Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology

Medical Oncologist, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Senior Scientist, Research Institute in Haematology and Oncology, CancerCare Manitoba

Director, Precision Oncology and Advanced Therapeutics, CancerCare Manitoba

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology University of Manitoba

Disease Site Groups: Thoracic & Sarcoma

Academic Profile

Understanding cancer biology to personalize patient therapy.

Brief Biography

Dr. Banerji completed his clinical training in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology at the University of Manitoba and CancerCare Manitoba. He then pursued a 4-year research fellowship in cancer genomics at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute under the mentorship of Dr. Matthew Meyerson. Dr. Banerji’s training involved the use of next-generation sequencing technology to identify structural abnormalities, or mutations in the DNA of cancer cells, and understanding the consequences of these mutations to cancer cell growth using high-throughput functional screens. He has applied these novel technologies to a variety of malignancies including breast cancer, lung cancer, and sarcoma.

Hematologist, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Co-lead, CLL Clinic, CancerCare Manitoba

Senior Scientist, Research Institute in Haematology and Oncology, CancerCare Manitoba

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section Haematology/Oncology; and Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics University of Manitoba

New Investigator, Research Manitoba

Disease Site Groups: General Haematology & Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Academic Profile

Metabolic deregulation in hematologic malignancies leading to the development of biomarkers for diagnostic and prognostic use; Understanding drug resistance; Identification of novel targets and development of targeted therapies.

Brief Biography

Dr. Banerji completed her clinical training in Internal Medicine and Haematology at the University of Manitoba and CancerCare Manitoba. She then pursued a 4-year research fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard under the direction of Dr. Kimberly Stegmaier. Her research fellowship focused on the identification of new drugs to treat acute leukemia by using the latest high-throughput gene expression-based methods. A key finding of her research is that genes involved in cell metabolism are critical to the survival of some leukemic cells.

Hematologist, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Medical Director, Clinical and Academic Services, and Infection Control Services, CancerCare Manitoba

Professor, Departments of Medical Microbiology; and Internal Medicine Section of Infectious Diseases, Haematology/Oncology, Blood and Marrow Transplant, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Groups: Leukaemia, Bone Marrow Transplantation & Infectious Diseases

Academic Profile

Dr. Bow’s research focuses on the prevention and management of bacterial and fungal infections in neutropaenic cancer patients and cytotoxic therapy-induced intestinal epithelial damage in the pathogenesis of these infections.

Brief Biography

Dr. Bow is a Professor of Medicine and Medical Microbiology at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg. He was recruited to CancerCare Manitoba and the University of Manitoba in 1982 as an Infectious Diseases physician and Haematologist/Oncologist with special clinical and research interests in the infectious diseases of cancer patients and in haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.  He provides clinical consultation services for oncology and transplant infectious diseases at CancerCare Manitoba and to the Health Sciences Centre (HSC), Winnipeg. In addition, he attends on the Surgical and Medical Infectious Disease consultation at the HSC.  Dr. Bow is actively engaged in clinical practice guideline development for the management of the febrile neutropenia patient provincially and internationally with the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.  He also is an active member of the Mycoses Study Group-Education, Research consortium promoting research in clinical mycology.  He is a primary investigator for a number of local clinical trials on the prevention and treatment of invasive aspergillosis in stem cell transplantation.

Hematologist, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Assistant Professor, Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Group:

Leukemia, Blood and Marrow Transplantation, General Hematology

Academic Profile

Acute Leukemia, Complex Myeloid Neoplasms, Bone Marrow Failure, Cellular Therapy, Immunotherapy, Complications of Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplantation

Brief Biography

Dr. Brown is a hematologist at CancerCare Manitoba with clinical focus on patients with acute leukemia, complex myeloid neoplasms, bone marrow failure and those requiring cellular therapy including bone marrow transplant. He completed his undergraduate medical degree at the University of Manitoba. He completed residencies in both internal medicine and hematology at the University of Manitoba. Following residency, he completed a fellowship in Leukemia and Bone Marrow Transplantation at BC Cancer and the Leukemia and Bone Marrow Transplant Program of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC. Dr. Brown holds a Master of Management degree from the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University through the International Masters in Health Leadership program. Dr. Brown serves as the course leader of the Blood and Immunology course for Undergraduate Medical Education at the Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba. His non-clinical interests include medical education, health leadership and health economics.

