NGBIdeas Podcast

May 14th 2024 – Our guest this week is Raphael Ronen, Director of Business Development at Sunnybrook Research Institute. Sunnybrook holds the designation of being recognized as a Centre of Excellence by the Focused Ultrasound Foundation—the first in Canada, and one of only seven worldwide. Regarded as one of the most comprehensive and globally successful programs, Raphael helps get their technology from the bench and into the hands of doctors.Sunnybrook Research Institute: sunnybrook.ca/research/Get Your Tickets to The NGBI Summit: nextgreatbigideas.comLab Occupier: laboccupier.com

May 7th, 2024 – Join us this week as we welcome Tamara Seales, President of Seaford Pharmaceuticals, a Canadian-made and family-owned business. Founded in 1991 by the Seales family, Seaford Pharmaceuticals boasts a proud legacy. Today, Tamara leads the company, continuing the vision set forth by her father, Ron Seales. Under her guidance, Seaford Pharmaceuticals is dedicated to developing pharmaceutical solutions for both in-hospital and home settings.

April 23rd 2024 - We have been focused on the NGBI Summit which takes place on November 12th so this week we are posting an encore episode of one of our most popular interviews with Gordon McCauley President and CEO adMare BioInnovations.We talk about how Gordon navigated from politics to investment banking to becoming one of the key leaders in the Canadian life sciences community. For decades, scaling start ups in Canada's life sciences sector have struggled for funding, facilities, and support. Most cities across Canada with universities that have strong faculties in medicine, business, science and engineering and direct relationships with a research Hospital have had nascent life sciences hubs. The goal of AdMare Bioinnovations is to be a national catalyst for growing these hubs and the community at large.

April 16th 2024 – This week we’re speaking with Rob Henderson, the President and CEO of BioTalent Canada, a national not-for-profit organization headquartered in Ottawa. Since Rob assumed leadership in 2011, the organization has expanded from a team of five to now employing 50 staff members and collaborating with over 80 partner organizations. In 2023, BioTalent Canada received accolades, being named a top workplace in healthcare by HRD Canada and recognized as a five-star employer for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

April 9th 2024 – We welcome professor Christine Allen from the University of Toronto, a renowned figure in drug formulation and development, and a distinguished researcher, industry leader, and entrepreneur. A co-founder of NanoVista, recognized in its groundbreaking work in high-precision, image-guided cancer therapy, Christine has held key roles in various biotech and pharmaceutical companies. Recently her startup, Intrepid Labs, has just come out of stealth mode. 

April 2nd 2024 - Join us this week as we welcome Mark Smithyes, President of Janus Life Sciences Consulting and National Director of Life Sciences at Delphic Research. With an extensive background in the industry, including serving as the former chair of Life Sciences Ontario, Mark shares his insights on founding startups, his extensive volunteer work, and his advocacy for Canada's Life Sciences sector. 

March 26th 2024 - Our guest this week is Brad Wouters, Executive Vice-President of Science and Research at University Health Network.  We appreciate Brad talking about his passion for Medical Biophysics, his post-doctoral work at Stanford, his time in the Netherlands  and what inspired his return to Canada to join UHN.

June 6, 2023 - On todays episode is Bruno Paquin from AtomVie Global Radio Pharma. Listen in as Bruno shares behind the scenes details of his professional and personal journey to becoming CEO of one of North America’s leading CDMOs in the radiopharmaceuticals sector.    AtomVie: atomvie.com Get Your Tickets to The NGBI Summit: nextgreatbigideas.com Lab Occupier: laboccupier.com

Sep 19, 2023 - Our guest this week is Dave Smardon, who is President and CEO of Bioenterprise, Canada's food and Agri tech engine. We are delighted to have Dave talk about his passion for music, his early years of the insurance sector, how he pivoted into tech, then venture-capital, and eventually into running one of the key Agri tech organizations in Canada's life sciences industry.   Bioenterprise Canada: bioenterprise.ca Get Your Tickets to The NGBI Summit: nextgreatbigideas.com Lab Occupier: laboccupier.com

Sep 12, 2023 - Our guest this week is Gordon McCauley, who is President and CEO of AdMare Bioinnovations. We talk today about how Gordon navigated from politics to investment banking to becoming one of the key leaders in the Canadian life sciences community. For decades, scaling start ups in Canada's life sciences sector have struggled for funding, facilities, and support. Most cities across Canada with universities that have strong faculties in medicine, business, science and engineering and direct relationships with a research Hospital have had nascent life sciences hubs. The goal of AdMare Bioinnovations is to be a national catalyst for growing these hubs and the community at large.   AdMare Bioinnovations: admarebio.com Get Your Tickets to The NGBI Summit: nextgreatbigideas.com Lab Occupier: laboccupier.com

September 5, 2023 - We have been focused on the NGBI Summit which takes place on October 2nd so this coming week we are posting an encore episode of one of our most popular interviews with Maura Campbell President and CEO Ontario Bioscience Innovation Organization (OBIO). We hope you enjoy listening to our conversation! For details on the summit and to purchase tickets please go to NextGreatBigIdeas.com   OBIO: obio.ca Get Your Tickets to The NGBI Summit: nextgreatbigideas.com Lab Occupier: laboccupier.com

Aug 29, 2023 - Our guest this week is Cate Murray, who is President and CEO of the Stem Cell Network (SCN) in Ottawa. This organization is a Canadian not-for-profit that supports three main objectives. First, stem cell and regenerative medicine research secondly, training the next generation of researchers and lastly supporting and sharing research in this incredible field. SCN was created in 2001 with support from the federal government and the network has grown from a few dozen labs to include more than 270 world-class research groups and dozens of clinical trials.    Stem Cell Network: stemcellnetwork.ca Get Your Tickets to The NGBI Summit: nextgreatbigideas.com Lab Occupier: laboccupier.com

