2nd Annual
Patient Engagement Forum
Proudly brought to you by PatientVoicePartners
and co-hosted by HealthPartners in 2025!
Attendees can expect to acquire actionable insights for immediate implementation, ensuring concrete strategies to elevate their patient engagement endeavors.
November 3, 2025
Delta Toronto Airport, 655 Dixon Rd. Etobicoke, ON
2025 Agenda
8:00 – 8:30
Breakfast and Registration
8:30 – 8:45
Ursula Mann, Principal and Chief Patient Officer at Patient Voice Partners, Calgary, AB
8:45 – 9:00
Shauna Almas, Interm Chief Executive Officer at HealthPartners, Ottawa, ON
9:00 – 9:20
Nicole Dekort, President and Chief Executive Officer at Medtech Canada, Toronto, ON
Mark Smithyes, President at Janus Life Sciences Consulting; National Director at Delphic Research, Toronto, ON
Artificial Intelligence and Diagnosis: Growing Health Equity Through Timely and Accurate Diagnosis
Panel discussion exploring how advances in artificial intelligence are revolutionizing diagnostic pathways, while considering health equity, implementation strategies, and how to keep patients meaningfully involved as technology reshapes the diagnostic landscape.
Moderator: Karen Chuk, Founder and President at Karen Chuk Consulting Inc., Toronto, ON
Joseph Cafazzo, Executive Director, Centre for Digital Therapeutics at University Health Network, Toronto, ON
Shelagh Maloney, Chief Executive Officer at Digital Health Canada, Toronto, ON
Reg Joseph, Chief Executive Officer at Health Cities, Edmonton, AB
Break
10:10 – 10:45
Best Practices in Incorporating the Patient Voice in Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and Reimbursement
Panel discussion emphasizing best practices in embedding the patient voice into Canadian HTA and reimbursement processes, emphasizing the evolving roles of patients and caregivers in informing assessments, pricing negotiations, and policy decisions led by agencies such as Canada Drug Agency (CDA) and pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA).
Moderator: Honourable Jason Copping, ECA LLM MIR, Former Minister of Health at Government of Alberta, Special Advisor at Blue Rock Law, Senior Associate at IMC Projects, Calgary, AB
Bob Bick, CanCertainty Co-Lead, Toronto, ON
Kelly Cull, Director, Partner Relations at pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA), Halifax, Nova Scotia
Michelle Gibbens, Director, Engagement, Canada’s Drug Agency (CDA), Winnipeg, MB
10:45 – 11:05
The Value and Impact of Patient Engagement:
What Gets Measured Gets Improved (and Noticed!)
Lisa Petermann, Chief Patient Experience Officer at Roche, Toronto, ON
Stacey Lintern, Chief Executive Officer at Muscular Dystrophy, Oshawa, ON
11:05 – 12:15
Models for Meaningful Patient Engagement
Panel discussion showcasing successful models of co-creation between patient communities, health systems, academia and industry with practical strategies for building and sustaining strategic partnerships that generate shared value, improve outcomes, and center the lived experiences of patients and caregivers. Examples will illustrate how collaborative engagement can be institutionalized across cultures and healthcare infrastructures.
Workshop: Meaningful engagement and moving patient engagement forward politically case study
Moderator: Michelle Marchione, Director, Patient Engagement at AstraZeneca, Mississauga, ON
Antonella Scali, Chief Executive Officer at Psoriasis Canada, Toronto, ON
Kelly Gorman, Senior Director, Public Policy and Government Affairs at Arthritis Society Canada, Toronto, ON
Natacha Raphael, Head of Corporate Affairs and Patient Engagement at Abbvie, Montreal, QC
12:15 – 1:00
Lunch
1:00 – 1:20
Strengthening Patient Engagement by Mitigating Cognitive Biases
Sandra Walker, Chief Executive Officer at Viacern, Victoria, BC
1:20 – 1:55
Learning Health Systems: Connecting Patient Data to Improve Outcomes
Panel discussion exploring the role of learning health systems in continuously integrating patient data to inform care and drive system-wide improvement, including the governance and ethical use of patient-contributed data, strategies for ensuring inclusivity and representation, and how such systems can involve patients to shape priorities and interpret findings.
