Health Sciences Speed Networking Event

Join us for the spring edition of our networking event! Come meet and chat with 10+ professionals with varying educational backgrounds. Learn from them to help guide your own career decisions. Experts stretch over a variety of fields from industry, government, academia and biotech. Where else can you compare all life sciences pathways in one place? 

Tickets on sale Now! (Limited tickets availible) 

Tiered pricing!  $10 dollar tickets availible for limited time. Prices rising closer to the event.

Ticket covers entry into the event and select shared appetizers. Additional food/drinks availible for purchase during the event. 

Sneak peak of some panelists (in no particular order) : 

Mihir Bhatt (Diabetes Sales Specialist; Abbott) 

Mihir Bhatt is a Medical School graduate from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and has completed a Graduate Diploma in Business program from the Smith School of Business. His true passion lies in the utilization of his business and medical background in order to make an impact in the healthcare sector. He is currently a Diabetes Sales Specialist with Abbott Diabetes Care.

Dr. Emille Rodrigues (Business Development & Commercialization manager; Ontarion centre of Innovation)

Emille Rodrigues is a PhD graduate in Chemistry from the University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. She completed several post-docs, perfecting her technical and project management skills at the University of Ottawa and Mitacs, as a part of Industrial Postdoctoral Accelerate Program. She is a diverse scientist with a passion for innovation in Life and Health Sciences, Nanotechnology, Advanced Materials, Venture Capital, and Entrepreneurship. Emille is currently working as a Business Development and Commercialization Manager at the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI).

Eve Nadeau- Labadie (Health, Saftey and Environment Advisor; National Research Council) 

Eve is a Chemical Engineer graduate from the University of Waterloo. After working as an Environmental Scientist and getting a hands-on experience in health and safety management system development, she is currently working as a Health, Safety and Environment Advisor at National Research Council in Ottawa.

Dr. Hiren Parmar (Biologist/Evaluator; Health Canada) 

Hiren is a Cell and Molecular Biology graduate from Dalhousie University, experienced with working on Health Canada approved cell and gene therapy clinical trials in a GMP-like facility at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. Hiren has more than seven years of post-doc and biotech start-up experience with design, development and troubleshooting of numerous molecular and cell biology assays. He is currently working as a Biologist/Evaluator at Health Canada.

Dr. Rowida Mohamed (Research Associate; Careleton University)

Currently working as instructor in three departments biology, chemistry and health science, and I also working as Research Associate at the institution of biochemistry at Carleton university.  I Recieved teaching excellence in science 2022 and EDI in teaching excellence in 2023.

Dr. Victoria Hoskin (Policy Analyst; Innocation science and Economic Development Canada) 

Dr. Hoskin is a Policy Analyst for Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada working to support Canada's Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy. She has over 10 years of experience in translational health sciences-based research and applies this knowledge and expertise in her current role to support the federal government's interests in strengthening and growing the domestic Life Sciences ecosystem.  Prior to this, she was a Research Associate/Project Manager in the labs of Drs Carolina Ilkow and John Bell at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute to support their work on innovative oncolytic virus therapies as they bring these innovations closer to commercialization. She also worked as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Queen's prior to joining the OHRI. In addition to her role as a Policy Analyst, Dr. Hoskin is passionate about science outreach and mentorship and is part of the organizing committee for the Science 2 Business Network (S2BN) National Mentorship Program for STEM-based trainees. She also previously participated in the BioCanRx Cancer Stakeholder Alliance Learning Institute as an Academic Scholar in 2022.  Dr. Hoskin completed a PhD at Queen's University in Pathology and Molecular Medicine, specializing in cancer research, and a BScH with high distinction at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Kyle Biggar  (Chief Science Officer; NuvoBio & Associate Professor; Carleton University)

Dr. Kyle Biggar is a co-founder and Chief Science Officer at NuvoBio, an AI-based peptide therapeutics company in Ottawa, ON. He is also an Associate Professor of Biochemistry at Carleton University where his lab has published over 100 manuscripts in proteomics and the use of AI to gain meaningful insights into biologically relevant questions. He received a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2015 and the 2016 John C. Polyani Prize for his work in peptide therapeutics for the treatment of breast cancer. Dr. Biggar joined Carleton University in 2016 and co-founded NuvoBio in 2021. Currently, he is leading NuvoBio's preclinical development of several key assets, primarily focusing on peptide-based drugs for treating fungal meningitis and combating antibiotic resistance in bacteria.

Andy Donovan (Director, Member Engagement and Business Development;Life Sciences Ontario)  

With more than 25 years of experience in business development, fundraising and special events management, my goal is to connect member and sponsor interests with the needs of organizational audiences. I achieve this through a collaborative approach working with volunteers, staff and stakeholders in order to maximize their human and financial capital investments into our mission.For the past five years I've participated on the dynamic team at Life Sciences Ontario leading our member engagement and business development initiatives.

Harry Koundakjian (Advisor in Business Development; uOttawa/Mitacs)

Harry Koundakjian holds a BSc in Biology from the University of Ottawa and an Executive MBA degree in Business Administration and Management from Smith School of Business at Queen's University. He is a proven sales leader with Founder experience in Biotech, Medical Devices and SaaS. Harry is translating science to revenue and he is currently an Advisor in Business Development at uOttawa/Mitacs.

Trianna Waclawik (Grants & Awards Coordiator; CHEO Research Insitute) 

Trianna is a Grants & Awards Coordinator at the CHEO Research Institute. She earned her Bachelors in Biology with distinction at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. Trianna continued her education at uOttawa, completing a Master’s degree in Immunology.

Trianna transitioned to industry, working in the R&D department of a biotech company before realizing she missed being involved in advancing medical research. She started in her current role in the CHEO Office of Research Services in August of 2023. As a Grants coordinator, she organizes the granting process from drafting guidelines to distributing awarded grants and provides support to CHEO researchers and their projects.