Medical Oncologist & Chief Medical Officer, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Associate Professor, Departments of Community Health Sciences; and Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Group: Genitourinary

Academic Profile

Outcomes analysis in genitourinary malignancies, and geriatric oncology. He has also participated actively as a local principal investigator in many national and international clinical trials.

Brief Biography

Dr. Czaykowski completed his Medical Oncology training at the University of Toronto, where he also obtained an MSc in Clinical Epidemiology. After 5 years at the Fraser Valley Centre of the BC Cancer Agency, he arrived in Winnipeg in 2002. He is a Medical Oncologist in the Department of Medical Oncology and Haematology, CancerCare Manitoba, with an academic appointment through the Departments of Internal Medicine, and Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba. Dr. Czaykowski's clinical interests lie in the field of Genitourinary malignancies.

Medical Oncologist, CancerCare Manitoba, Taché Site

Chair, Symptom Management and Palliative Care DSG, CancerCare Manitoba

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine & Department of Family Medicine, University of Manitoba

Palliative Medicine Consultant, Winnipeg Regional Palliative Care Program

Disease Site Groups: Palliative Care, Symptom management & Gastrointestinal

Academic Profile

The role of cannabinoids in symptom control and palliative care; symptom management in patients with advanced cancer.

Brief Biography

Paul Daeninck is a medical oncologist and pain and symptom specialist with CancerCare Manitoba. His clinical interests include pain and symptom management due to cancer or its treatments, palliative and end of life care, and chemotherapy for gastrointestinal cancers. Dr. Daeninck has research interests in palliative medicine and supportive oncology and is also involved in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education through the Rady School of Medicine at the University of Manitoba.

Hematologist, CancerCare Manitoba, Tache Site

Chair, General Haematology DSG, CancerCare Manitoba

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Groups: General Haematology & Lymphoproliferative

Academic Profile

Dr. Vi Dao is a Hematologist at CancerCare Manitoba with a specific interest in clinical research in the field of Thrombosis and Multiple Myeloma.

Brief Biography

Dr. Vi Dao attended medical school at the University of Ottawa and subsequently completed her residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Haematology, at CancerCare Manitoba and the University of Manitoba. In 2009, she completed a fellowship in Clinical Thrombosis at the University of Ottawa.

Medical Oncologist, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Groups: Thoracic & Genitourinary

Academic Profile

Dr. Dawe’s research interests lie in the use of clinical and administrative databases to examine outcomes, quality, and disparities in care. One area of potential disparity is the treatment received by older cancer patients and Dr. Dawe is currently examining patterns of care for older patients with cancer to identify opportunities for system improvement and knowledge translation.

Brief Biography

Dr. Dawe received his medical degree from Queen’s University, then moved to Winnipeg to pursue post-graduate training at the University of Manitoba. He completed residencies in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology at the University of Manitoba, then a Geriatric Thoracic Oncology Fellowship at McMaster University. He has an MSc in Community Health Sciences from the University of Manitoba. He currently holds the Manitoba Medical Service Foundation John Henson Clinical Research Professorship in Population Health and has received research funding from the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Medical Oncologist, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Group: Breast

Academic Profile

Breast cancer, predictive and prognostic factors, correlative and translational research, population-based cancer research and meta-analysis

Brief Biography

Dr. Desautels graduated from medical school at the University of Manitoba in 2010.  She went on to complete residency training in Internal Medicine followed by subspecialty training in Medical Oncology.  She then pursued a two-year clinical fellowship in breast cancer at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre under the supervision of Dr. Kathleen Pritchard, while also earning an MSc degree in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Care Research through the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) at the University of Toronto.

