EXECUTIVES & FACULTY

Dr. Peter Black is a Senior Research Scientist at the Vancouver Prostate Centre and Professor in the Department of Urologic Sciences at the University of British Columbia. He has a translational research interest in bladder cancer with a focus on resistance to chemotherapy and immunotherapy and the development of novel targeted therapies to overcome resistance.

Dr. Black is Surgical Oncology Co-Chair of the NCI Bladder Cancer Task Force and Chair of the AUA Research Grants & Investigator Support Committee. He is Chair of the Canadian Bladder Cancer Network and General Secretary of the International Bladder Cancer Network. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Société Internationale d’Urologie Journal.

M.D. Technical University of Munich, Germany 1995
Internal Medicine, University of Tuebingen 2001
Hematology/Oncology, University of Tuebingen, 2003
Fellow, Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada 2008

Christian Kollmannsberger, MD, FRCPC, is staff medical oncologist at the British Columbia Cancer Agency (BCCA) Vancouver Cancer Centre and Clinical Professor at the University of British Columbia. He graduated from the Technical University in Munich, Germany and received his clinical training in Internal Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, mainly at University of Tuebingen, Germany.

Dr. Kollmannsberger's research is concentrated on genitourinary malignancies with a special interest in testicular and renal cell cancer. His research is focused on the investigation of mechanisms of treatment resistance, the development of novel treatment options and biomarkers, including miRNA-371/375 and others for testicular cancer.

Nationally and internationally, he has contributed to numerous trials in the field of renal cell carcinoma and testicular cancer. He has repeatedly served as faculty and member of the education/scientific committee for the Annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, and the Annual Meeting of the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO).

Currently, Dr. Kollmannsberger serves as chair of the BC Cancer Provincial Genitourinary Tumor Group, chair for the Genitourinary Systemic Therapy Clinical Trials Unit at BC Cancer Vancouver Centre, chair for the Canadian Clinical Trials Group Testis Cancer Disease Oriented Group, and member of the Canadian Clinical Trials Group Kidney Cancer Disease Oriented Group.

Dr. Krista Noonan is a medical oncologist specializing in genitourinary and thoracic malignancies at BC Cancer, Surrey Centre and a clinical assistant professor at the University of British Columbia. She is the BC GU Systemic Chair. She received a BSc in Biochemistry and an MD from Memorial University, Newfoundland in 2008 followed by a residency in Internal Medicine. Dr. Noonan subsequently completed her Medical Oncology and Thoracic Oncology fellowships at the BC Cancer Vancouver, as well as a diploma in Clinical Epidemiology from Memorial University. She enjoys teaching a mentoring students and residents. Her research interests’ focus are in genitourinary and thoracic malignancies and health services research.

Bio to come

Radiation Oncologist, BC Cancer-Victoria
Victoria, BC

Dr Alexander is a radiation oncologist at BC Cancer-Victoria who specializes in genitourinary and central nervous system malignancies.

Staff Medical Oncologist,
BC Cancer Surrey
Surrey, BC

Arkhjamil Angeles is a Staff Medical Oncologist at BC Cancer Surrey. He completed his medical school, Internal Medicine, and Medical Oncology training at the University of British Columbia.

Hematologist/ Medical oncologist
Clinical Assistant Professor UBC
Division of Medical Oncology
Vancouver, BC

Dr. Ardashes Avanessian graduated from the National University of Iran/Tehran in 1987 and completed Internal Medicine training in 1990 that led to specialization in Hematology/Oncology in 1998. Relocating to Toronto in 2001, Dr. Avanessian completed an Oncology Fellowship at Princess Margaret Hospital from 2002 to 2004. Royal College-certified in 2006, he joined the UBC Department of Medicine (2004-2005) and contributed to the BCCA Kamloops Cancer Clinic (2005-2013). Since 2013, he has been a part of the LGH community as a General Hematology and Oncology practitioner with a special interest in lymphoproliferative and genitourinary malignancies.

Medical Oncologist, BC Cancer Kelowna
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of British Columbia
Kelowna, BC

Dr. Param Bains is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia and a Medical Oncologist at BC Cancer – Kelowna. She completed her Internal Medicine residency at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, followed by her Medical Oncology fellowship at Dalhousie University. She completed a Subspecialty Fellowship in Genitourinary Malignancies at Guy’s and St. Thomas NHS Trust in London, UK. Her clinical practice focuses on patients with Genitourinary and Gynecologic malignancies.

