Guest Speakers

Dr. Jack Bartram is a pediatric hematologist‑oncologist at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto and an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. A recognized clinician‑scientist, he serves as Medical Director of Molecular Hematology and has specialized expertise in pediatric leukemia genomics and advanced molecular diagnostics.

Trained in the United Kingdom, he completed a PhD focused on the molecular biology of leukemia, followed by a leukemia research fellowship at SickKids. His research focuses on the use of high‑throughput sequencing and other genomic technologies to improve risk stratification, relapse prediction, and the development of targeted therapeutic approaches for children with leukemia.

Dr. Julie Bergeron is a hematologist trained at the Université de Montréal, where she completed a residency in hematology followed by a fellowship focused on the molecular biology of blood cells. She has been practicing at Hôpital Maisonneuve‑Rosemont since 2008, with a clinical focus on acute leukemias (ALL and AML). She is responsible for the acute leukemia sub‑sector in clinical research at the HMR/IHOT site, serves as Head of the Hematology Laboratories within the Optilab CHUM network, and is a member of the Molecular Diagnostics Service at CEMTL‑HMR.

Dr. Gunnar Cario is a pediatric hematologist‑oncologist and Full Professor at the University of Kiel, Germany. He is Director of the Department of Pediatric Oncology and Rheumatology at the University Medical Center Schleswig‑Holstein (UKSH). His clinical and scientific expertise focuses primarily on childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

He holds several major leadership roles within international research networks, including President of the ALL‑BFM Group of the German Society of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology (GPOH) and Principal Investigator of the upcoming AIEOP‑BFM ALL 2025 trial. He also serves as National Chair of the EsPhALL and COG‑AALL1631 studies. His clinical research aims to improve risk stratification and therapeutic outcomes for children with acute leukemia.

Dr. Sonia Cellot is a pediatric hematologist‑oncologist and clinician‑scientist at CHU Sainte‑Justine. She is also an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the Université de Montréal and Head of the Immune Diseases and Cancer research axis at the CHU Sainte‑Justine Research Center.

Her research focuses primarily on the biology and epigenetic regulation of hematopoietic stem cells, with a particular interest in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia. Through an approach integrating basic research and clinical practice, Dr. Cellot actively contributes to the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in pediatric hematology‑oncology.

Dr. Vincent Philippe Lavallée is a hemato-oncologist and clinician-researcher at CHU Sainte-Justine, as well as an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the Université de Montréal. He is also the Scientific Director of the integrated genomics meta-platform at the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center. His research focuses on cellular and genomic heterogeneity in pediatric cancers, particularly acute leukemias, with the aim of better understanding their genomic alterations, identifying prognostic biomarkers, and highlighting new therapeutic targets. Through an approach that integrates advanced genomics and translational research, Dr. Lavallée actively contributes to the development of precision medicine in pediatric hemato-oncology.

Dr. Mignon Lee‑Cheun Loh is an internationally recognized physician‑scientist in pediatric hematology‑oncology whose more than 30‑year career has had a major impact on the treatment of childhood leukemias. She applies a “bedside to bench and back to bedside” approach, integrating genomic discoveries to develop more precise, risk‑adapted therapies. She holds a degree in Art History from Bryn Mawr College and obtained her medical degree from Columbia University, followed by clinical and research training at UCSF, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, and the Dana‑Farber Cancer Institute.

Her work has led to significant advances in the understanding of juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. As Chair of the ALL Committee of the Children’s Oncology Group (2015-2024), she oversaw major clinical trials, including the AALL1731 study demonstrating the effectiveness of blinatumomab, now recognized as a global standard of care. Since 2021, she has served as Division Head of Hematology, Oncology, Bone Marrow Transplant, and Cellular Therapies at Seattle Children’s Hospital, while continuing active research aimed at improving outcomes for children with cancer.

Charles Mullighan is a member (Professor) in the Department of Pathology and Senior Deputy Director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He trained as a hematologist in Adelaide with doctoral studies in Oxford England, and joined St Jude in 2004. His research program uses integrated genomic analysis, experimental modelling and drug development to define the drivers and vulnerabilities of acute leukemia. His work has defined the genetic basis of multiple new subtypes of leukemia, and these advances have entered the clinic as new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. He is the recipient of awards including a National Cancer Institute Outstanding Investigator Award, the Meyenburg Prize for Cancer Research, the American Society of Hematology Dameshek Prize, the American Association for Cancer Research - St. Baldrick’s Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement in Pediatric Cancer Research, and election to Fellowship of the Royal Society of London.

Dr. Guillaume Richard‑Carpentier is a hematologist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (University Health Network) in Toronto and an Assistant Professor and clinician‑scientist in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He completed his hematology training at the Université de Montréal, followed by a clinical and research fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

His clinical practice and research focus primarily on acute leukemias and myelodysplastic syndromes, with a particular interest in translational research, biomarker identification, and the development of early‑phase clinical trials evaluating novel targeted and combination therapies.

Dr. Lewis B. Silverman is a pediatric hematologist‑oncologist and the Professor of Pediatrics (Hettinger Family Endowed Chair) at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York. He serves as Director of the Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplantation and Associate Director of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center.  A recognized clinician‑scientist, his research focuses on improving the outcome for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and reducing the toxicities associated with currently available therapies. Since 2000, he has served as Principal Investigator of the DFCI Childhood ALL Consortium, an internationally-recognized clinical trials group consisting of institutions in the United States and Canada. A major focus of the clinical trials he developed and led has been on optimizing the dosing of asparaginase, an essential chemotherapeutic agent, with the goal of minimizing its toxicities while preserving maximal anti-leukemic efficacy.

Dr Thai Hoa Tran is a pediatric oncologist and clinician-scientist at CHU Sainte-Justine in Montreal, QC.  He obtained his medical degree at McGill University (2003 - 2008), completed his residency in General Pediatrics at the University of Western Ontario, London, ON (2008 - 2011), his clinical fellowship in pediatric hematology-oncology at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON (2011 - 2013) and pursued a research fellowship in the laboratory of Dr Mignon Loh at the University of California, San Francisco (2013 - 2016).  His independent research program aims to identify novel prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic vulnerabilities to improve the outcome of Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) and Philadelphia chromosome-like (Ph-like) ALL in the laboratory and to translate these discoveries into clinical trials.  He currently serves as the Study Chair of AALL2131 (NCT06124157), an NCI-funded phase 2 international trial investigating the addition of blinatumomab to chemotherapy plus TKI for patients with newly-diagnosed Ph+ or ABL-class Ph-like ALL.