3rd Canadian Skin Research Conference 2026

Dr. Biernaskie completed his BSc in Neuroscience at the University of Lethbridge. He earned a PhD in Neuroscience at Memorial University with Dr. Dale Corbett studying the effects of focused rehabilitation on brain plasticity following stroke. He completed postdoctoral training with Freda Miller and David Kaplan studying skin and neural stem cell biology at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. In 2009, he joined the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Calgary, where is he currently a Professor in Regenerative Medicine.

He is a member of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and Hotchkiss Brain Institute and he holds the Calgary Firefighters Burn Treatment Society Chair in Skin Regeneration and Wound Healing. In 2019, he was elected as a member of the Royal Society of Canada, College of Scholars, Artists and Scientists. He is the recipient of the 2021 Till and McCulloch award for outstanding contributions to research in regenerative medicine and was named 2024 Killam Professor for excellence in scientific discovery and mentorship.

His research program is focused on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms that promote fibrotic versus regenerative healing with the goal of developing treatments to limit scar and better restore organ function following injury or disease. His group is also interested in how skin and brain stem/progenitor cells are regulated during homeostasis and how factors like injury, aging and the immune system impact their function.

Dr. Katie Cockburn is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and the Goodman Cancer Institute at McGill University and a Canada Research Chair Tier 2 in Dynamics of Tissue Regeneration. After earning a PhD in Molecular Genetics from the University of Toronto under the supervision of Dr. Janet Rossant, she did postdoctoral work in the lab of Dr. Valentina Greco at Yale University, developing intravital imaging approaches to track and interrogate cell fate decisions in epidermal stem cells in the skin of living mice.

Since starting her independent group in 2022, Dr. Cockburn aims to leverage genetic models and cutting-edge imaging technology to build a comprehensive picture of how stem cell behaviors in the skin are dynamically patterned at scales ranging from local interactions to tissue-wide cues. Ongoing projects also aim to understand how epithelial cells communicate with nearby niche components to maintain homeostasis and repair damage after different forms of environmental and physiological stress.

Dr. Andrew Leask is a full professor in the Department of Dentistry at the University of Saskatchewan. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of British Columbia in 1986, and his PhD in Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology from the University of Chicago in 1992. Dr. Leask conducted Postdoctoral studies in Biological Sciences at Stanford University in California.

Dr. Leask is a member of several professional societies including the American Society of Cell Biology and the International CCN Society. He is also on the editorial board of several journals, and a member of several grant review panels. Dr. Leask is also an award recipient, having received the fifth OTS Breathe New Life Award at the Better Breathing 2010 Conference

Research vision: To develop therapies for connective tissue (fibrotic) disease including scleroderma and melanoma. My work has shown that activated adhesive signaling exerted by connective tissue myofibroblasts, operating in part through the CCN family of matricellular proteins, is necessary and sufficient for perpetuating fibrosis. We are currently elucidating the precise role of the CCN family and signaling components both upstream and downstream of CCN action to identify specific reagents that could be used clinically to block fibrosis. We are also interested in exploiting why gingiva do not scar as a way of uncovering insights into scar-less repair.

Dr. Lucie Germain pursues a career in regenerative medicine. Her work is dedicated to postnatal epithelial stem cells and the reconstruction of human tissues for experimental and clinical applications. She has received the Léo Pariseau Award of ACFAS (2022) and was introduced in 2023 as a Fellow of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society.

The LOEX team has invented a new method of tissue engineering, the self-assembly approach and applied it to produce a bilayer skin substitute which is very similar to native skin and allows the preservation of stem cells, and a reconstructed human cornea. Dr. Germain current research on skin includes the improvement of tissue-engineered skin substitutes (pigmentation, addition of hair and glands) and the combination of gene therapy with tissue engineering to develop a treatment for epidermolysis bullosa. The funding is from Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Stem Cell Network, the Fonds de recherche du Québec en Santé (ThéCell) and the Fondation des Pompiers du Québec pour les Grands Brûlés (FPQGB).

Her work led to three clinical trials involving engineered-tissues produced in vitro applied to the treatment of venous ulcers, severely burned patients and limbal stem cell deficiency of the cornea.