Associate Professor, Section Head,
Abdominal Imaging Department of Radiology, VGH & UBCH
Vice Chair, Professionalism and Wellness Department of Radiology, UBC
Vancouver, BC

Dr. Silvia Chang is the section head of Abdominal Imaging in the Department of Radiology at Vancouver General Hospital and UBC Hospital and an Associate Professor and the Vice Chair of Professionalism and Wellness in the Department of Radiology at UBC. She completed her medical school and radiology residency training at UBC and her abdominal imaging fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. She serves on the GU committee for the Radiological Society of North America and as the Chair of the Canadian Association of Radiologists MRI Prostate Working Group. She was the past co-chair of the Prostate Cancer Disease-Focused Panel of the Society of Abdominal Radiology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Abdominal Radiology, Fellow of the Canadian Association of Radiologists, founding and past President of the Canadian Society of Abdominal Radiology and serves on the Board of the British Columbia Radiological Society.

BC Cancer
Provincial Health Services Authority
Vancouver, BC, Canada

Dr. Chi is a medical oncologist, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of BC Cancer and the Provincial Health Services Authority, which oversees a comprehensive cancer control program for the people of British Columbia (BC), in Canada. He is also Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia, and the Shrum Chair in Prostate Cancer Research at BC Cancer.
Dr. Chi's research in the field of genitourinary cancers focuses on prostate cancer, biomarkers and investigational new drugs. He has contributed to changing international standards of care practice for patients with advanced prostate cancer and an author on over 300 publications. Dr. Chi is the past-Chair of the Genitourinary Disease and Investigational New Drugs Site Committees with the Canadian Cancer Trials Group, and has held peer-reviewed grant funding from the Canada Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC)/Canadian Cancer Society (CCS), the US Department of Defence, Movember, Prostate Cancer Foundation (USA), and Prostate Cancer Canada.

Radiation Oncologist, BC Cancer Kelowna
Professor of Radiation Oncology, UBC
Brachytherapy Research Chair
Kelowna, BC

Dr Juanita Crook is a Full Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of British Columbia and a Fellow of The American Brachytherapy Society (FABS). She did her medical training at the University of Toronto, Residency in Radiation Oncology at the Princess Margaret Hospital and is currently a staff Radiation Oncologist in Kelowna BC where her main focus is GU malignancies. She has developed programs for US-planned HDR prostate brachytherapy, and HDR interstitial and surface mold penile brachytherapy and has lead clinical trials comparing HDR and LDR prostate brachytherapy in both the ”boost” and monotherapy scenarios. She is former President of the American Brachytherapy Society, recipient of the Thom Shanahan Distinguished Brachytherapy Educator Award and the ABS 2017 Henschke Award. She is also the first to hold a Brachytherapy Research Chair in British Columbia.

Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine
Medical Lead and Section Head, Nuclear Medicine, Island Health
Nuclear Medicine Physician and Radiologist, Department of Molecular Imaging
and Therapy, BCCA Victoria
Victoria, BC

BC Cancer

Radiologist, BC Cancer Agency,
Vancouver, BC

John Duignan is currently working as a staff Radiologist at BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver. He completed his Radiology training at St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. He has fellowship training in MSK Radiology and Diagnostic Neuroradiology. He holds a Masters degree in Artificial Intelligence for Medicine and Medical Research at University College, Dublin. Outside of work, he enjoys exploring the beautiful landscapes of British Columbia, with a particular fondness for camping and hiking.

Clinical Assistant Professor
Medical Oncologist
BC Cancer Kelowna
Kelowna, BC

Medical Oncologist,
Victoria, BC

I am a Medical Oncologist from Victoria BC with an interest in GU and Breast Cancers. My background is in health policy with a specific focus on resource allocation and more specifically drug pricing relative to the benefits of currently available drugs.

Medical Oncologist, BC Cancer Victoria
Victoria, BC

Dr. Gagnon is a medical oncologist who treats genitourinary, gynaecological and breast malignancies. His research interests are real-world evidence and biomarkers in advanced prostate cancer. He completed medical school at the University of Ottawa Francophone program as well as specialty training at the University of Calgary.