Medical Oncologist, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Medical Director, Community Oncology, CancerCare Manitoba

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Groups: Genitourinary and Symptom Management

Academic Profile

Optimize pain and symptom management in patients with malignancy. Develop ways to improve the transition from active care to palliative care in patients with cancer.

Brief Biography

Dr. Gingerich’s clinical practice focuses on the treatment of patients with genitourinary cancers and the symptom management of patients with advanced cancer.  He is actively involved in clinical research and student-resident education.  He is an author on multiple manuscripts and an active member of several provincial and national research grants.

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Medical Oncologist, CancerCare Manitoba, Tache Site

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Groups: Gastrointestinal

Academic Profile

Benjamin has an interest in the intersection of Health Policy, Quality Improvement and Program Implementation. He is currently working on collaborative projects examining interventions supporting adherence to oral systemic therapy, multidisciplinary management of GI cancers and patient-reported outcomes.

Brief Biography

Dr. Goldenberg was born and raised in Winnipeg where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts and Medical Degree from the University of Manitoba in 2003 and 2009 respectively. This was followed by a Residency in Internal Medicine in Winnipeg. He thereafter moved west to complete a Medical Oncology Fellowship at the BC Cancer Agency and the University of British Columbia. Additionally, he recently completed an Advanced Gastrointestinal Oncology Fellowship at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto and is currently completing a Master’s degree (MSc) in Health Services Research from the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation through the University of Toronto.

Medical Oncologist, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Chair, Gastrointestinal DSG, CancerCare Manitoba

Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Medical Director Systemic Therapy Program, CancerCare Manitoba

Disease Site Groups: Breast, Gastrointestinal, and Head and Neck

Academic Profile

Phase II & III trials in head and neck cancer, phase II & III clinical trials in Gastrointestinal Disease Site, and participate actively in phase II and III breast cancer, head and neck trials, and undifferentiated rare tumour sites trials.

Brief Biography

Dr. Gordon is a medical oncologist involved actively in the breast disease site group, head and neck disease site group, and gastrointestinal disease site group. She also has a particular interest in thyroid malignancies. Dr. Gordon has participated locally in Clinical Practice Guidelines Development, chairing the development of guidelines in breast, head and neck cancers, and has been the Medical Director of the Systemic Therapy Program since its inception in 2021.

Medical Oncologist, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles/Tache Site

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology University of Manitoba

Disease Site Groups: Genitourinary, Breast

Academic Profile

Dr. Graham’s research interests include cancer epidemiology and outcomes research. This has involved utilizing real-world data to help improve the care of patients with cancer, with a focus on kidney cancer and other genitourinary malignancies. 

Brief Biography

Dr. Graham graduated from medical school at the University of Manitoba in 2012.  He subsequently completed residency training in Internal Medicine followed by subspecialty training in Medical Oncology at CancerCare Manitoba. He went on to pursue a clinical fellowship in genitourinary oncology at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre and the University of Calgary, with a research focus on advanced kidney cancer. He is currently completing a master’s in public health (MPH) in epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.   

Medical Oncologist, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Lecturer, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology University of Manitoba

Disease Site Groups: Thoracic & Breast

Academic Profile

Medical education and knowledge translation

Brief Biography

Dr. Green obtained her MD from the University of Manitoba in 2012. This was followed by residency training in internal medicine complete in 2015, and subspecialty training in medical oncology complete in 2017, both at the University of Manitoba. She subsequently completed a one-year systemic therapy specialist fellowship, with a focus on thoracic oncology, at the University of Manitoba and CancerCare Manitoba.