Moderator: Kimberley Hanson, Chief External Relations Officer at Breakthrough T1D, Ottawa, ON
Andre Cote, General Manager at Dexcom Canada, Vancouver, BC
Dr. Shazan Ahmed, Pediatric Endocrinologist at BC Children’s Hospital; Chief Executive Officer and Founder at Haibu Health, Vancouver, BC
1:55 – 2:15
Charting the Course: Co-Creating our Patient Engagement Roadmap
Interactive workshop to define shared priorities and measurable goals.
Barry Liden, Managing Advisor at Patient Voice Partners, Washington, DC
Break
2:30 – 3:05
Quality and Safety Considerations for Patient Data
Panel discussion highlighting the challenges and opportunities of achieving true data interoperability across healthcare systems, including technical, ethical, and governance issues. Emphasizing the patient perspective, the discussion will consider how data flows should support care, engagement, accuracy, and privacy, and how better system alignment can drive improved outcomes.
Moderator: Tara Cowling, President and Chief Executive Officer at Medlior, Calgary, AB
Don Watts, President and General Manager at Khure Health, Toronto, ON
Steven Tam, Partner at INQ Law, Vancouver, BC
3:05 – 3:35
Collaborating with Patient Organizations to Engage Patients in Advocacy
Panel discussion elevating successful partnerships between patient organizations, advocacy groups, and healthcare stakeholders that have driven meaningful policy change. Strong partnerships can strengthen advocacy efforts, improve legitimacy and trust, and ensure that messaging and priorities reflect community needs and lived experiences.
Moderator: Emma Sutcliffe, Chief Patient Officer, International Society of Patient Engagement Professionals (ISPEP), London, England
Andrea Ladouceur, President and Chief Executive Officer at Bioscience Association Manitoba (BAM), Winnipeg, MB
Manuel Arango, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at Heart and Stroke Foundation, Ottawa, ON
Stephen Piazza, Director of Advocacy at Canadian Cancer Society, Toronto, ON
3:35 – 3:55
Practical Strategies to Enhance Patient Engagement In Your Work “Tomorrow”
Reflections from the day and actionable strategies.
Moderator: Anne Marie Hayes, Patient Engagement and Healthcare Strategy Advisor at Patient Voice Partners, Toronto, ON
Marsha Rosenberg, Stakeholder Relations Associate Director at Novo Nordisk, Toronto, ON
Sarah Ford, Chief Executive Officer at Canadian Hemophilia Society, Montreal, QC
3:55 – 4:00
Summary
4:00 – 6:00
Patient Engagement Forum Sponsors
Platinum Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Specialty Sponsors
Community Sponsors
Leading Topics in Patient Engagement
Forum Attendee Feedback
Who Should Attend?
Industry
Pharmaceutical, Medical Devices, and MedTech: Professionals engaged in patient advocacy and engagement roles that are the point of contact for patient organizations.
Patient Organizations
Patient organizations dedicated to patient-centricity and leadership in healthcare engagement.
Government, Public Sector and Academia
Committed to enhancing patient engagement and interested in patient engagement principals.
Persons identifying as patients and / or caregivers and working in one of the above sectors
Attendee Highlights
Key Benefits of Attending
• Engage in discussions with experts to address challenges and explore solutions for enhancing patient-centric practices.
• Gain insights into international trends from innovative leaders in patient engagement practices.
• Contribute to shaping the future of patient engagement leadership
• Catch up on hot topics like artificial intelligence and fair compensation in patient engagement.
• Expand your professional network by connecting with public agencies, industry leaders in global patient engagement, and patient organizations. Also, engage with professionals involved in patient support programs attending the Patient Support Summit
• Discuss patient engagement impact on health outcomes and systems