Urologic Oncologist, Kelowna General Hospital
Kelowna, BC

Dr. Ho is a urologic oncologist practicing in Kelowna. He completed his Urology residency at UBC and his Urologic Oncology fellowship at the University of Chicago.

Surgical Oncologist, Island Health
Victoria, BC

Dr. Nathan Hoag completed his medical studies at the University of British Columbia in the Island Medical Program. This was followed by a 5-year urology residency at the University of British Columbia. After residency, he embarked on a 2-year fellowship in voiding dysfunction and reconstructive urology in Melbourne, Australia. He now practices in Victoria, BC.

GPO
Associate Department Head for Systemic Therapy,
BC Cancer Prince George
Prince George, BC

Dr. Meredith Hunter completed her BSc in Microbiology at the University of Guelph, followed by medical school at the University of Western Ontario. She moved to BC for the UBC Family Practice Residency in Prince George, then GPO training in Vancouver. After several years of combining family medicine with work in the chemotherapy unit, she moved to BC Cancer when Center for the North opened in 2012. She is currently the Associate Department Head for Systemic Therapy at BC Cancer Prince George and cares for patients with GU, skin and breast malignancies.

Kian Khodadad
Medical Oncologist, BC Cancer Kelowna
Kelowna, BC

Dr. Khodadad graduated in Internal Medicine in 1994 and then Medical Oncology and Haematology in 1997 form Shahid Beheshti Medical University in Tehran, Iran. Afterwards, he started practicing in Massih Daneshvari Hospital, NRTLD as a part time consulting physician and became a full time assistant professor in Medicine in Shahid Beheshti University in 1999. He completed a fellowship in Clinical Research in “Association pour la Recherche Therapeutique Anti-Cancereuse (ARTAC) in Paris in 2001. The first “Thoracic Oncology Unit” in Iran was founded in Massih Daneshvari Hospital in 2001, with his efforts. Dr. Khodadad also has been a member of NCCN-Middle East and North Africa for Lung Cancer subcommittee. Dr. Khodadad had been an associated professor of Medicine-Medical Oncology in Dalhousie University, from 2011 until 2023, in Nova Scotia. He was a member of steering committee of “Program of Care for Cancer HSP (Health Service Planning), “Cancer Care Nova Scotia’s Clinically Detected Lung Cancer Working Group” and co-principal investigator in NACC (Network affiliated Cancer Centre) for 3CTN (Canadian Cancer Clinical Trials Network). He joined BCC-Kelowna in September 2023. His main goal is to improve quality of cancer care for all cancer patients through their journey from screening and early diagnosis until the end of life support.

Victoria, BC

Dr. Kinahan is a graduate of UBC’s Faculty of Medicine. He received fellowships in minimally invasive surgery and endourology in London, ON and Stanford. Dr. Kinahan was a key member in creating Victoria’s Laparoscopic Urology Program in 2005 and currently has an instrumental role in setting up their robotic program.

Prince George, BC

Dr King is a GPO working at BC Cancer Prince George. She completed medical school at UBC's Northern Medical Program in 2016 and went to complete Family Medicine residency in Newfoundland in 2018. She joined BC Cancer in 2021 and went through the GPO training program. She currently treats melanoma, breast, GI and GU malignancies.

Medical Oncologist
Department Head for Medical Oncology,
BC Cancer Abbotsford
Abbotsford, BC

Dr Jenny Ko is a medical oncologist and Dept Head for Medical Oncology at BC Cancer - Abbotsford. She treats GU, gyne and lung cancers. She is prior recipient of Michael Smith Health Professional Research Award and is involved in multiple research and quality projects.

Medical Oncologist, BC Cancer - Surrey
Associate Chief Information Officer, BC Cancer
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of British Columbia
Surrey, BC

Dr. Lyly Le has been working as a Medical Oncologist at BC Cancer - Surrey since 2004, looking after patients with GI and GU cancers. In addition to her clinical practice, she is currently the Associate Clinical Information Officer (ACMIO) for BC Cancer.

