'em for Life
Oncology fellowship 2022 for the
project "Immune Response to
COVID-19 Vaccine in immuno-
Dr. Armin Gerbitz played the Cello for a produc- therapy (IO) and non-IO Treated
tion called Music in the Atrium at the University Cancer Patients (VIVACIOUS)".
Health Network in December 2022.
The 2022 Douglas Wright Melanoma Award for the project
"SENTINEL: USing a mEthylome/fragmeNTomE signature to
INtercept Early-stage meLanoma with Immunotherapy".
After a long battle with leukemia and then prostate cancer, Mohamed Ali, an Environmental
Services aid at Toronto General Hospital for more than 20 years, died in 2021. Dr. Natasha
Leighl helped plan a Mohamed Ali Memorial Award grant in Mohamad’s final days. It is UHN
Foundation's first grant in support of the educational and professional development of Environ-
mental Services and Transportation staff. "There are lots of recognition awards for physicians,
for nurses, or students and other groups, but not really for the Support Services team," says Dr.
Leighl. "They are rarely in the forefront for recognition, but the work that they do is critical. To read
the full story click here.
DMOH Newsletter | January 2023 PAGE 4
STAFF ACHIEVEMENTS
We were delighted to see the late Dr. Hans
Congratulations to Dr. Philippe Bedard, a co-winner Messner receive UHN’s 2022 Global Impact
of the Pfizer Canada and Rethink Breast Cancer grant. Award. Dr. Messner was the founding father
He and Dr. Aisha Lofters, of Women’s College Hospital, of allogeneic transplantation at the PM,
have earned recognition and grant funding for their performing the first bone marrow transplant
innovative work to address unmet needs in the meta- in 1976. Over a career spanning more than
static breast cancer community. Read about it here in 40 years at the cancer centre, he served as
the Toronto Star. Director of the Orsino Cell Therapy Laboratory
and the Director of the Allogenic Transplant
Program, which now bears his name. Read
more about it here.
Notable Research Publications
Congratulations to Mitchell Elliot, PGY4 Medical Oncology Congratulations to Mitchell Elliot and Dr. Eitan Amir for
Resident and Dr. David Cescon for their papers: their paper “Prioritising access to cancer drugs” published
in The Lancet Oncology.
Current Treatment and Future Trends of Immuno-
therapy in Breast Cancer published in Current Cancer
Drug Targets.
The spindle assembly checkpoint is a therapeutic
vulnerability of CDK4/6 inhibitor–resistant ER+ breast
cancer with mitotic aberrations published in Science
Advances.
Congratulations to Drs. Cha Len Lee (first author) and
Jennifer Knox for their paper “Germline BRCA2 variants in
advanced pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma: A case report
and review of literature” published in the World Journal of
Gastroenterology.
DMOH Newsletter | January 2023 PAGE 5
STAFF ACHIEVEMENTS
Notable Research Publications
Congratulations to Drs. Sofia Genta, David Cescon,
and Anna Spreafico for their paper “Frontiers | Patient-
derived cancer models: Valuable platforms for anticancer
drug testing” published in Frontiers in Oncology.
Congratulations to Drs. Consolacion Molto, Abhenil
Mittal, Faris Tamimi, and Eitan Amir for their papers:
Association between control group therapy and
magnitude of clinical benefit of cancer drugs published
in Scientific Reports by Nature Publishing Group.
Three-year disease-free survival in randomized trials
of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and HER2-targeted
therapy in breast cancer: A meta-analysis published
in Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology.
Congratulations to Drs. Abhenil Mittal, Adrian Sacher,
Penelope Bradbury, Francis Shepherd, Natasha Leighl,
Congratulations to Dr. Marcus and Geoffrey Liu for their abstract “EP04.01-001 Preva-
Butler for his paper “Autologous lence And Outcomes of EGFR Exon 20 Insertion Mutation
T cell therapy for MAGE-A4+ solid In NSCLC: Princess Margaret Cancer Center Experience -
cancers in HLA-A*02+ patients: a ScienceDirect” published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.
phase 1 trial” published in Nature
Medicine.
Congratulations to Drs. Osama Abdeljalil and Srikala
Sridhar for their paper “1749P Association between
immune-mediated adverse events (imAEs) and outcomes
Congratulations to Drs. Frances Shepherd and Geoff Liu in metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC) treated with
for their paper “Single cell analysis reveals transcriptomic durvalumab (D) alone or in combination with tremelim-
features of drug tolerant persisters and stromal adapta- umab (T) in the DANUBE study” published in the Annals of
tion in a patient-derived EGFR-mutated lung adenocarci- Oncology.
noma xenograft model” published in the Journal of Thoracic
Oncology.