Health research is a global enterprise that has produced vital advances in reducing mortality and burden of disease. However, much can be done to improve the value and return on investment of funds spent on conducting research. Dr. An-Wen Chan is developing research system solutions to improve the quality and efficiency of research while enhancing patient care. These solutions aim to improve how research is designed, conducted and reported to ensure that healthcare decisions are based on the best evidence.

As a dermatologist and skin cancer surgeon, Dr. Chan sees first-hand how the increasing prevalence of skin cancer affects the lives of his patients. Access to high-quality research evidence is essential to providing the best care to and improving outcomes for these patients through novel prevention and treatment strategies. To accomplish this, Dr. Chan is focused on ensuring that research is conducted and reported in a way that minimizes bias and promotes quality for the benefit of patients and providers.

Currently, Dr. Chan chairs the SPIRIT (Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials) initiative, which was launched in 2007 to help improve the completeness and quality of clinical trial protocols. The evidence-based SPIRIT recommendations were developed using systematic, transparent methodology and broad consultation with numerous experts involved in the design, funding, conduct, review, and publication of trial protocols. Under Dr. Chan’s leadership, SPIRIT has received global endorsement by 33 organizations, including the World Association of Medical Editors, European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network and GlaxoSmithKline. Over 100 medical journals have also introduced policies recommending that submitted trial protocols adhere to the SPIRIT guidelines, improving the way health research is conducted.

At a global policy level, Dr. Chan chairs the World Health Organization’s Advisory Panel for the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. By producing and adopting evidence-based guidance for researchers and leveraging technology to design clinical trials, Dr. Chan hopes to promote a future where health research is accessible, transparent and high quality. The widespread adoption of these strategies also has the potential to improve the quality and efficiency of the research that underpins patient care.

Dr Anie Philip’s research is centred on understanding the mechanisms underlying the regulation of cellular signaling pathways and their role in diseases such as tissue fibrosis, osteoarthritis, and squamous cell carcinoma. Dr Philip’s team has discovered CD109 as a key inhibitor of the TGF-b signaling pathway, exhibiting strong anti-fibrotic properties in animal models and scleroderma patient cells. Her research on understanding the mechanisms underlying the pathology of skin fibrosis and CD109 function has led to the development of promising anti-fibrotic molecules for which several patents have been issued. Her research in the area of cartilage repair is aimed at understanding how aberrant regulation of TGF-b signaling may contribute to the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. Dr Philip’s work on squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) has identified membrane anchored CD109 as a strong tumor promoter, as evidenced by work using animal models. Her work in this field is focused on delineating the cellular mechanisms by which CD109 regulates SCC tumor growth. Dr Philip’s research is supported by CIHR Project grants, a CIHR Network grant, NSERC Discovery and Alliance grants, and FQRNT grants.

Dr Philip is a founding member of SRGC and has served as its first president. She currently serves as an Associate Director and Executive Committee member of Skin Investigation Network of Canada (SkIN Canada) and as Co-Chair of its Training Committee. She has previously served on the Board of Directors of the Wound Healing Society, as the Chair of its Awards Committee and as a Co-Chair of its Annual Conference. She currently serves on its Scientific Program Committee.  She also serves on the editorial boards of several journals including Wound Repair and Regeneration, Advances in Wound Repair, Journal of Cell Communication and Signaling, and Frontiers in Medicine Dermatology.

Vaccination is one of the most efficient and cost-effective methods of promoting health. Immunization as a possible treatment for cancer is a recent concept. One of the limitations of current vaccine protocols is inefficient priming for cytotoxic T lymphocytes, which are important in the control of viral infections and tumours. Skin dendritic cells are potent antigen presenters to the immune system. However, the skin historically has been regarded as a barrier and has not been intensively studied as an organ of immunization.

Our laboratory is engaged in studies to optimize the use of the skin as an organ to alter systemic immune responses. In separate projects, we are studying the priming or activation of T cells involved in models of systemic lupus erythematosus and juvenile onset diabetes mellitus.

