Blake Gilks, MD, FRCPC Co-Founder OvCaRe | Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UBC

Dr. Gilks is Professor and Acting Head , Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UBC and Head of Anatomic Pathology, VGH, the site of the largest surgical oncology program in the province; and a member of Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute. Dr. Gilks leads a dynamic research program focused on gynecological cancers. In addition, he is also a Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Genetic Pathology Evaluation Centre (GPEC), a collaborative research venture of the Pathology Department, and the Prostate Research Centre at Vancouver Hospital and the BC Cancer Agency, which utilizes tissue microarray technology to uncover novel cancer biomarkers.

David Huntsman, MD, FRCPC, FCCMG Co-Founder and Acting-Director, OvCaRe | Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UBC

Dr. Huntsman is Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UBC, Medical Director, Centre for Translational and Applied Genomics (CTAG), BCCA, Co-Founder and Acting-Director, OvCaRe, Co-Director, Genetic Pathology Evaluation Centre (GPEC), VGH, Associate Director, Hereditary Cancer Program (HCP), BCCA, and member of Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute.

Dr. Huntsman was part of the team that discovered EMSY, a new gene related to ovarian cancer.  His current focus of study is the genetic predisposition to ovarian cancer. His research focuses on understanding the molecular differences between the different ovarian cancer subtypes, which will hopefully lead to more specific treatments.  Recently, he headed the research group that discovered a new mutation in a gene called FOXL2 which appears to be responsible for the development of granulosa cell tumours of the ovary. 

Dr. Huntsman has active research programs in the development of predictive and prognostic tissue based cancer biomarkers of a wide variety of tumor types as well as hereditary gastric cancer. As collaboration is critical in his field, Dr. Huntsman happily leads and engages in a wide number of multidisciplinary research groups.

Peter CK Leung, PhD Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, UBC

Dr. Leung is Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Director of the Graduate Program, Reproductive and Developmental Sciences at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Leung obtained his BSc and MSc from the University of British Columbia and his PhD from University of Western Ontario. He received postdoctoral training at the University of California at Los Angeles, and at the Laval University, before returning to UBC as faculty member. Dr. Leung’s research area is mainly in reproductive biology and endocrinology. The following is the summary of Dr. Leung’s research: Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is a key regulator of mammalian reproduction. After its release from the hypothalamus, this decapeptide hormone is transported from the brain via the portal blood circulation to the anterior pituitary gland, where it stimulates the synthesis and release of the gonadotropins that play pivotal roles in the regulation of the gonads (i.e. ovary and testis). In addition, GnRH has been implicated as an autocrine regulator in several extra-pituitary tissues, including the ovary and placenta, but the specific functions are still unclear. Numerous synthetic analogs of GnRH are now being used in different areas of reproductive medicine, such as assisted reproduction. The goal of my research program is to understand the multi-faceted role of GnRH in reproductive health and medicine.

Jessica McAlpine, MD, FRCPC Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, UBC

Dr. McAlpine is Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, gynaecologist oncologist at Vancouver General Hospital, and a VCH Research Institute "in it for life" award clinician/scientist mentored by Dr. David Huntsman. Her current research titled "PARP inhibitors in epithelial ovarian cancer: targeted molecular therapy in BRCA null phenotypes and mechanisms of resistance" is a project designed to determine if a new class of chemotherapeutic agents could broadly be applied to highgrade ovarian cancer to define the optimal timing and combination (alone, or with chemotherapy) of a new agent with immediate implications in patient care.

Kelly M McNagny, PhD The Biomedical Research Centre and the Department of Medical Genetics, UBC

Dr. Kelly McNagny is Professor, Department of Medical Genetics. He obtained his Ph.D. in Cellular Immunology at the U. of Alabama at Birmingham in 1990. There he worked with Dr. Max D. Cooper (Howard Hughes Medical Institute, National Academy of Sciences) and his research focused on cell surface proteins expressed by preB cells that regulate B cell maturation and homing. He then moved to the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany where he performed his postdoctoral studies in the lab of Dr. Thomas Graf from 1991 to 1996. There his work focused on transcriptional control of hematopoietic stem cell maturation and cell fate. He performed some of the first studies to identify transcription factors that regulate the gene expression and differentiation of eosinophils, which are known to play a major role in allergic and asthmatic responses. In addition, he identified a number of novel hematopoietic stem cell surface proteins and began analyzing their function. He continued his studies at the EMBL as a semi-independent, Visiting Scientist from 1996 to 1998 prior to starting his own laboratory at the Biomedical Research Centre, at UBC.

Dianne Miller, BSc, MD, FRCSC Co-Founder OvCaRe | Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UBC

Dr. Dianne Miller is the Division Head of Gynecologic Oncology in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of British Columbia and gynaecologic oncologist at Vancouver General Hospital. She is also the Provincial Gynecology Tumor Group Chair for the Province of British Columbia and a member of Vancouver Coastal Health Reserach Institute. Dr. Miller obtained her BSc. in microbiology and immunology at UBC in 1976, her MD at UBC in 1980. She then interned at the Toronto Western Hospital prior to working as a Family Doctor in Yellowknife NWT. In 1988, Dianne completed her Royal College certification in Obstetrics and Gynecology at UBC. This was followed by completion of a Royal College Fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology in Toronto in 1990. Dianne has been employed at BCCA and UBC since that time. Dr. Miller is actively involved in both clinical trials and in collaborations with translational and basic scientists. She is particularly interested in looking potential screens for early diagnosis and in targeted therapies.

Dr. Sarah Finlayson MD, FRCSC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, UBC

Dr. Finlayson is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. She is a Gynecologic Oncologist at Vancouver Hospital and the BC Cancer Agency.  Her career is focused on the surgical and medical care of women with gynecologic cancers. Her academic interests include minimally invasive surgery in gynecologic oncology and medical education. She is currently focused on a knowledge translation project entitled, “Preventing Ovarian Cancer: the role of the gynecologist”. This educational outreach project targets all BC gynecologists and aims to decrease new cases of high grade serous ovarian cancer by 50% over the next 20 years.

Nelly Auersperg, MD, PhD Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, UBC

Dr. Auersperg is Professor Emerita in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of British Columbia. She obtained her MD in 1955 from the University of Washington and her PhD in Cell Biology from the University of British Columbia. Dr. Auersperg is a recipient of numerous awards including the UBC, Faculty of Medicine Lifetime Achievement Award. Among other contributions, she participated in the discovery of HPV as a cause of cervical cancer, and pioneered research into the role of ovarian surface epithelium as a source of ovarian carcinomas. Although formally retired, Dr. Auersperg continues to be a source of inspiration and guidance for ovarian cancer researchers. OvCaRe is deeply indebted to her contributions and hosted a symposium in 2007 in her honour.