Inhye Ahn, MD

Assistant Professor
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA, USA

Dr. Ahn is an Assistant Professor at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School who specializes in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Despite significant advances made in the field, CLL patients continue to have heterogeneous outcomes and frequently develop drug resistance against targeted agents. Her research focuses on genomic analysis to improve the identification of high-risk CLL and the development of novel treatment strategies that can overcome treatment resistance.

Versha Banerji, MD, FRCPC

Associate Professor
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, MB

Dr. Banerji obtained her MD and residency training in Internal Medicine and Hematology at the University of Manitoba. She then completed a post-doctoral fellowship in translational research at the Harvard Cancer Centre/ Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Broad Institute of MIT. She is a Senior Scientist at the CancerCare Manitoba Research Institute, Associate Professor at the University of Manitoba, and a Clinician-Scientist at CancerCare Manitoba. She Co-leads the CLL clinic and is involved in several clinical trials and population-based treatment studies. As Co-chair of the CLL Research Program she manages a multi-disciplinary research team in clinical, fundamental and translational research. Her own laboratory is evaluating mitochondrial bioenergetics and function as a measure of cancer cell metabolism.

Professor Kate Cwynarski, MD, PhD

Professor of Hematology, UCL
Lymphoma Haem-Oncologist,  University College London Hospital
London, UK

Kate Cwynarski is Professor of Hematology at UCL and a Haem-Oncologist specializing in Lymphoma at University College London Hospital, London, UK. She trained in London and received her MRC-funded PhD in Immunology at Imperial College. Her sub-specialist interests include Central Nervous System (CNS) Lymphoma, T-cell Lymphomas, HIV-related, PTLD and high-grade B-cell lymphomas. She is involved in CAR-T cell trials for refractory DLBCL and T-cell lymphomas. She leads the UK T cell Lymphoma Group and previously led the UK CNSL Group and British Society for Hematology (BSH) Lymphoma Specialist Interest Group. She is involved in clinical trials and has led and co-authored BSH, EHA, EBMT and ESMO guidelines. She has co-authored over 150 journal articles.

Alex F. Herrera, MD

Chief, Division of Lymphoma
Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
Associate Medical Director, Briskin Center for Clinical Research & Duarte Clinical Trials Office

Dr. Alex F. Herrera, is the Chief of the Division of Lymphoma in the Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation at City of Hope and is the Associate Medical Director of the Briskin Center for Clinical Research & City of Hope Duarte Clinical Trials Office. He earned his undergraduate degree summa cum laude from Princeton University and received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. Dr. Herrera completed his residency in internal medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, before pursuing a hematology-oncology fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Massachusetts General Hospital and ultimately a Bone Marrow Transplantation fellowship at City of Hope. Dr. Herrera’s clinical and research interests center on immunotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with lymphoma. He leads several clinical trials evaluating immune checkpoint inhibitors and other novel agents for the treatment of relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma or classical Hodgkin lymphoma. He also studies biomarkers of response and outcome in patients with lymphoma treated with immunotherapies or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Dr. Herrera is the recipient of several honors, grants and awards, has published over 120 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, and is a member of several national and international committees including the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for Hodgkin Lymphoma, the SWOG Lymphoma Committee Working Group, the CIBMTR Committee on Practice Guidelines, Incoming Co-director of ASH Clinical Research Training Institute, Vice-Chair of the ASH DEI Committee and he is a Co-Chair of the CIBMTR Lymphoma Working Committee.

Christopher Hillis, MD, MSc, FRCPC 

Hematologist, Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre
Hamilton Health Sciences
Hamilton, ON 

Dr. Chris Hillis is a Malignant Hematologist at the Juravinski Cancer Centre and an Associate Professor in the Department of Oncology at McMaster University. He is currently the interim Vice President of Oncology for Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS), formerly the Chief of Oncology at HHS and prior, was an Associate Chief Medical Information Officer for HHS. He completed an MSc in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety and was a Quality Scholar at the US Department of Veteran Affairs. His clinical practice focuses on the care of patients with CLL and MPNs. Dr. Hillis leads a CIHR funded research program examining the appropriateness of clinical trial outcomes for patients with hematologic malignancies. He is President of the Canadian Hematology Society and previously has held leadership positions with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada as well as Choosing Wisely Canada.

