Céline Beaupré
Manager of Specialized Authorization
Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch
Health Canada

Céline Beaupré is the manager of the Special Licences and Exemptions Section within the Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch at Health Canada, a position she has held since 2018. Céline has a background in agronomy and has over 10 years of experience in the federal public service developing regulatory frameworks and delivering programs. Céline is currently responsible for the licensing framework under the Cannabis Act and Cannabis Regulations to conduct activities in relation to research and analytical testing involving cannabis.

Dr. Richard J. Huntsman, MD, FRCP(C), CSCN(EEG)
Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation
Sask Kids Pediatrics
University of Saskatchewan

Dr. Huntsman completed medical school and a residency in general pediatrics at Memorial University of Newfoundland. He then completed a fellowship in pediatric neurology at the University of Alberta.

For the last 12 years Dr. Huntsman has practiced pediatric neurology with the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Saskatchewan where he is an associate professor.

Dr. Huntsman’s main research interest involves the use of Cannabis based therapies in children with neurological disease. He also has a clinical and research interest in pediatric epilepsy and the neurodegenerative disorders of childhood.

Dr. Huntsman is the principal investigator of the Cannabidiol in Children with Refractory Epileptic Encephalopathy (CARE-E) study and is a founding member of the Cannabinoid Research Initiative of Saskatchewan (CRIS).

Dr. Lauren E Kelly, Ph.D., M.Sc., C.C.R.P.,
Canadian Childhood Cannabinoid Clinical Trails
Centre for Healthcare Innovation
University of Manitoba

Dr. Lauren Kelly, PhD is a Pharmacologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health at the University of Manitoba and Clinical Trialist with the George and Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Dr. Kelly is the Scientific Director of the Canadian Childhood Cannabinoids Clinical Trials (C4T), a national network to study the safety and effectiveness of cannabis used for medical purposes in children. She completed a PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Western Ontario and two post-doctoral fellowships in Clinical Epidemiology at Mount Sinai Hospital and the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. She has authored more than 45 publications on child health clinical research and teaches graduate courses in clinical trials and pharmacology.

Dr. Yang Qu
Assistant Professor & Cannabis Health Research Chair
University of New Brunswick

Dr. Yang Qu is an assistant professor and Cannabis Health Research Chair at University of New Brunswick. He received his PhD in biochemistry from University of Calgary, and continued his research career on manufacturing high-value plant pharmaceuticals at Brock University prior to joining UNB. His expertise in the biosynthesis of anticancer drugs will be applied to creating new bioactive cannabis pharmaceuticals, while also improving cannabis genetics suited for industrial cultivation.

Dr. Jamie R. Cox, MD

Jamie R. Cox MD, a graduate of Dalhousie Medical School, Halifax, Canada. He has spent time in multiple tiers of the health care industry in both the United States and Canada.

His prior challenges included that of a corporate leader to the Workers Compensation Board of Nova Scotia to improve healthcare and quality outcomes. This has been accomplished by developing strategic initiatives and stakeholder engagement. His broad experience in medical fields of both Canada and the United States gives him a unique ability to realize opportunities and pitfalls in both systems. A prior role was that of Corporate Medical Director of Saturn Corp., Springhill TN where his leadership responsibilities encompassed health care initiatives, disability, workers compensation, health and safety, and work related injuries and illnesses. Dr. Cox has been successful in developing strategies for containment in health care costs in industry and the general population while also improving outcomes for injuries and illnesses.

Over the last three years he has offered consultative services in the “medical cannabis” space while also evaluating over 3000 patients on referral from specialists and primary care physicians. He has successfully improved quality of life outcomes while instituting dramatic decreases in pharmaceutical utilization inclusive of narcotics.

Martha Smit
Partner, Qualified registered nurse and lawyer
Fasken, Johannesburg

Martha Smit is a partner in our Johannesburg office and a member of the firm’s Life Sciences practice group.

Qualified as both a registered nurse and lawyer, Martha brings compelling experience in the legal, medical and pharmaceutical industries.

Having practised as a litigation attorney and legal advisor in the corporate sector as well as coordinating clinical data trials for an international pharmaceutical company, she is able to bring the best of both worlds in finding innovative solutions for clients and businesses in the Life Sciences area. She also holds a current Good Clinical Practice Certificate for Clinical Research.

Martha’s practical experience of having worked across a number of professional health bodies and corporates has afforded her first-hand knowledge and an in-depth understanding of the challenges, opportunities and regulatory environments of this sector.

Dr. Olga Chernoloz,
Specialist in Neuropsychopharmacology
Head of Omnica Biotech

With a Ph.D. in Neuroscience Olga has held a number of roles in clinical trials management, drug development, biotech and pharmaceutics. As a trained neuropharmacologist and a registered pharmacist Dr. Chernoloz, head of Omnica Biotech, helps cannabinoid space players of all sizes to guide R&D programs, run feasibility analyses and optimize business development strategy taking into consideration scientific and regulatory underpinnings. The research program for the development of cannabinoid veterinary drugs developed by her company was since adopted and successfully run through clinical trials.

