CIFAR MASSEY TALKS: The Future of Vaccines
mRNA vaccines have been game changers in the fight against COVID-19. They also hold great promise in revolutionizing the treatment of diseases going forward.
Join us for a CIFAR Massey Talks that gives a glimpse into the future of vaccines and their impact on human health. Moderated by Wency Leung, health reporter at The Globe and Mail, we’ll hear a diverse range of perspectives and expert commentary from health leaders Derrick Rossi, founder of Moderna and Alan Bernstein, President & CEO of CIFAR. Adding to discussion are Massey Junior Fellows Niklas Bobrovitz, Sivani Baskaran and Upasana Saha.
MASSEY MEMBERS: Please login using your registered Massey email to receive applicable discounts and offers.
Speakers
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Wency LeungWeny Leung is the 2021-2022 Webster McConnell journalism fellow at Massey College. She is a Toronto-based health reporter for The Globe and Mail, and has a special interest in reporting on matters of brain health. She is particularly drawn to stories about families and individuals living with dementia, substance use and addiction, and loneliness – and about the scientists and clinicians striving to help them. Prior to joining The Globe, she worked at The Prague Post, The Vancouver Sun, The Cambodia Daily, and the Reuters news agency.
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Alan BernsteinPresident & CEO of CIFAR
Alan Bernstein has been President & CEO of CIFAR since 2012, responsible for developing and leading the institute’s overall strategic direction. He is one of Canada’s leading scientists and was an early champion of women in science and young scientists. His contributions to science and science policy have been recognized with numerous awards and honorary degrees, including Officer of the Order of Canada, the Order of Ontario, the McLaughlin Medal from the Royal Society of Canada, the Award of Excellence from the Genetics Society of Canada, the Gairdner Foundation Wightman Award, induction into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, and the 2017 Henry Friesen International Prize in Health Research.
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Derrick Rossi
Derrick Rossi is a serial biotech entrepreneur and stem cell scientist. His efforts in the development of cutting-edge technologies and novel therapeutic strategies are at the forefront of regenerative medicine and biotechnology. Time magazine named Rossi as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the world (Time 100) in 2011. Until his retirement from academia, he was an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and Harvard University and an investigator at Boston Children’s Hospital where he led an academic team working on stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. Discoveries made in Rossi’s lab led to the formation of several leading biotechnology companies. His development of modified-mRNA reprogramming was named by Time magazine as one of the top 10 medical breakthroughs of 2010. That same year, Rossi leveraged that technology to found Moderna, a company developing modified-mRNA therapeutics and whose COVID-19 vaccine is being deployed around the world. In 2015, Rossi co-founded Intellia Therapeutics, a clinical-stage company developing CRISPR/Cas9-based therapeutics. In 2016, he co-founded Magenta Therapeutics, which is focused on transforming transplantation medicine. In 2017, he co-founded Stelexis Therapeutics, an oncology company targeting the stem cell origin of cancer. Also in 2017 he helped launch Convelo Therapeutics, which is developing remyelination therapeutics for patients suffering from demyelination diseases such as multiple sclerosis. He currently serves as the CEO of Convelo.
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Niklas Bobrovitz
Nik is a medical student and health researcher with interests in emergency medicine, health systems, public health, and research methods. Prior to starting medical school he completed a DPhil in the Department of Primary Care at the University of Oxford as a Clarendon Scholar and an MSc in Health Services Research at the University of Calgary.
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Sivani Baskaran
Sivani is a PhD candidate in Environmental Chemistry at the University of Toronto. Her research looks at methods for measuring and predicting physical-chemical properties that are important in identifying chemicals that have the potential to build up in air-breathing species. In addition to her science, Sivani is passionate about science policy & evidence informed decision making. In 2018, she co-founded the Toronto Science Policy Network (TSPN), serving as Vice-President and later President. She has helped host numerous events and co-led national campaigns including Vote Science initiatives and the report on The Early Impacts of COVID-19 on Graduate Students across Canada.
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Upasana Saha
Upasana Saha is a fourth year PhD candidate in Health Economics at the Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. Upasana is also a Senior Manager of Strategy and External Relations at Sinai Health.