Caron Jacobson, MD

Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Medical Director, Immune Effector Cell Therapy Program, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Caron Jacobson is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a lymphoma clinical investigator at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Her research interests relate to the use of cellular therapies for the treatment of lymphoma. She is also the Medical Director of the Immune Effector Cell Therapy Program and Dana-Farber, which houses all commercial and research efforts related to cellular therapies across the institute.

Xavier Leleu, MD, PhD

Professor, Head of the Myeloma Clinic
Head, Department of Hematology
Hôpital La Mileterie – CHU de Poitiers
Poitiers, France

Xavier Leleu, MD, PhD, is Professor of Hematology at the Hôpital La Mileterie, part of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) de Poitiers in Poitiers, France. He serves as Head of the Myeloma Clinic and the Department of Hematology, and leads the Thor axis early-phase clinical research team at CIC U Inserm 1082. He works in close collaboration with the Immunology fundamental lab U Inserm 1313.

Professor Leleu earned his medical degree from the University of Bordeaux, France. He completed his specialization in public healthcare and statistics at the University of Medicine of Paris, and in hematology at the University of Medicine of Lille. He also holds a Master’s degree in cellular biology and a PhD from the University of Lille, completing his doctoral research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, affiliated with Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Before joining Poitiers, Professor Leleu led the Myeloma Clinic in Lille for nearly 15 years under the mentorship of Professor Thierry Facon. His research has focused on the preclinical development of novel agents, resistance mechanisms, and dormancy in Waldenström macroglobulinemia, as well as the clinical development of innovative therapies in multiple myeloma.

He was trained under Dr. Irene Ghobrial and Dr. Steven Treon in Professor Kenneth Anderson’s laboratory. Professor Leleu is a member of the Board of Directors of the Intergroupe Francophone du Myélome (IFM). His current research explores emerging immunologic and immunotherapy-based approaches with the goal of advancing toward a cure in multiple myeloma.

Dr. Matthew Lunning D.O., FACP

Professor & Interim Chief, Division of Hematology, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Associate Vice Chair, Internal Medicine
Assistant Vice Chancellor,  Clinical Research
Medical Director of Gene & Cellular Therapies
Nebraska, USA

Dr. Matthew Lunning is a Professor and Interim Chief of the Division of Hematology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Lunning also is the James O. Armitage, MD, Chair in Hematological Malignancies, Associate Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Internal Medicine, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Clinical Research, and Medical Director of Gene & Cellular Therapies.

He received his medical degree from Des Moines University in 2006. Dr. Lunning completed his internal medicine residency at UNMC where he served as Chief Medical Resident. He completed his Hematology/Oncology fellowship and served as the Hematology Chief Fellow at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Lunning returned to UNMC in 2013 and has been active in clinic research, research mentoring, education, and patient care. Dr. Lunning was the recipient of the Distinguished Scientist Award in 2019.

Dr. Lunning has served on several National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s guidelines committees, including the Immunotherapy Toxicity & T-cell lymphoma panels. He has served as an invited member of ASCO’s Cancer Education Committee on Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. He is the co-organizer of the Pan Pacific Lymphoma Conference.

Robert Puckrin, MD, PhD

Hematologist, Arthur Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre
Clinician-investigator, University of Calgary
Calgary, Alberta

Dr. Robert Puckrin is a Hematologist and clinician-investigator at the Arthur Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Alberta Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, and the University of Calgary in Calgary, Canada. Having obtained his medical degree from McGill University, he completed Internal Medicine training at the University of Toronto and subsequent training in Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy at the University of Calgary. His main clinical and research interests are in lymphoma, hematopoietic cell transplantation, CAR-T cells and bispecific antibodies, clinical trials, and real-world data.

John Seymour, MBBS, PhD, FRACP, FRCPA

Professor, Director of Haematology
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre & Royal Melbourne Hospital
University of Melbourne
Melbourne, Australia

John Seymour, MBBS, PhD, is Professor of Haematology and Director of the Department of Haematology at both the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. He completed his medical training at the University of Melbourne and undertook a translational research fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, where he was later recognized with the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2011. He earned his PhD through research conducted at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research.

Professor Seymour is internationally recognized for his work in hematologic malignancies, particularly in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and lymphoma. He serves as co-chair of Australia’s federal ministerial Blood Cancer Taskforce and is a member of numerous national and international advisory boards, including the International Workshop on CLL, Hairy Cell Leukemia Foundation, International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma, and the International Extranodal Lymphoma Study Group.

