Health, Equity, and Research Talks (HEaRT) with Dr. Sonia Anand: Diversity in Clinical Trials. What should researchers do? What structural changes are needed?
2024-11-19 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Toronto) | Virtual
Clinical trials all too often fail to reflect the communities that stand to be most affected by the outcomes of that research. Like other broad efforts to build a fairer, more inclusive society, there is an ongoing movement toward health equity — the effort to assure every person in society has fair access to health care. Dr. Anand’s study discusses how reliance on traditional recruitment tools, such as posters in English in hospitals and clinics inviting people to volunteer, without considering the distribution of the disease of interest by ethnicity, leads to over-representation of white European participants, as there is no specific plan to engage high-risk communities. Even a small improvement in the percentage of racialized people who seek care and receive effective therapies can make a significant difference in the overall health of the population and the total cost of health care.

Date & Time: November 19th, 2024 (12:00 PM – 1:30 PM EST) via Zoom
Registration Link

Keenan International Lecture:" Strategies to Promote Cancer Nanomedicine Performance and Clinical Translation" presented by Prof. Dr. Dr. Twan Lammers
2024-11-20 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
We are pleased to invite you to the upcoming Keenan International Lecture, featuring Dr. Prof. Twan Lammers, who will present “Strategies to Promote Cancer Nanomedicine Performance and Clinical Translation.”
Date: November 20, 2024
Time: 1:00 – 2:00 PM (EST)
Location: Zoom
Abstract: Nanomedicines are extensively explored for cancer therapy. By delivering drug molecules more ef-fectively and more selectively to pathological sites, and by attenuating their accumulation in healthy organs and tissues, nanomedicines assist in improving the balance between (chemo)therapy efficacy and toxicity. The tumor accumulation of nanomedicines is traditionally ascribed to the EPR effect, which is highly variable, both in animal models and in patients. To address issues associated with tumor targeting heterogeneity, and to advance cancer nanomedicine clinical translation, we are working on systems and strategies to monitor and modulate tumor-targeted drug delivery. In the present lecture, several of these strategies will be highlighted, including image-guided interventions to prime tumor blood vessels and the microenvironment, as well as the use of imaging and tumor tissue biomarkers for patient stratification. These efforts help to establish rational and realistic ways for-ward towards promoting the performance and clinical translation of cancer nanomedicines.
Biosketch: Twan Lammers obtained a D.Sc. in Radiation Oncology from Heidelberg University in 2008 and a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Technology from Utrecht University in 2009. In the same year, he started the Nanomed-icine and Theranostics group at RWTH Aachen University. In 2014, he was promoted to full professor of medi-cine at RWTH Aachen University Clinic. His group aims to individualize and improve disease treatment by com-bining drug targeting with imaging. To this end, image-guided (theranostic) drug delivery systems are being de-veloped, as well as materials and methods to monitor tumor growth, angiogenesis, inflammation, fibrosis and metastasis. He has received multiple scholarships and awards, including ERC starting, consolidator and proof-of-concept grants, the CRS Young Investigator Award, the Adritelf International Award, the Belgian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences International Award, and the JNB Trailblazer Award. He served as the president of the Controlled Release Society in 2023-2024, and he has been a council member of the European Society for Mo-lecular Imaging for almost 10 years. He is a member of the editorial board of 10 journals, and acts as associate editor for JCR, DDTR and MIB. Since 2019, he is included in the Clarivate Analytics list of Highly Cited Research-ers.

Webinar: Fireside Chat with Innovators – From Research to Entrepreneurship (virtual)
2024-11-20 15:00 - 16:00 | Virtual
Join us virtually on November 20th, from 3 – 4 pm, for a fireside chat featuring a panel of three Unity Health startup founders. In this engaging discussion, they will share their experiences navigating the path from research to entrepreneurship, offering valuable insights into the startup journey.
Date: Nov 20th, 2024
Time: 3pm – 4pm
Location: Virtual (registration required)
Registration Link

KRC Seminar Series: “scRNA analysis at scale identifies a highly conserved fibroblast dependent signaling axis in wound healing, fibrosis, and cancer defined by CTHRC1 and Activin A" Dr. Sam Cooper, PhD
2024-11-22 13:00 - 14:00 | LKS Auditorium (2nd floor), Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, 209 Victoria St.

Driving Change in Healthcare: Equitable Research In Action (ERA) Workshop Series Session #3 – Inclusive Research Design with Dr. Notisha Massaquoi
2024-11-26 12:00 - 13:30 | Virtual
In celebration of Research Month, this session has been made available to all research community members. As the third installment in the workshop series, this session will focus on incorporating principles of diversity into research design. Participants will learn strategies to ensure the representation of diverse populations and perspectives, addressing power imbalances within the research process. Topics will include inclusive sampling methods, equitable data collection techniques, and considerations for analysis and interpretation to produce comprehensive and relevant findings for diverse communities.

Date & Time: November 26th, 2024 (12:00 PM – 1:30 PM EST) via Zoom
Registration Link: https://bit.ly/ERASession3

Research Month Awards Ceremony
2024-11-29 11:00 - 12:00 | LKS Auditorium (2nd floor), Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, 209 Victoria St.
We invite you to join us on Friday, November 29th, from 11 am to 12 pm for the Research Month Awards Ceremony, where we will celebrate the remarkable contributions to research across Unity Health Toronto. This event will showcase the achievements of our staff, scientists, and trainees, recognizing their excellence in a wide range of fields.
Be part of this special occasion as we honor the dedication, innovation, and impact of our research community. We look forward to celebrating with you!

KRC Seminar Series: “Epithelial YAP and TAZ - unexpected roles in kidney injury" Dr. Darren Yuen, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, Unity Health Toronto
2024-11-29 13:00 - 14:00 | LKS Auditorium (2nd floor), Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, 209 Victoria St.

KRC Seminar Series: “Cartilage Electromechanics and its Potential to Diagnose Early Osteoarthritis” Dr. Adele Changoor, Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto
2025-01-10 13:00 - 14:00 | Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, 209 Victoria Street