Dana is the Executive Director of the Canadian Skin Patient Alliance, bringing over 20 years of leadership in advocacy, research collaboration, and patient engagement across health care, education, and nonprofit sectors. With deep roots in community-based advocacy through more than two decades volunteering with Cystic Fibrosis Canada, she has championed patient voices and helped lead one of the country’s most successful local fundraising campaigns. Her background includes senior roles at the University of Waterloo, where she managed international research partnerships, led global engagement strategies, and secured funding for mobility and inclusion initiatives. She has also taught Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) to graduate students and professionals, aligning her leadership with inclusive health policy and patient centered outcomes. Through her strategic mindset and cross-sector experience, Dana continues to build impactful partnerships, elevate underrepresented voices, and drive meaningful change in Canada’s health advocacy landscape

After completing his Bachelor of Science at Nankai University, China, and his Masters of Science at Tulane University, New Orleans, Dr. Zhou earned his PhD in Molecular Genetics at the State University of New York, followed by his medical degree at the University of Toronto. He completed his residency training specializing in dermatology at the University of British Columbia.

Dr. Zhou is a Professor in the Department of Dermatology and Skin Science, University of British Columbia. He is the Director of the Chieng Genomics Centre and Laboratory of Predictive Medicine and Therapeutics in the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute. He is also on active staff at the BC Cancer Agency.

Dr. Zhou specialized in Medical Dermatology, Skin Oncology and Laser Skin Surgery in his clinical practice. He is currently the Co-director of the Vancouver General Hospital Psoriasis and Phototherapy Clinic.

Dr. Zhou is active in scientific research on melanoma, skin pigmentation, rosacea, hyperhidrosis and psoriasis.  He has been the principal investigator in over 20 research projects, and supervised graduate students and post-doctoral fellows at the University of British Columbia. He has three patents being files for diagnosis and treatment of skin diseases.

He has been the principal investigator in over 20 research projects, and is a supervisor for both the Experimental Medicine Graduate Program and the Clinical Dermatology Fellowship at the University of British Columbia.

Dr. Zhou has many journal publications that he has co-authored, has lectured at universities around the world. He has three patents being filed for the diagnosis and treatment of skin diseases.

Josephine Salib is an accomplished Research Coordinator with extensive experience in clinical research, specializing in projects related to Stroke, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease and now Skin research. She applies her expertise to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously , utilizing a foundation built during her tenure at a major academic institution’s affiliated hospital network since January 2019.

Josephine holds a Master’s degree in Neuroscience and Biotechnology from the University of Bordeaux, France (2017-2019) , complemented by a Double Major in Kinesiology and Film Cinema and media studies from York University in Toronto (2012-2016). 

Her research contributions are reflected in multiple publications and in-progress projects focusing on areas like: Postural control and brain volume loss in mild cognitive impairment, The interplay between aging, brain plasticity, and sleep architecture in memory consolidation and the effect of exercise modalities and intensity on motor learning and neurorecovery in conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and stroke.

Known for her consistent excellent performance and ability to create creative solutions , Josephine is a highly organized and reliable team worker. She possesses excellent time management skills, which enable her to schedule events, manage meetings, and respect project deadlines.

A valuable asset in a national network, she is fluent in English, French, and Arabic, with beginner skills in Spanish

Mbarka Bchetnia holds a PhD in Biological Sciences. From 2019 to 2023, she was a grant-funded professor in the Department of Fundamental Sciences at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC, Quebec). She is also an Associate Clinical Professor at the Université de Sherbrooke (Quebec) since 2018. Her research fields include the molecular study of rare diseases through the identification of causal genes and mutations. During her postdoctoral training in the genetics laboratory led by Prof. Catherine Laprise at UQAC, she established a biobank of biological materials for epidermolysis simplex, a rare dermatological disease. She conducted genetic and transcriptomic studies of this disease in patients from the province of Quebec and carried out correction of the identified mutations using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, with the aim of developing an effective and permanent therapy. Since 2023, she has been coordinating a clinical trial for epidermolysis bullosa in the laboratory of Dr. Lucie Germain at the LOEX-Université Laval.

My lab’s main goal is to improve pathogenetic, diagnostic and therapeutic knowledge of skin cancers, especially Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC), the most common of all human cancers, so patients can benefit from new targeted therapies and management options. In particular, we aim to define the cellular and molecular phenotypes of BCC that underlie aggressive tumor behavior. We are using computational biology, genomics, and molecular biology approaches on several types of samples. These include data from large cancer consortia, patient-derived tumors, publicly-available sequencing data from other patient cohorts, and primary cancer cell lines. With emphasis on clinically-important features, we are also interested in finding novel signaling pathways and actionable targets for BCC, and in characterizing the BCC tumor microenvironment.