Dr. Chernoloz has developed and delivered educational modules for medical and adult cannabis space in both academic and business settings. Olga has designed and delivered a course in one of the first cannabis-centric college programs at AAPS and is leading the Science of Cannabis course at the Ryerson University.

Looking to share her knowledge and experience Olga mentors participants of cannabis startup accelerator Leaf Forward. Dr. Chernoloz provides scientific advisory to companies in cannabinoid space.

Her forthcoming book Cannabis A-Z is a complete guide to the place of cannabis in the society, culture and medicine.

Before pivoting into cannabinoid field, Olga specialized in mental health research authoring number of original research articles and a chapter in an instructional book on Neurobiology of Mood Disorders.

Dr. Lucas C. McCann, MSc., BSc.
Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer
CannDelta Inc.

Dr. Lucas C. McCann is the Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at CannDelta Inc., a regulatory and scientific cannabis consulting firm in Toronto where he provides scientific oversight on all projects. Lucas acquired regulatory knowledge within the Health Products branch at Health Canada’s Inspectorate Labs before moving into the consulting space. Leveraging his science background, he has catapulted himself to the frontlines where technology, cannabis, and regulation interface. He specializes in medicinal organic chemistry and building science-forward cannabis companies. Lucas guides his clients through Health Canada’s Cannabis Regulations and the licensing process by working to create compliant business and scientific strategies for start-ups to publicly traded licensed producers.

Lucas holds a Ph.D. in Medicinal Organic Chemistry from York University, (Toronto) an MSc. in Natural Product Synthetic Chemistry from Laval University (Quebec City), and a BSc. from the Faculty of Applied Sciences at Simon Fraser University (Burnaby). He is an Associate Member of the Ontario Medical Association and a member in good standing of the National Cannabis Working Group for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Lalit Chordia
Founder and CEO
Thar Process, Inc.

Over the past 30 years, Lalit Chordia, Ph.D. has pioneered research and development in Supercritical Fluid Technology. As the CEO of Thar Process, Dr. Chordia has extended his knowledge through multiple industries and is now focused on cannabis and hemp. Beyond Supercritical fluid technology, Lalit is leading the space in safe practice, pushing Thar Process to be the first cannabis extraction company to be NSF certified GMP and USDA certified Organic. From creating industrial scale CO2 Extraction equipment, Dr. Chordia is now shaping the industry in terms of CO2 Purification, focusing on pesticide and fungicide remediation as well as cannabinoid separation from pilot to industrial scale.

Born in India, Lalit received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the India Institute of Technology before coming to Pittsburgh and he went on to get his doctorate from Carnegie Mellon University. Through his time at Thar, Dr. Chordia has been the recipient of multiple awards focused around entrepreneurship, innovation, and international business.

Sharan Sidhu,
Chief Scientific Officer & Director of Regulatory Affairs
Pacific Rim Innovations

Sharan Sidhu is the Chief Scientific Officer and Director of Regulatory Affairs at Pacific Rim Innovations, an integrated product development and brand facilitator. Key objectives are to apply world-renowned expertise in extraction, proprietary formulations, product compliance and key partnerships to the next generation of cannabis products with focus on evidence-based health claims, quality and safety. Sharan has a deep understanding of the impact of regulatory directives on product development and innovation and has been a regulatory affairs specialist and scientific advisor for several industries including the Cannabis, Natural Health Products, Foods, Cosmetics, Pet and Pest Management Products. Taking everything learnt over the last decade she has a unique prospective and point of view on emergence of industries, gaps and future directions. Sharan has managed several projects as well as developed requirements for LIMS, GLP, GACP, GMP as well as methods development, vendor qualification, ISO standards and training. Sharan sits on several advisory boards, has contributed to industry by taking on special projects, volunteers for several non for-profit organizations and focuses on bridging the gap between science and industry.

Conference Chair:
Dr. Willis H. Thomas, PhD, PMP, CPT
PQE Group

Willis H. Thomas, PhD, PMP, CPT has worked for large corporations and academic institutions in the areas of human resources, learning and development, quality assurance, project management, sales and marketing, measurement and evaluation, and operations. He has 17 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry.

Dr. Thomas is adjunct faculty at the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, International Institute for Learning and Institute of Validation Technology.

His publications have received global recognition from associations such as the Project Management Institute (PMI) where he received the Cleland Award for “The Basics of Project Evaluation and Lessons Learned.” This book was an 8-year effort that enhanced the framework for the evaluation of projects using the PMBOK® Guide.

Since 2005, he has been a featured speaker on an international basis and has received numerous awards including the Apex Publication Excellence Award for implementing useful tools for project management, evaluation and training.

Stay Tuned Additional Speakers To Be Announced!