Medical Oncologist, CancerCare Manitoba, Tache Site

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Groups: Breast & Melanoma

Academic Profile

Cardiotoxicity of cancer therapies, Facilitating communication with cancer patients and risk factors for breast cancer.

Brief Biography

Dr. Grenier is a medical oncologist and a clinical research investigator at CancerCare Manitoba and holds academic appointments in the Department of Medicine, Section of Haematology and Medical Oncology at the University of Manitoba.

Medical Oncologist, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Group: Thoracic & Central Nervous System

Academic Profile

Lung and Central Nervous System malignancies.

Brief Biography

Dr. Craig Harlos graduated from medical school at the University of Manitoba in 2010.  Dr. Harlos continued at the University of Manitoba and completed residency training in Internal Medicine followed by subspecialty training in Medical Oncology.  He then pursued a clinical fellowship in Neuro-Oncology through the University of Toronto at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre under Dr. Warren Mason, which was completed in 2016.

Hematologist, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Affiliate Investigator, Research Institute of Oncology and Haematology, CancerCare Manitoba

Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology University of Manitoba

Disease Site Group: General Haematology

Academic Profile

Thrombosis, coagulation testing, bleeding disorders, iron loading and anemia of chronic disease.

Brief Biography

Dr. Houston is a Hematologist, researcher and educator based at CancerCare Manitoba, the Health Sciences Centre, and the University of Manitoba. His medical and scientific training took him to the Universities of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Mayo Clinic, McMaster, and Oklahoma. His clinical interests cover the gamut of general Haematology, including anemias, hemoglobinopathies, bleeding disorders, thrombosis, myelodysplasias, and myeloproliferative disorders. His active research interests are in the areas of bleeding disorders and anemias. At the University of Manitoba, Rady College of Medicine, he is the Course Director of the Blood and Immunology undergraduate medical school course, HSC Site Director for the Haematology Residency Training Program, and Research Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Training Program. Nationally, he is a board member of the Association of Hemophilia Clinic Directors of Canada and also the Director of the Manitoba Institute of Theoretical Haematology.

Hematologist/Oncologist, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Senior Investigator and Associate Director (Clinical), Research Institute in Oncology and Hematology, CancerCare Manitoba

Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology,
University of Manitoba

Clinical Director, Manitoba CLL Tumour Bank

Disease Site Group: Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Academic Profile

Studying the clinical course and epidemiology of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in Manitoba. Evaluating the role of telomere dysfunction on the pathogenesis of CLL and evaluating the mechanism of action of antitumor agents in this disease.

Brief Biography

Dr. James Johnston is a Hematologist at Cancer Care Manitoba and a member of Lymphoma Disease Site Group. His major interest is in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and he participates in the CLL Clinic and is Clinical Director of the Manitoba CLL Tumor Bank. He is a Senior Investigator in the Manitoba Institute of Cell Biology and is involved in translational research projects related to the epidemiology and biology of CLL. Dr. Johnston is chairman of the organizing committee of the Canadian CLL Meeting which is held in Winnipeg on an annual basis.

Hematologist, CancerCare Manitoba, Tache Site

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Program Director, Hematology Subspecialty Training, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Hematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Groups: Lymphoproliferative & General Hematology

Academic Profile

Primary and secondary CNS lymphoma

Brief Biography

Roopesh Kansara is originally from Tanzania and moved to Canada in 2001. He completed his Bachelors in Science degree at the University of Manitoba. He pursued Medicine in Manitoba and completed his residency in both Internal Medicine and Hematology at the University of Manitoba. In 2013, he was awarded a two-year fellowship at the British Columbia Cancer Agency (BCCA) in Hematologic malignancies with a special focus on Lymphoproliferative disorders. He likes music and is an excellent karaoke singer. Dr. Kansara is also a good chef, an ardent movie lover and has a great eye for interior design.

Medical Oncologist, CancerCare Manitoba, Taché Site

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Groups: Gastrointestinal & Breast

Academic Profile

Dr. Kim’s research interests include gastrointestinal cancers, with a special interest in pancreatic cancer, chemotherapy toxicities and real-world outcomes.

