The 2025 Schwartz Reisman HPB Research Innovation Centre Retreat will host clinicians and scientists from UHN and our close neighbours to share progress, innovations and ongoing research endeavours across the spectrum of HPB cancers.
Attendance and accommodations are complimentary, provided by the Centre
Retreat Objective:
The objective of this retreat is to provide a clinical and translational perspective on HPB cancers, provide updates on ongoing research, to highlight Schwartz Reisman Centre initiatives and to foster collaboration across the program.
We are thrilled to welcome our Keynote speaker:
Milind Javle, MD
Herbert L. and Olive Stringer Professor
Chair, NCI Task Force, Hepatobiliary Cancers
Clinical Medical Director: GI Service Line
GI Medical Oncology
Target Audience
- Oncologists (Medical, Radiation, Surgical)
- Hepatobiliary Specialists
- Gastrointestinal Molecular Pathologists/Radiologists
- Basic and Translational Scientists
- Basic, Translational and Clinical Trainees
- Bioinformaticians
- Clinical research, laboratory and innovation/technology staff
Location:
Prince of Wales Hotel
6 Picton Street, P.O. Box 46, Niagara-on-the Lake, ON, LOS 1J0
Agenda
Friday, October 3, 2025
- 3:00pm or later | Hotel Check in
- 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm | Welcome Reception & Dinner (Victoria and Albert Room)
Saturday, October 4, 2025
- 7:30 am – 9:00 am | Breakfast (Royal Cambridge Foyer))
9:00 am – 9:30 am | Welcome and Schwartz Reisman HPB Centre Initiatives (Royal Cambridge Main Hall)
- Dr. Erica Tsang and Anna Dodd
9:30 am – 10:15 am | Dragon’s Den Seed Grant Competition | Dr. Ali Hosni
- Panel: Dr. Jennifer Knox, Dr. Steve Gallinger, Dr. Ian McGilvray and Dr. Laura Dawson
- Presenters: Dr. Robert Grant, Dr. Michael Yan and Dr. Kevin Wang
10:15am – 10:30am | Break (Checkout by 11am)
11:00am – 12:20pm | Collaboration (Moderator: Dr. Elena Elimova)
- 11:00 am – 11:15 am | Dr. Gideon Hirschfeld
Autoimmune Liver Diseases: Opportunities to Meet Unmet Needs - 11:15 am – 11:30 am | Dr. Enrique Sanz
Marathon of Hope Cancer Centre Network Initiative – Bringing Whole Genome Transcriptome Sequencing to patients - 11:30 am – 11:45 am | Dr. Rebecca Wong
HPB Theranostic Opportunities at UHN - 11:45 am – 12:05 pm | Dr. Robert Grant
McCain/PanCuRx: A Model for Translational Research + HPB Genetics, Prevention and Screening - 12:05 pm – 12:20pm | Discussion
12:20pm – 1:20pm | Lunch (Royal Cambridge Foyer)
1:20pm – 2:20pm | Keynote Address (Introduction and discussion: Dr. Jennifer Knox)
- Dr. Milind Javle — The Starfish Effect: Turning the Tide in Bile Duct Cancer
2:20pm – 3:45pm | Research (Moderator: Dr. Kevin Wang)
- 2:20 pm – 2:30 pm | Felix Beaudry, PhD
Tackling Biliary Tract Cancer with the Legresley Registry: From Discovery to Impact - 2:30 pm – 2:50 pm | Dr. Robert Vanner
Clonal Hematopoiesis as a Driver of Hepatocellular Carcinoma - 2:50 pm – 3:00 pm | Dr. Michael Yan
Advancements in Radiotherapy for the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma - 3:00 pm – 3:10 pm | Adam Gehring, PhD
Integrating research to expand clinical capacity and attract trials: experience from viral hepatitis. - 3:10 pm – 3:30 pm | Discussion
3:30pm – 3:45pm | Break
3:45pm – 4:45pm | Quality and Innovation (Moderator: Dr. Kartik Jhaveri)
- 3:45 pm – 4:00 pm | Dr. Carol-Anne Moulton & Melanie Hammond, PhD(c)
‘Are we there yet’? A qualitative study exploring collective competence at McCain - 4:00 pm – 4:15 pm | Wayne Uy, PhD
From Population to Patient: Translating AI Research into Oncology Practice - 4:15 pm – 4:30 pm | Joy Qu, MSc & Lesia Szyca, MSc
Toronto Video Atlas of Surgery - 4:30 pm – 4:45 pm | Discussion
4:45pm – 6:00pm | Education (Moderator: Dr. Mireille Boivin)
- 4:45 pm – 5:30 pm | Dr. Lina Cadili, Dr. Ronan McLaughlin, Dr. Henry Wong
Papers of the Year - 5:30 pm – 5:45 pm | Discussion
- 5:45 pm – 6:00 pm | Dr. Chaya Shwaartz
Education at Schwartz Reisman and Closing Remarks
6:00pm – 7:30pm | Dinner (Royal Cambridge Main Hall)
- Seed Grant Winner Announcement – Dr. Ali Hosni
Register is now closed for Schwartz Reisman HPB Research Innovation Centre Retreat
2025 Schwartz Reisman HPB Centre Research and Innovation Grant
Overview
The purpose of the Schwartz Reisman HPB center research and innovation grant is to invest in HPB cancer projects using novel approaches supported by sound rationale and a feasible experimental plan. The projects should be collaborations across disciplines and led by early career investigators (within 5 years of academic appointment at UHN). Ideally, this seed funding would be used to create pilot data for a scalable project in the future.
Timeline
- Submission Deadline: September 15th, 2025
- In-person presentation (Dragon’s Den): Oct. 4th, 2025
- Notice of Award: Oct. 4th, 2025
- Term of Award: November 1st, 2025 – Oct. 31st, 2028
Eligibility
The principal applicant must be a clinician or scientist with experience treating HPB cancers at UHN, and is a young investigator within 5 years of his/her academic appointment at UHN. The proposed projects require a multidisciplinary framework to enhance collaboration among different HPB cancers disciplines. Co-applicants can hold more than 5 years of their academic appointments at UHN and/or be a trainee (fellows/residents). Timelines for deliverables must be within a 12-36 month period. Utilizing SR Centre resources (ie: research staff time/expertise, clinical data curation, regulatory/specimen management) is encouraged. One member of the team must be available to present the proposal in-person at the Schwartz Reisman Research Innovation Retreat on October 4th, 2025.
Funding
Up to 2 awards of up to $50,000-100,000 will be awarded annually. The one-time award may be used for research over a 12-36 month period, at the discretion of the Principal Investigator (PI).
Contact
Anna Dodd
Sr. Research Program Manager, HPB Oncology Research
Co-Director, Schwartz Reisman HPB Research Innovation Centre
Wallace McCain Centre for Pancreatic Cancer
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
Toronto General Hospital, UHN
10NU 1078
Toronto, ON M5G 2M9
P 647-539-6498
anna.dodd@uhn.ca
SRHPBresearchcentre@uhn.ca