A dedicated academic, he is Editor-in-Chief of Leukemia & Lymphoma, serves on multiple editorial boards, and has authored more than 600 peer-reviewed publications, over 20 book chapters, and more than 900 conference abstracts. His research leadership includes acting as principal investigator on over 90 clinical trials and securing more than AUD $90 million in competitive research funding over the past decade. In recognition of his contributions to hematology, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2015 and elected to the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.

Suzanne Trudel, MD, FRCPC

Consultant Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
Bloom-Reece Professorship in Multiple Myeloma
Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto
Clinician Scientist. Ontario Cancer Institute

Dr. Trudel received her MD degree from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto and subsequently completed subspecialty training in Hematology at the University of Toronto-affiliated hospitals. This was followed by a research fellowship at Weill Medical College of Cornell in New York City. Dr. Trudel returned to Toronto as a consultant and clinician scientist in the Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and is currently appointed as Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto.

Dr Trudel has served on the Steering Committee of the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC). She is a member of the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG). She is a previous member of the Ad Hoc Scientific Committee on Plasma Cell Biology for the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and a previous recipient of an ASH Scholar Award. Currently, Dr Trudel is appointed as a special expert member of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) myeloma steering committee.

Prof. Pier Luigi Zinzani 

Professor of Hematology, University of Bologna
Board of Directors, Italian Foundation on Lymphoma
President, Italian Society of Hematology
Bologna, Italy

Dr. Zinzani is currently the Head of the Institute of Hematology “Seràgnoli” at the University of Bologna. Since January 2025, he has served as the President of the Italian Society of Hematology. A member of the Board of Directors of the Italian Foundation on Lymphoma (FIL), he continues to lead and collaborate on numerous national and international clinical trials in lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. His current research interests include clinical trial methodology, prognostic factors in NHL, Hodgkin’s disease, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, new drug development, and hairy cell leukemia. He has authored over 840 peer-reviewed papers in journals and has presented his research at more than 525 national and international meetings.

Tina Crosbie, PharmD

Clinical Hematology Pharmacist, The Ottawa Hospital
Hematology Pharmacist, Extend Pharmacy
Ottawa, ON

Tina Crosbie is a clinical hematology pharmacist at The Ottawa Hospital’s ambulatory hematology unit. With over 25 years of experience, she counsels patients diagnosed with lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and acute and chronic leukemia.
For the past six years, Tina is also a hematology pharmacist at Extend Pharmacy, a community oncology-focused pharmacy. Here she supports patients in managing their take-home anti-cancer therapy.
Tina’s research aims to optimize drug administration and enhance patient education. She evaluates pharmacy education programs for CCCEP and volunteers her time for CAPhO, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and Myeloma Canada.

Calvin Kruger RN, BSc Biology, BScN(AD), MScRM, PhD Student

Registered Nurse, Royal Alexandra Emergency Department
PhD Student, University of Alberta
Calgary, AB

Calvin is a registered nurse at the Royal Alexandra Emergency Department and a PhD student at the University of Alberta. His research interests include changes in body composition, functional capacity, and patient experiences in chronic disease and oncology populations. He has previously completed an MSc in Rehabilitation Medicine, investigating the effects of home-based exercise interventions in patients with liver cirrhosis. His recent work on the life experiences of chronic cancer patients has been nationally recognized at the Canadian Nurses in Oncology national conference. In his free time, he enjoys a good pour over coffee, riding his mountain bike, and spending time with his three young kids.

Margaret L. McNeely, PT, PhD

Professor, Department of Physical Therapy/ Department of Oncology
University of Alberta & Cancer Care Alberta
Edmonton, AB

Margaret (Margie) McNeely is a Professor in the Departments of Physical Therapy and Oncology at the University of Alberta, in a jointly funded position with Cancer Care Alberta. She is the Director of the Cancer Rehabilitation Research Clinic at the University of Alberta. Her research focuses on physical therapy and exercise interventions to address cancer- and treatment-related impairments, with the aim improve physical function and quality of life across the cancer continuum.

Jenna Swift, RD 

Clinical Dietitian, Cross Cancer Institute
Edmonton, AB

Jenna Swift is a Registered Dietitian who graduated from the University of Alberta in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Nutrition and Food Science and an Integrated Internship. She also has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Thompson Rivers University. She now works in an outpatient clinical setting at the Cross Cancer Institute, counselling patients with hematological cancers. She teaches a provincial outpatient class for patients with all types of cancer, focusing on good nourishment while having cancer treatment and managing nutrition-related side effects. She enjoys going to new grocery stores, especially in other cities or countries, to see the variety in fruit, vegetables, and desserts.