Brief Biography

Dr. Kim is actively involved in the Breast and Gastrointestinal disease site groups, with a particular interest in pancreatic cancer. Dr. Kim completed her Internal Medicine residency at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, followed by a medical oncology subspecialty residency and research fellowship at the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton.  She joined CancerCare Manitoba in 2014.  Research interests include Real World Outcomes, Pancreatic cancer and chemotherapy toxicities.

Hematologist/Oncologist, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Group: Lymphoproliferative

Academic Profile

Clinical and translational research on anti-cancer chemotherapy, population-based assessments of clinical outcomes using linked administrative and clinical databases and cancer immunology/immunosenescence.

Brief Biography

Dr. Kotb completed his residency training in Paris, France, and then became a staff member at Paris XI University. He joined the Hematology-Oncology team at Sherbrooke University (QC, Canada) in 2005 as an Assistant, then Associate Professor. He also worked as the Director of Hematology undergraduate education, Director of the oncology clinical research, Head of the supra-regional team of hematological neoplasia and Head of the Institutional Oncology Quality Sub-committee. Late 2011, he moved to British Columbia to work at the BC Cancer Agency as an Oncologist/Hematologist and Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia.
He was delighted to join the team at CCMB in September 2014. His practice and research activity will be focused on lymphoid neoplasia, mainly myeloma and lymphoma.

Medical Oncologist, CancerCare Manitoba, Tache Site

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Groups: Gastrointestinal

Brief Biography

Marianne Krahn is a Medical Oncologist with CancerCare Manitoba. Her clinical interests include gastrointestinal cancers. She enjoys teaching medical students and residents in clinical settings.

Hematologist, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Disease Site Groups: Lymphoproliferative, Myeloma, General Hematology and Leukemia & Bone and Marrow Transplantation

Academic Profile:

Lymphoproliferative disorders, cellular therapy, immunotherapy, bone marrow transplantation

Brief Biography:

Dr. Ivan Landego is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Manitoba and a hematologist in the Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology at CancerCare Manitoba. His primary area of interest is immune therapies for lymphoproliferative disorders, including bispecific antibodies, checkpoint inhibitors, cellular therapeutics, and bone marrow transplantation. Dr. Landego completed his undergraduate, MSc, medical and internal medicine training at the University of Manitoba. He then completed his core hematology training at Queen’s University. Following residency, he completed a lymphoma fellowship at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto and an Immunotherapy fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. His research interests aim to increase our understanding of disease pathogenesis and aid in the development and approval of novel immunotherapeutic strategies for primary and relapsed/refractory disease.

Medical Oncologist, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Groups: thoracic, head, and neck

Hematologist, CancerCare Manitoba, Tache Site

Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Groups: General Haematology & Lymphoproliferative

Academic Profile

Medical education – theory and practical aspects, patient safety and transfusion medicine guideline development.

Brief Biography

Dr. Moltzan is a clinical hematologist and hematological pathologist who holds an academic appointment in the Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Hematology/Oncology, at the University of Manitoba. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Patient Safety Leadership from the University of Illinois at Chicago.  Dr. Moltzan is passionate about medical education and patient safety.  She is currently Vice-Chair of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Hematology Specialty Committee and the Vice-Chair of the pan Canadian Oncology Drug Review at the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technology in Health (CADTH).  She is also the Medical Advisor for Patient Safety at CancerCare Manitoba.

Medical Oncologist, CancerCare Manitoba, Tache Site

Chair, Breast Disease Site Group, CancerCare Manitoba

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Group: Breast

Academic Profile

Harms of health interventions, Health services, Clinical trials methodology

Brief Biography

Dr. Niraula is a Medical Oncologist and clinician investigator at CancerCare Manitoba with an academic appointment as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Department of Internal Medicine, University of Manitoba. His clinical practice focuses on Breast and Genitourinary malignancies. He has been involved in the design and conduct of several clinical trials and has participated in many national and international clinical studies. His research focuses on a balance between the benefits and harms of new anticancer interventions, evidence synthesis, reporting of clinical trials, and clinical outcomes among others.

