The Ontario Leadership Table for Clinical Trials brings together executive leaders from Ontario’s research-intensive hospitals and world-leading pharmaceutical companies conducting clinical trials in the province. With three key ministries—Colleges and Universities; Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade; and Health—participating as observers, the Table reflects a unique, province-wide commitment to collaboration across sectors that shape Ontario’s clinical research ecosystem.
Focused on expanding clinical trial opportunities and accelerating access to innovative therapies, the Ontario Leadership Table has outlined its shared priorities in a position paper designed to drive transformative change in Ontario’s clinical trials environment. This work includes an ambitious 45-day target for new study activations, supported through enhancements to CTO’s QuickSTART program, as well as coordinated efforts to improve trial recruitment, broaden access to health data, and advance therapies and trials for rare diseases. The Table continues to guide and champion strategies that foster the policies, investments, and system-level improvements needed to sustain a world-class clinical trials environment in Ontario.
Ontario Leadership Table Chair |
|
| AbbVie | Stephanie Sauvageau, Medical Director |
| AstraZeneca | |
| Bayer Inc. | Shurjeel Choudhri, Senior Vice President and Head, Medical and Scientific Affairs |
| Bristol Myers Squibb | Mary Tzortzis, Head, Regional Clinical Operations Canada |
| CHEO | Dr. Jason Berman, CEO and Scientific Director, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, and Vice-President, Research, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario |
| Eli Lilly | Taline Movsessian, Associate VP for Medical Affairs |
| GSK | Michelle Horn, VP and Country Medical Director |
| Hamilton Health Sciences | Dr. Marc Jeschke, Vice President Research and Chief Scientific Officer |
| Janssen Inc | Alexander Henderson, VP Medical Affairs |
| Kingston General Health Research Institute | Dr. Steven Smith, President & CEO, Kingston General Health Research Institute, and Vice President, Health Sciences Research, Kingston Health Sciences Centre |
| London Health Sciences Centre | Dr. Chris McIntyre, Vice President Research and Scientific Director (Interim) |
| Merck | David Jones, President and Managing Director |
| Novartis | Hulya Demirel, Study and Site Operations Country Head, Canada |
| NovoNordisk | Ebele Ola, Vice President, Clinical, Medical & Regulatory Affairs |
| Ontario Hospital Association | Melissa Prokopy, Vice President, Policy and Advocacy |
| Pfizer | Sean Gardiner, Vice President & Medical Director |
| Roche | Dan Edgcumbe, President & CEO (Interim) |
| Sanofi | |
| SickKids | Dr. PJ Subbarao, Associate Chief, Clinical Research |
| Sinai Health | Dr. Anne-Claude Gingras, Director of the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, and Vice President of Research for Sinai Health |
| St. Joseph's Health Care London, Lawson Research Institute | |
| Sunnybrook | Dr. Michael Kolios, Vice-President, Research and Innovation, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre |
| Takeda | Andrew Vieira, Country Head, Medical & Scientific Affairs |
| The Ottawa Hospital | Dr. Rebecca Auer, CEO & Scientific Director, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and Executive Vice-President, Research and Innovation, The Ottawa Hospital |
| Unity Health | Dr. Ori Rotstein, Vice-President, Research and Innovation |
| University Health Network | Brad Wouters, Executive Vice-President, Science and Research |
Ontario’s Ambition to Accelerate Timely Access to Trials and New Therapies