Aug 22, 2023 - Our guest this week is Ella Korets-Smith, who is Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Virica Biotech in Ottawa, Ontario. Virica Biotech has developed unique viral sensitizers to turn off antiviral responses in cells. The work they're doing is exciting and another example of the groundbreaking research being done in Canadian life sciences. Ella and her family immigrated to Canada from eastern Ukraine in 1990 and hard work, resilience, recognizing when to pivot, knowing what to do with the door opens, and how to overcome imposter syndrome are some of the topics Ella and  I touch on today.   Virica Biotech: viricabiotech.com Get Your Tickets to The NGBI Summit: nextgreatbigideas.com Lab Occupier: laboccupier.com

Aug 15, 2023 - Our guest this week is Bruce Squires, who is President of McMaster Children's Hospital in Hamilton Ontario. Today's show is a bit of a departure from our regular format. We touch on Bruce's journey but our focus today is about the hospital he now leads which is the organization that the NGBIdeas podcast was created to support. McMaster Children's Hospital is one of the top critical care paediatric hospitals in Canada and it provides support to families in need from Niagara Falls to Waterloo in the north to Owen Sound and Grey County. Like many impressive organizations, the team at MCH focuses on their work rather than telling people about it. So our goal today is to give our listeners a glimpse into the great work being done by the great team at this organization.   McMaster Children's Hospital: McMaster Children's Hospital Get Your Tickets to The NGBI Summit: nextgreatbigideas.com Lab Occupier: laboccupier.com

Aug 8, 2023 - The Canadian life-sciences community has a long and growing list of leaders who are personable, incredibly talented, and driven to succeed. Our guest today is on top of that list. Bettina Hamelin is President and CEO of Ontario Genomics and her story is inspiring on many levels. Bettina leads by example, helps whenever called upon, and steers the ship at one of the key organizations in Canada.   Ontario Genomics: ontariogenomics.ca Get Your Tickets to The NGBI Summit: nextgreatbigideas.com Lab Occupier: laboccupier.com

Aug 1, 2023 - Our guest today is Parimal Nathwani, President and CEO of the Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners. Parimal grew up in Calgary, Vancouver, and had his sights set on a career in medicine, but circumstance, timing, and a serendipitous transition from research to business development led to a pivot and a very interesting career path in Canada's life sciences sector. Parimal is one of a handful of people who has a front-row seat at the intersection of innovation and commercialization in Canada's life sciences community that provides a unique perspective on where we are and where we're heading.    Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners: tiap.ca Members: camh.ca , hollandbloorview.ca , marsdd.com , sinaihealth.ca , oicr.on.ca , unityhealth.to , sickkids.ca , sunnybrook.ca , uhn.ca , utoronto.ca  Simon Fraser University: sfu.ca University of Calgary: ucalgary.ca The University of British Columbia: ubc.ca Get Your Tickets to The NGBI Summit: nextgreatbigideas.com Lab Occupier: laboccupier.com

July 25, 2023 - Our guest today is Chris Bryson, Founder and CEO of New School Foods in Toronto. Chris grew up in Montreal and his story is similar to many of our guests, that its about learning to trust your inner voice, learning that mistakes are lessons and that failures are just problems that are yet to be solved. Before Chris started New School Foods, he was CEO of a software company he founded in 2011 that is a great Canadian success story. He and his partners eventually sold that company for reported $65 million which was a life-changing event and it provided Chris with an opportunity to look at a global issue he is very passionate about helping change. And that issue is factory farming if you're not aware, many of today's farming techniques account for a significant part of our carbon footprint, and his team are focused on creating the next generation of plant-based meat alternatives that will help create a new and sustainable climate strategy.    New School Foods: www.newschoolfoods.co Get Your Tickets to The NGBI Summit: nextgreatbigideas.com Lab Occupier: laboccupier.com

July 18, 2023 - Our guest today is Michael May, President and CEO of the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine. Michael is someone I've had the pleasure of meeting on a number of occasions and he's one of those people you just know you're going to like. He's focused, incredibly generous with his time, and one of the true national leaders in Canada's life sciences community. Michael's story is similar to many of the guests we've had on our show in that it's not a linear path nor was it planned. You'll hear that his success is based on hard work, being open to opportunity when it presents itself, and sometimes learning life lessons from family pets.   CCRM: ccrm.ca Get Your Tickets to The NGBI Summit: nextgreatbigideas.com Lab Occupier: laboccupier.com

July 11, 2023 - Our guest today is Geoff Evans, who is President of Eurofins CDMO Alphora Inc. in Mississauga Ontario. Geoff started his career in the life sciences sector, but he moved to industrial products and then rebounded back to a small research lab that eventually grow into one of Canada's foremost contract development and manufacturing organizations.   Eurofins: eurofins.com Lab Occupier: laboccupier.com Summit: nextgreatbigideas.com

July, 4 2023 - Our guest today is Ryan Wiley, President of Shift Health in Toronto. Ryan grew up in Oshawa, Ontario and his original plan was to attend medical school, but like many of our guests, he pivoted in university and now runs one of Canada's premier life sciences consulting firms. His personal journey is one to which many people in Canada will relate, and I'm very thankful Ryan has kindly shared it with us today. Shift Health: shifthealth.com Get Your Tickets to The NGBI Summit: nextgreatbigideas.com Lab Occupier: laboccupier.com