Medical Oncologist & Palliative Care Consultant, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Groups: Thoracic, Gastrointestinal & Palliative Care

Brief Biography

Dr. Paul completed Medical School with residencies in Internal Medicine followed by Medical Oncology at the University of Manitoba. Before directing his attention to medicine, Dr. Paul studied and worked as a researcher at the Manitoba Institute of Cell Biology. He completed a Master of Science in Human Genetics from the University of Manitoba and a 4-year Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Winnipeg.

Medical Oncologist CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Chief Medical Information Officer, CancerCare Manitoba

Head of Clinical Research, Research Institute in Oncology and Haematology, CCMB

Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Groups: Central Nervous System and Breast

Academic Profile

Outcomes and effectiveness research; clinical trials in breast cancer and brain tumours. Currently, his focus is on pseudoprogression in glioblastoma, health services research and clinical informatics.

Brief Biography

Dr. Pitz is a Medical Oncologist and Clinical Investigator at CancerCare Manitoba. He holds appointments with the Section of Haematology/Medical Oncology (Department of Internal Medicine), Department of Community Health Sciences and the Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, University of Manitoba, and the Department of Medical Oncology, CancerCare Manitoba. Dr. Pitz's clinical areas of expertise include neuro-oncology and breast cancer, where he is actively involved in patient care.

Hematologist, CancerCare Manitoba, Taché Site

Transfusion Specialist, Diagnostic Services of Manitoba

Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Group: General Haematology

Academic Profile

Transfusion Medicine

Brief Biography

Dr. Ponnampalam received his M.D. training from the University of Manitoba from 2002-2006. His Internal Medicine specialty training and Haematology subspecialty training were completed from 2006-2009 and 2009-2011 respectively at the University of Manitoba and CancerCare Manitoba.

Hematologist, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Group: General Haematology and Myeloma

Academic Profile

Risk factors and outcomes of bleeding in critical illness, Clinical investigation and epidemiology of bleeding disorders, Trajectory Analysis

Brief Bio

Dr. Rimmer is a hematologist at CancerCare Manitoba with a special interest in bleeding disorders. She completed her medical school training, followed by a residency in Internal Medicine and Haematology at the University of Manitoba. Dr. Rimmer has completed a clinical and research fellowship in bleeding disorders at the University of Manitoba and Queen's University and is currently completing a Master's of Science degree in Community Health Sciences. She is also actively involved in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education at the University of Manitoba.

Medical Oncologist, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Group: Thoracic & Cutaneous

Academic Profile

Real world cancer outcomes evaluated through clinical and administrative databases.

Brief Biography

Dr. Rittberg is a Medical Oncologist at CancerCare Manitoba with a clinical focus on patients with lung cancer, gastroesophageal cancers, melanoma, and other cutaneous malignancies. She completed her medical degree at the University of Manitoba. She then completed residencies in both Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology at the University of Manitoba. Following residency, she completed a fellowship in Thoracic Oncology at BC Cancer in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Hematologist, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Chair, Lymphoproliferative DSG, CancerCare Manitoba

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Group: Lymphoproliferative

Academic Profile

Clinical therapy for lymphoma; Outcomes and Health Services Research

Brief Biography

Dr. Pamela Skrabek is a Hematologist who completed medical school and residencies in Internal Medicine and Haematology at the University of Manitoba. Subsequently, she received a Manitoba Health Research Council Clinical Research Fellowship award and completed additional training in lymphoma. She also completed a Master’s of Science with a thesis project examining patient and system factors resulting in delays in the diagnosis and treatment of lymphoma.