DMOH Newsletter | January 2023 PAGE 6
STAFF SHOUT OUTS
Thank you to Kamshad Touri,
he is a great support for the
team and is doing a great job
as a Physician Assistant on the
Thank you to our outgoing PMH floor. He has excellent patient
Research Council on Oncology skills and is a great team player.
member Dr. Adrian Sacher who
successfully completed a 1-year
term on the RCO representing
newer clinician investigators and
scientists. He always provided
great insights and comments.
Thank You!
Check Out the UHN Research Report 2022
The 2022 UHN Research Report was released. Medical research is driven
by individuals who are passionate about what they do: each member of
TeamUHN brings diverse interests, backgrounds, and skills to our labs and
clinics—enriching the team science that takes place here. We invite you to
read the report to learn how TeamUHN is working to improve the health
and wellbeing of people around the world. Through videos, images, and text,
this retrospective report highlights how Canada’s largest research hospital is
driven by the following, working in concert to deliver A Healthier World:
Real people: through Q&As, meet the students, scientists, and post-
doctoral researchers that make scientific discoveries a reality;
Real data: watch videos that discuss findings as parts of larger conver-
sations with the global scientific community; and
Real impact: learn how research hospitals enable the diverse and tight-
knit collaborations that are key to applying research in the real world.
Previous reports are available here.
STAFF SPOTLIGHTS
Get to Know
Jessica McLeod
Jessica McLeod grew up on a farm along the North Saskatchewan River in
Alberta and knew from a young age that she wanted to study science and help
people. This vision stayed with her as she moved across the country to begin
her career as a research technician at UHN in 2004.
Over the following years, she worked in a number of different research
labs, and had the pleasure of interacting with many brilliant scientists, most
recently in the lab of Dr. John Dick. Jessica thoroughly enjoyed the challenges
and evolving nature of wet-lab research, but an unexpected opportunity
presented itself during the pandemic.
Over this period, she volunteered her time as a door screener at PMCC and
under the mentorship of Alyssa Macedo, took on a role as a screening supervisor. In this role, she
was introduced to a new side of UHN, and had the opportunity to work with so many staff that just wanted to
help however they could during this trying time. One person she met over this period was Dr. Megan Nelles
who introduced her to the Orsino Cell Processing Laboratory (CPL). When an opportunity came up to join
the CPL, she jumped at the opportunity, and have taken on a role as a project coordinator focused on imple-
menting StemSoft, a new software package to help streamline and organize the CPL.
What do you like most about your job?
I get the opportunity to work with lots of different people, who have
different roles in the CPL, every day.
What’s a fun fact about you that others may not know?
I am an open book, if there is something you don’t know about me, you
haven’t asked yet!
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
I like spending time with my friends and family doing anything from
hunting for vinyl records to spending time by the water with my kids.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Being afraid is not a reason to avoid trying something, it mostly likely
means that you should do it even more.
STAFF SPOTLIGHTS
Get to Know
Leeann Wilson
Leeann Wilson has worked with Princess Margaret Cancer Centre as a
Nurse with the Allo SCT team over the last 15 years. She started out on the
inpatient unit and is now working as a transplant clinical nurse coordinator.
She gets up everyday excited for the work we do.
What do you like most about your job?
I love that we are not just a team but a family. It is an amazing team across
the board from MDs, fellows, NPs, RNs, admins, supervisors, coordinators
and Lab staff, and most importantly we are patient centered ensuring the
best possible care for all.
What’s a fun fact about you that others may not know?
I have a BSc in Zoology that I got at UofG before going into nursing.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
I have 3 kids and they are all in hockey so if I am not at work then you
can find my in a hockey rink.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Do what you love, and love what you do.
Enjoy the journey not just the destination.
Just keep swimming, Just keep swimming.
EVENTS & DEADLINES
EVENTS
Temerty Faculty of Medicine, U of T CPD
Oncology Continuing Education Zoom Rounds
Friday, January 20, 2023 - 8:00am-9:00am Eastern
SPEAKER: Adrian Sacher (Thoracic Oncologist and Affiliate Scientist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre)
TITLE: Novel Targeted and Immunotherapeutic Approaches to KRAS Mutant Solid Tumours
ZOOM LINK: free; pre-registration required
Friday, February 17, 2023 - 8:00am-9:00am Eastern
SPEAKER: Calvin Law (Surgical Oncologist, Odette Cancer Centre)
TITLE: Targeted Therapy for Lung Cancer
ZOOM LINK: free; pre-registration required
For details, please contact [email protected].
