63rd Annual André Aisenstadt Memorial Clinical Day

Grace Parraga PhD FCAHS

Professor and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair, Western University, London Canada

Grace is a Professor of Medicine, (Respirology), Biomedical Engineering and Medical Biophysics at Western University, London Canada as well as a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair and Scientist and Director of the Advanced Pulmonary Imaging Laboratories, at Robarts Research Institute and the Western Academy for Advanced Research.

She was born and raised in Sudbury, Canada, trained at the University of Washington, Seattle WA and University of Basel, Switzerland, and then joined F Hoffman La Roche AG as a Scientist, Pharma R&D in Basel. She was recruited to Western University to spearhead the development of a lung imaging research program and is currently President of the International Workshop for Pulmonary Functional Imaging, member of the Fleischner Society, fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and serves on the boards of the Canadian Thoracic Society and the German Centre for Lung Research (DZL). In 2025 she was honoured with the King Charles III Coronation Medal for service to Canada and the Canadian Thoracic Society Distinguished Lecturer award.

Her team’s research is focused on developing new imaging tools and measurements of asthma and COPD, contributing over 300 peer-reviewed publications to date. More than 250 students, residents and fellows have completed research in her program and over 2000 patients have participated in her lab’s research studies.

Dr. Michael Stickland, PhD

Professor, Pulmonary Division, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta and  Director, G. F. MacDonald Centre for Lung Health

Dr. Mike Stickland is a Professor in the Pulmonary Division of the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Dr. Stickland serves as Director of the G. F. MacDonald Centre for Lung Health, which delivers pulmonary rehabilitation to patients in Edmonton, and across northern and central Alberta.

Dr. Stickland’s research interests include understanding exercise intolerance, examining the cardiovascular consequences of chronic lung disease, and clinical innovations to improve pulmonary rehabilitation. His research is funded by: Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation.

Samy Suissa, PhD, FRSC, FCAHS

Distinguished James McGill Professor, Departments of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Medicine, McGill University, Director, Centre For Clinical Epidemiology , Lady Davis Institute-Jewish General Hospital

Samy Suissa is a Distinguished James McGill Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and Medicine, at McGill University, and Director of the Centre for Clinical Epidemiology, Lady Davis Institute of the Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Canada. He co-leads the Canadian Network for Observational Drug Effect Studies (CNODES).

Professor Suissa has conducted research on the real-world effects of medications used for different chronic diseases, including respiratory, cardiovascular, diabetes, rheumatic, and cancer. He specializes in research methods and authored over 600 peer-reviewed papers.

He serves or served on the editorial boards of several scientific journals, including European Respiratory Journal, Lancet Respiratory Medicine, Chest, Journal of COPD, Diabetes Care, Gut, and Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety.

He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and of the Canadian Academy of Health Science, has received the Distinguished Investigator award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the FC Donders Professorship Award from Universiteit Utrecht, Netherlands.

Dr. Nan Zhao, BSc, MDCM, FRCPC

Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, McGill University
Adult Respirology Program Director; Internal Medicine Clerkship Course Director, McGill University, Respirologist and Director of the Asthma Program, Jewish General Hospital

Dr. Nan Zhao is an Assistant Professor at McGill University and a respirologist specializing in complex airway diseases and eosinophilic lung conditions. She completed her medical degree at McGill University in 2014, followed by residency training in Internal Medicine and Respirology at McGill, and a clinical research fellowship in airways disease with Dr. Parameswaran Nair at the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health at McMaster University. Her clinical and research work focuses on the use of biologic therapies in asthma and COPD, with a particular interest in disease endotyping to personalize treatment. Dr. Zhao is actively involved in medical education and has held multiple educational leadership roles and currently serves as the Program Director for Adult Respirology and Internal Medicine Clerkship Course Director at McGill. She also leads the Asthma Program at the Jewish General Hospital, serves as site principal investigator for several airway clinical trials, and is actively engaged in collaborative clinical and research initiatives within the McGill network.

Dr. Mathew Cherian, MDCM, FRCPC (Respirology)

Respirologist, Division of Pulmonary Diseases, Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital, Assistant Professor of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

Dr. Cherian’s clinical and academic work focuses on the diagnosis and management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the delivery of pulmonary rehabilitation, integrating patient care and research. He completed his medical training at McGill University, earning his MDCM and completing residency training in Internal Medicine and Respirology, followed by a clinical fellowship in Obstructive Lung Disease and Pulmonary Rehabilitation at The Ottawa Hospital. Dr. Cherian is a practicing respirologist at the Jewish General Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital, where he is actively involved in the outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program. He is also involved in the teaching of medical students and residents.