Billions of cells in our bodies die every day as a part of normal homeostasis, with conservative estimates suggesting the loss of 41 million cells an hour. To prevent the depletion of our tissues, adult stem cells exist in these death-rich settings and serve the essential purpose of dividing to both self-renew and differentiate to replace eliminated cells.

Despite this basic tenet of stem cell biology, we know strikingly little about how stem cells experience and respond to the death of their neighbours in either healthy or diseased tissues. As a postdoc, Dr. Stewart made the exciting finding that hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) transiently induce a phagocytic (“eating”) program of gene expression in response to signals from their dying neighbours, which results in the stem cell engulfing (“clearing”) the dying corpse. This stem cell eating behaviour serves to protect the hair follicle from aberrant immune cell infiltration and preserve homeostasis.

Using sophisticated genetics, single-cell transcriptomics, and multiplexed confocal fluorescence imaging techniques in organoids, mouse models and human patient samples, the Stewart lab’s future research directions will build upon this exciting concept to ask: (i) Why do stem cells engulf apoptotic corpses in homeostasis? (ii) How does corpse clearance contribute to tissue pathology? (iii) How does this translate to human biology?

Together, Dr. Stewart’s research develops a new concept in stem cell biology: that engulfment of dying cells directly impacts stem cell function and acts as a rheostat to return tissues to homeostasis, with dysregulation in this process directly contributing to diseases such as squamous cell carcinoma and alopecia areata (pathological hair loss). These projects will uncover fundamental mechanisms which dictate stem cell behaviours in homeostasis and tissue pathologies that may be amenable to therapeutic targeting.

Project title: Development of an in vivo mouse screening platform to identify molecular effectors of non-melanoma skin cancers.

Mélanie Laurin is a researcher in the Oncology program of the CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center. She is also an assistant professor at the Faculty of Medicine in the Department of Molecular Biology, Medical Biochemistry and Pathology at Laval University.

Her research activities aim to understand the molecular mechanisms that orchestrate the embryonic development of the skin and their contribution when perturbed to the progression of cancer in this tissue. Her team is particularly interested by the contribution of Rho GTPases and the cytoskeletal networks in these processes. For their work, the Laurin team members use innovative approaches in mice that allow to genetically modify skin progenitors, which they combine with cell culture models.

Ultimately, Professor Laurin’s studies aim at revealing new therapeutic opportunities for the treatment of skin cancers (other than melanoma). These cancers are the most common in human and in addition to harming the quality of life of patients even when treatable, result in a tremendous financial burden for our health system.

Project Title: The Development of a Psychodermatology Risk Assessment Tool: Improving Care for Patients with Atopic Dermatitis and Other Psychodermatologic Conditions.

Dr. Dytoc is director for undergraduate medical education and medical director of specialty clinics for occupational and hand eczema, psychodermatology and vulvar dermatology. She is provincial physician lead for Connect Care’s Dermatology Working Group. Now the dermatology Edmonton Zone deputy chief, her leadership as interim zone chief was recognized by the Department of Medicine in 2016. She is the Dermatology Division’s lead for the Strategic Clinical Improvement Committee and now Dermatology lead for the Edmonton Quality Council. In 2014, Dr. Dytoc established the Vulvar Dermatology Clinic at the Kaye Edmonton Clinic and co-established the Multidisciplinary Vulvar Diseases Clinic at the Lois Hole Women’s Hospital in collaboration with Dr. Nan Schuurmans. She also started the Occupational Eczema Clinic, in collaboration with the Division of Preventive Medicine’s Dr. Sebastian Straube. In 2020, she established the Multidisciplinary Skin Health Clinic (Psychodermatology) at the Kaye Edmonton Clinic, in collaboration with the Department of Psychiatry’s Dr. Adam Abba-Aji and Dr. Xin-Min Li. She has served in executive positions with the Alberta Society of Dermatology and the Chinese Canadian Medical Society of Edmonton.