BEST OF THE SABCS 2023 ANNUAL MEETING CANADIAN MELANOMA CONFERENCE
OncologyEducation invites you to attend the Best Join us for Canada's international flagship meeting,
of the SABCS 2023 Annual Meeting, chaired by Dr. chaired by Dr. Scott Ernst and Dr. Vanessa Bernstein,
Christine Brezden-Masley and Dr. Dave Cescon. on the research and treatment of melanoma. The
This hybrid event will take place on Friday, February CMC will take place from February 23-25, 2023 in
10, 2023. Banff, Alberta, Canada at the Fairmont Banff Springs,
and virtually.
In person & free virtual registration options available.
Date: February 23-25, 2023
Date: February 10, 2023
Registration Link
Registration Link
DMOH Newsletter | January 2023 PAGE 10
EVENTS & DEADLINES
All skill levels are welcome! The Taylor Cup Pond Hockey
Championship is an annual weekend of outdoor fun,
great food, a few bevvies, live music and much more. This
4-on-4 tournament benefits cancer research at The Prin-
cess Margaret. Talk about a win win.
Teams can have up to eight players and be all women, all
men, or co-ed, it’s your call – just grab your hockey-loving
MASCC/JASCC/ISOO 2023 ANNUAL MEETING friends and you’re good to go.
SUPPORTIVE CARE IN CANCER MAKES EXCEL- Date: February 23-24, 2023
LENT CANCER CARE POSSIBLE
Registration Link
The MASCC/ISOO Annual Meeting is the foremost
international and interdisciplinary conference on
supportive care in cancer. It covers the entire spec-
trum of problems experienced by patients as a result
of their cancer and cancer treatment.
Rapid advances in cancer treatment have led to
numerous innovations in supportive care. At the
Annual Meeting, you’ll discover what’s new and
what’s on the horizon in the diverse and exciting field
of supportive care. Our 2023 Annual Meeting will be
held in partnership with our affiliate organization
JASCC.
Join us for the MASCC/JASCC/ISOO 2023 Annual
Meeting in Nara, Japan June 22-24, and be inspired!
2023 Meeting Themes
Overall Theme: Interdisciplinary Nature of
Supportive Cancer Care
Robotics and Digital Medicine
Disparities in the Availability of Supportive Care TORONTO INTERNATIONAL SARCOMA
When Evidence-Based Medicine Meets Tradi- SYMPOSIUM
tional Medicine
Sessions on the Various MASCC/JASCC/ISOO We are happy to announce Toronto International
Study Group Topics Sarcoma Symposium 2023 which will be held in
person at Arcadian Court on June 1, 2023.
Date: June 22-24, 2022 Please stay tuned for more details and email abha.
[email protected] or [email protected]
Registration Link for more details.
Date: June 1, 2023
Registration Link
DMOH Newsletter | January 2023 PAGE 11
EVENTS & DEADLINES
2023 WOMEN SCIENTISTS INNOVATION AWARD FOR CANCER RESEARCH
(V SCHOLAR OR TRANSLATIONAL)
The V Foundation has invited the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre to participate in their 2023 Women Scientists Innovation
Award for Cancer Research competition. Please see the attached RFA for more details and eligibility. This grant opportunity is
specifically for cancer research led by a woman Principal Investigator and the SOLE nominee may apply in either the V Scholar
or the Translational grant type.
The full application deadline is March 16, 2023.
V Scholar applicants can propose cancer research that is focused on laboratory research that increases our understanding of
cancer biology or translational type research that improves cancer detection, prevention, treatment, and survivorship. Emphasis
for this grant mechanism is on supporting exceptional early career investigators at the Assistant Professor stage to be better
positioned to leverage large R01 or similar sustaining grants.
Translational grant applicants can propose cancer research that moves a novel strategy from the laboratory into a human clin-
ical trial or uses specimens from a clinical trial to develop biomarkers or mechanisms. The research should apply in some direct
way to human beings within the time frame of less than 3 years from the end of the grant. If biomarker research is undertaken,
a validation set or independent clinical trial is essential. A plan for biomarker validation, if applicable, must be included in any
proposal. The endpoint of the project should be the planning or initiation of a new clinical trial.
Kindly note that only ONE applicant can be nominated from the institute. If there is multiple interest, we may ask for further
information to select an applicant.
Please notify [email protected] if you’re interested in applying to either of these grant types by the end of
Monday, January 23.
DMOH Newsletter DMOH Communications Contributors
ISSUE NO. 21 | JANUARY 2023 Team & Content Advisors Amit Oza
Christina Gulesserian Abhenil Mittal
produced by the Division of Medical Michelle Williams Cha Len Lee
Oncology and Hematology at the James Austin Jessica Danquah
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Schenell Rosario Jessica McLeod
Leeann Wilson
Please forward submissions and comments to Lianne Mulveney
[email protected] Michelle Nadler
Mitchell Elliot
Walaa Kheir
DMOH Newsletter | January 2023 PAGE 12