Urologist, North Shore Urology Group, Lions Gate Hospital
North Vancouver, BC

Dr. Justin Lee received his medical degree from the University of British Columbia followed by his Postgraduate Residency Training in Urology at the University of Toronto. Following residency, Dr. Lee completed a two-year fellowship in Urologic Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York in 2016. During his fellowship, he completed a Masters of Public Health in Clinical Effectiveness at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. Dr. Lee works alongside the North Shore urology group at Lions Gate Hospital. He has special interest in the diagnosis and management of cancers affecting the genitourinary tract. He has subspecialized training in minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery and open surgical treatment of urologic cancers. He is active in clinical research and medical education.

Nuclear Medicine Specialist
Department of Molecular Imaging and Therapy
BC Cancer Agency
Vancouver, BC

Dr. Martineau is a Nuclear Medicine specialist based at The BC Cancer Agency's Department of Molecular Imaging and Therapy, in Vancouver. He obtained his MDCM, PhD and MSc degrees from McGill University and subsequently completed training in Nuclear Medicine and Radiology at: Harvard Medical School, The Ottawa Hospital (TOH), and the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI). Dr. Martineau's research focuses primarily on applications of PET/CT imaging. His interests include PET imaging, theranostics, as well as medical education.

Medical Oncologist, BC Cancer-Vancouver Centre
Co-Director, BC Provincial GU Biobank
Vancouver, BC

Corinne is a medical oncologist at BC Cancer-Vancouver Centre. She undertook her Medical Oncology specialist training in Haifa, Israel, followed by a 2-year fellowship at BC Cancer focusing on genitourinary malignancies. She is a co-director of the BC provincial GU Biobank and is actively involved in clinical research in Genitourinary, Gynecological malignancies, and early phase clinical trials. Her research interests include clinical and translational aspects of prostate cancer, specifically, prognostic and predictive biomarkers in metastatic prostate cancer.

Practice Leader - Genetic Counselling,
BC Cancer Hereditary Cancer Program
Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Genetics
University of British Columbia
Victoria, BC

Jennifer Nuk is a certified genetic counsellor and Practice Leader with the BC Cancer Hereditary Cancer Program and clinical assistant professor with University of British Columbia’s Department of Medical Genetics. She brings over 18 years of clinical practice experience to her leadership roles in developing alternative service delivery models, public and provider education, enhancing health care quality and increasing access to genetic services for underserved populations.

Internist and Medical Oncologist, BC Cancer Vancouver
Vancouver, BC

Dr. Ozgun is a medical oncologist specializing in GU cancers. She completed her medical oncology fellowship with a focus on GU malignancies at BC Cancer Vancouver and is transitioning to a permanent staff position, where she will continue to concentrate on GU tumors. Her academic background includes a postdoctoral fellowship at the Vancouver Prostate Centre under Dr. Lucia Nappi's supervision. During this time, Dr. Ozgun applied proteomic techniques to study circulating extracellular vesicles in metastatic RCC patients. Dr. Ozgun's research interests encompass both clinical and translational aspects of bladder cancer, kidney cancer, and biomarker development.

Radiation Oncologist at BC Cancer – Victoria since 2000
Clinical Associate Professor at UBC Faculty Medicine

Clinical Assistant Professor
Medical Oncologist
BC Cancer Victoria
Victoria, BC

Medical School U of A Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology. U of C Prostate cancer fellowship in Vancouver under Dr. Chi. Currently working at BC Cancer Victoria.

Radiation Oncologist, BC Cancer Kelowna
Kelowna, BC

Dr. Hamid Raziee is a Radiation Oncologist in BC Cancer, Kelowna. He has an interest in clinical trials, patient outcome research, and quality improvement. His practice in Kelowna includes treating patients with gynecological, genitourinary and breast cancers. He is particularly interested in improving patient outcome through the implementation of advanced brachytherapy and adaptive external radiotherapy techniques for both gynecological and genitourinary cancers. He is the BC Cancer Provincial Lead for the Gynecology Radiation Oncology Tumour subsite, and the President Elect of Canadian Brachytherapy Group (CBG). Outside of professional life, he loves running, road biking, and exploring the beautiful nature of BC!

Clinical Radiation Oncologist, BC Cancer Kelowna
Kelowna, BC

Clinical radiation oncologist at BC Cancer - Kelowna. My practice focuses on genitourinuary, lung, and head and neck cancers, including stereotactic radiotherapy and prostate brachytherapy.

