Events

Queen's Park, Toronto

With the support of the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation, OGI hosted this event at the Ontario legislature at Queen’s Park, which exposed Ontario MPPs and Ministry staff to the impacts of genomics research in Ontario.  Five success stories were presented in an open forum with drop-in discussions led by OGI-funded researchers and their market receptor partners.

The Honourable John Wilkinson, Minister of Research and Innovation, provided brief remarks, as did OGI’s President & CEO, Dr. Christian Burks.  The event drew more than 30 MPPs and Ministry staff, notably including: Hon. Deb Matthews, Minister of Children & Youth; Hon. Ted McMeekin, Minister of Government Services; and, Hon. Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Education; as well as high-ranking opposition party representatives.  Feedback from those in attendance was very positive.

From left to right: Dr. Christian Burks, OGI President & CEO; Dr. Wendy Roberts, Hospital for Sick Children; the Honourable John Wilkinson, Minister of Research and Innovation; Ms. Laurie Scott, MPP Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock; Mr. Michael Prue, MPP Beaches-East York; Dr. Mark Poznansky, OGI Board Chair; Dr. Stephen Scherer, Hospital for Sick Children.  Click here for our photo gallery.

Showcased projects, researchers and receptors:

• Genetic Diagnostics Enabling Personalized Cancer Care (click here to download display) – Dr. Brent Zanke (Principal Investigator (PI), Assessment of Risk of Colorectal Tumours in Canada (ARCTIC)) and Mr. Greg Hines (CEO, ArcticDx). 
• Genomics and Global Health: Bridging the Genomics Divide (click here to download display) – Drs. Abdallah Daar and Peter Singer (co-PIs, Strengthening the Role of Genomics and Global Health). 
• Needle in a Haystack: Identifying Cancer Stem Cells to Create More Effective Therapies (click here to download display) – Dr. Scott Tanner (PI, Massively Multiparametric Flow Cytometer Analyzer project, and President, DVS Sciences). 
• A New Lens into the Living World (click here to download display) – Dr. Paul Hebert (PI, Canadian Barcode of Life Network), Dr. Mehrdad Hajibabaei (co-investigator) and Mr. Richard Strafehl (CEO, Safeguard Biosystems). 
• Understanding Autism (click here to download display) – Dr. Stephen Scherer (PI, Autism Genome Project) and Dr. Wendy Roberts (co-investigator and developmental paediatrician).