Hematologist, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Groups: Leukemia & Bone and Marrow Transplantation

Academic Profile

Comparative clinical effectiveness and clinical outcomes research in leukemia and blood and marrow transplantation.

Brief Biography

Dr. Craig Speziali completed a Bachelor of Science (Hons.) in Microbiology and Immunology from Western University in 2003. He went on to complete a Master of Science in Microbiology and Immunology from Western University in 2005. His Master’s thesis was focused on iron acquisition in Staphylococcus aureus. He then moved to the University of Toronto where he completed his MD in 2011. He completed a residency in general internal medicine at the University of Calgary before coming to Winnipeg in 2014 for specialty training in adult hematology at the University of Manitoba. Most recently, he completed a fellowship in leukemia and blood and marrow transplant with the Manitoba Blood and Marrow Transplant Program and the University of Manitoba in 2017.

Medical Oncologist, CancerCare Manitoba, Taché Site

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Groups: Breast

Academic Profile

Dr. Thiessen’s main research interest is in supporting the identity and wellbeing of those affected by cancer through information sharing.

Brief Biography

Dr. Thiessen is a medical oncologist and researcher at CancerCare Manitoba and holds academic appointments in the Department of Medicine, Section of Haematology and Medical Oncology at the University of Manitoba. As a clinician and researcher he is passionate about equity, equality, and providing patient centered care through innovation and research.

Hematologist, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Groups: Lymphoproliferative & General Hematology

Academic Profile

Lymphoproliferative disorders, translational and epidemiological based studies.

Brief Biography

Dr. Yang is a hematologist and researcher at CancerCare Manitoba and has a clinical practice in lymphoma including chronic lymphocytic leukemia and general hematology. She attended medical school at McMaster University before returning to the University of Manitoba to complete her Internal Medicine and Hematology training. Before medical school, she completed her Ph.D. at the University of Toronto. The focus of her doctoral research was on cancer-driving genes in acute leukemia. Her current major area of focus is in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Professor, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Co-Chair/Organizer, Blood Disorder Day, CancerCare Manitoba, and the University of Manitoba

Chair, Acute Care-Hematology Research Cluster, CancerCare Manitoba, and the University of Manitoba.

Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology; Critical Care; and the Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba

Lyonel G Israel’s Research Chair of Hematology, University of Manitoba

Course Director, Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Group: General Haematology

Academic Profile

His research focuses on the hematologic aspects of critical illness where he leads several national and international clinical trials aimed at improving the survival of cancer and blood disorders patients who have life-threatening infections. After conducting several large multi-national trials over the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Zarychanski and team have turned their attention to non-COVID lung infections, the most common cause of hospital admissions in patients with cancer.

Brief Biography

Dr. Zarychanski is a Professor, Hematologist, Critical Care physician, and Clinician-Scientist at the University of Manitoba and CancerCare Manitoba. His research focuses on the hematologic aspects of critical illness where he leads several national and international randomized trials in the fields of sepsis, anticoagulation and transfusion medicine. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he served as the Chair for recent adaptive platform trials evaluating anticoagulation strategies in COVID-19 and sepsis, and has contributed to the establishment of a novel trial methods of global collaboration in clinical trials, including the development of the multiplatform randomized trial (mpRCT).

Medical Oncologist, CancerCare Manitoba, MacCharles Site

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Haematology/Oncology, University of Manitoba

Disease Site Group: Gastrointestinal (Neuroendocrine) & Genitourinary

Academic Profile: Dr. Zhang's research interests focus on neuroendocrine tumours, theranostics, prostate cancer and other genitourinary malignancies

Brief Biography

Dr. Zhang graduated from medical school at Western University in 2015. He completed Internal Medicine residency at the University of Manitoba, followed by Medical Oncology subspecialty training at the University of Alberta. He subsequently completed a clinical fellowship in Neuroendocrine tumours with a focus on theranostics at the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton, Alberta.