Medical Oncologist, BC Cancer
Vancouver, BC

Dr Roberts is an Australian-trained medical oncologist currently completing a two-year research and clinical genitourinary medical oncology fellowship under the supervision of Dr Kim Chi and Dr Corinne Maurice-Dror. She has interests in clinical trials, real-world data and health services research. Since moving to Vancouver over a year ago, she and her family have loved exploring beautiful British Columbia – on foot, on skis, and in sea kayaks. Her current research focus is on real-world analyses of treatment patterns and genomic testing, and correlative studies involving genomic sequencing data from circulating tumour DNA in metastatic prostate cancer.

Radiation Oncologist, BC Cancer Abbotsford
Abbotsford, BC

I was trained in Radiation Oncology in Kingston, Ontario. I earned a clinical brachytherapy fellowship in Kingston and a prostate brachytherapy fellowship in Kelowna. I currently practice in Abbotsford BC and my clinical focus is on prostate cancer (HDR and LDR prostate brachytherapy).

Genitourinary Medical Oncologist, BC Cancer, Vancouver Cancer Centre
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of British Columbia,
Vancouver, BC

Dr. Maryam Soleimani is a Genitourinary Medical Oncologist at BC Cancer, Vancouver Cancer Centre and a clinical assistant professor at the University of British Columbia.
She completed her Bachelor of Science and MD degree followed by Internal Medicine residency at the University of Alberta. She then completed Medical Oncology residency at UBC, followed by a clinical and research fellowship, with a special interest in immuno-oncology, renal cell carcinoma and cancer care delivery. She has received multiple recognitions for her academic work, including a CIHR Graduate Scholarship. She is actively involved in both clinical and translational research, and in oncology clinical trials, with a successful track record of publications in peer-reviewed journals. She is currently co-PI for a phase I first in human radiopharmaceutical for patients with metastatic prostate cancer. Dr. Soleimani is also a member of the BC Cancer Advanced Immunotherapy Program Committee.

In 2022, after identifying an unmet need, she founded the BC Cancer von Hippel Lindau Clinic, which is the first comprehensive clinic in Canada for patients with VHL. She is also leading the development of the Canadian VHL Clinical and Research Consortium and is chair of the Scientific and Medical Advisory Council of the Canadian VHL Alliance. In 2024, she was awarded a BC Cancer Emerging Multidisciplinary Research Teams grant in the amount of $1.12 million for the development of the BC Cancer VHL Biobank.

Genomic scientist, Vancouver Prostate Centre
Co-Director, BC Cancer Genitourinary Cancer Biobank

Dr. Gillian Vandekerkhove is a genomic scientist at the Vancouver Prostate Centre and co-director of the BC Cancer Genitourinary Cancer Biobank. Her research focuses on developing and applying blood and urine-based liquid biopsy biomarkers in urothelial cancer. She holds a PhD in Experimental Medicine from the University of British Columbia.

Urologist, Urologic Oncologist, Fraser Health
Clinical Assistant Professor, UBC
Vancouver, BC

Nathan Wong is a Urologist and Urologic Oncologist at Fraser Health. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia.

Consultant Oncological Radiologist, BC Cancer
Clinical Associate Professor of Radiology, UBC
Vancouver, BC

Dr. Ren Yuan, MD, PhD, FRCPC, is a Consultant Radiologist at BC Cancer and a Clinical Associate Professor of Radiology at UBC. She is dedicated to advancing medical imaging, artificial intelligence (AI), quantitative imaging analysis including radiomics to enhance cancer diagnosis and treatment. As a Clinician Investigator at the BC Cancer Research Institute, Dr. Yuan co-founded and is the Clinical Lead of the BC Cancer Medical Imaging Core Lab (CanMIC), and also serves as the Lead Radiologist of the PRO-LUNG Radiomics Core. She collaborates with multidisciplinary teams to integrate AI, machine learning, and advanced imaging analysis into clinical practice. Her contributions to bladder cancer imaging played a key role in establishing MRI-VIRADS at BC Cancer, improving decision-making for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Beyond research, Dr. Yuan values collaboration and mentorship, believing that innovation thrives through teamwork. A recipient of multiple research awards, including Michael Smith Health Professional Investigator (HPI) funding, she is committed to translating imaging advancements into meaningful improvements for both patients and clinicians.