Dr. Richard LeBlanc is a hematologist and medical oncologist at the CIUSSS de l’Est de l’Ile de Montréal – Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont. He is also an associate professor of clinic at the Université de Montréal, medical head of the clinical immunology laboratory at Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, and the holder of the Myeloma Canada Chair. Dr. LeBlanc earned his MD in 1995, completed his certifications in internal medicine (1998) and hematology (2000) at Université Laval, and pursued further research training at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Since then, he has dedicated himself to improving care for multiple myeloma patients through research, education, and clinical practice.

Dr. Darrell White is a hematologist at Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre and a professor of medicine at Dalhousie University. As the senior associate dean of the Faculty of Medicine, he has been extensively involved in medical education. His clinical and research work focuses on the treatment of multiple myeloma, and he has held leadership positions in medical education at both Dalhousie University and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Dr. Julie Stakiw is a hematologist specializing in multiple myeloma. She completed her medical training at the University of Saskatchewan and hematology training at Queen’s University. Her clinical focus is on developing treatment pathways for multiple myeloma. She has led numerous clinical trials and received grants for her translational research in myeloma at the Saskatchewan Advanced Diagnostic Research Laboratory.

Dr. Sofia Tavoularis was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2014, the year she retired from Canadian Blood Services as Director of the HLA Laboratory, where she oversaw national HLA genotyping for Canadian OneMatch stem cell donors. An expert in histocompatibility, immunogenetics, and molecular biology, she contributed to the discovery of 37 novel HLA alleles reported to the WHO Nomenclature Committee and published widely.

She serves on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Myeloma Research Group (CMRG) and previously contributed to the CMRG Project Review Committee. An emeritus member of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), she earned her PhD in immunogenetics from Johns Hopkins University and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Ottawa, where she later served as Adjunct Professor. Across her career, she has published 121 papers and abstracts spanning HLA and KIR genotyping, platelet and stem cell biology, and immunohematology.

Donna Reece, MD – Chief Medical Officer and Director Dr. Donna Reece is a distinguished Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto and serves as Director of the Multiple Myeloma and Related Diseases Program at Princess Margaret Hospital. She holds the prestigious Molly and David Bloom Chair in Multiple Myeloma Research. With extensive experience in clinical trials and international myeloma initiatives, Dr. Reece has served as Chair of the Multiple Myeloma Subcommittee for the Canadian Clinical Trials Group and held key roles in international consortia. As the Chief Medical Officer of the CMRG since its inception, her leadership continues to shape the group’s progress.

Dr Sindu Kanjeekal is a hematologist oncologist working at the Windsor Regional Cancer Center. She is an Assistant Professor at the Schulich School of Medicine and Adjunct Professor at the University of Windsor. She received her MD from Western University, Internal Medicine and Hematology at McMaster University and Medical Oncology at the University of Ottawa. She currently serves as the Chief of the Department on Oncology. She has had a career long interest in the clinical management of Multiple Myeloma, supports the strong local Windsor Myeloma patient support group and is proud to be a member of the CMRG.

Dr. Christopher Venner, a specialist in hematology with expertise in plasma cell dyscrasias, currently practices at BC Cancer Vancouver Centre. After completing fellowship training in the UK, he returned to Canada to lead the Myeloma/Plasma Cell Dyscrasias group at the Cross Cancer Institute. His academic focus on clinical trials and the evolution of plasma cell dyscrasia therapies is deeply integrated with his leadership role as Chair of the CMRG Canadian Multiple Myeloma Database initiative and the CMRG clinical trials group.

Dr. Paola Neri is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Calgary, hematologist, and Scientific Director of the Cancer Translational Research Core at the Arthur Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre. She earned her MD, oncology specialization, and PhD in Italy and trained at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute under Dr. Kenneth Anderson before joining Calgary in 2008. Her research focuses on multiple myeloma genomics, drug resistance, and novel therapeutic targets. Widely published, she has received funding from major international agencies and holds the Engineered Air Chair in Cancer Research. She is a recipient of the IMS Ken Anderson Young Investigator Award and CMRG’s Global Impact Award.

Dr. Michael Chu is a clinician scientist at the Cross Cancer Institute. He completed his medical training including General Internal Medicine residency and Medical Oncology fellowship at the University of Alberta. Dr. Chu was then awarded a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society fellowship for a combined clinical and research fellowship at Stanford University. Upon returning to Edmonton, his clinical focus includes lymphoma and myeloma. Academically, his research focuses on basic and translational cancer research with an emphasis on immune therapy (including next generation antibodies and cellular therapy). He also has a wide range of clinical research where he serves as principal investigator and sub-principal investigator on multiple phase I, II, and III clinical trials. Dr. Chu is actively involved in trainee education particularly with the local Medical Oncology fellows providing both didactic and bedside teaching.

Dr. Suzanne Trudel, MD, MSc, is a Consultant and Clinician Scientist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Professor at the University of Toronto. She earned her MD and completed Hematology subspecialty training at the University of Toronto, followed by a research fellowship at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Dr. Trudel has served on the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium Steering Committee and ASH’s Plasma Cell Biology Subcommittee and is currently a special expert member of the U.S. National Cancer Institute Myeloma Steering Committee. Her research focuses on novel drug development, therapeutic target validation, and early-phase clinical trials, with publications in leading journals.