The Inside Affair 2014
For 2014, we began our annual fundraising events on October 20th with the Fête GASTROnomique at Saint-Laurent’s le Challenger. Gary Fabian, Quebec Executive Director, emceed the evening with Russell Williams, President of Rx&D, highlighting the GI Society’s industry collaborations and health care influence. Dr. Christiane Laberge, a noted physician and media personality, spoke about the importance of a good relationship between a physician and patient in helping to manage GI conditions, and the vital role the GI Society plays in helping to educate and inform patients. Caroline Ouellette and Catherine Ward, two long-standing members of team Canada’s Olympic gold medal winning women’s hockey team shared their long list of accomplishments.
A week later, GI Society supporters joined us at the Fermenting Cellar in Toronto’s charming Distillery District. John Crean, National Managing Partner at National PR, and Gail Attara, our CEO, emceed the event, with Ed Gudaitis, General Manager of Gilead Sciences Canada Inc. speaking about health care innovation in Canada, and Judith Glennie, GI Society Board Member highlighted our 2014 accomplishments. We finished the elegant evening with some heartfelt laughter from the crowd responding to Canadian comedian, Evan Carter.
At Vancouver’s VanDusen Botanical Garden a month later, Gail Attara emceed, featuring speeches by Lynda Cranston, GI Society Board Chair, and Dr. James Gray, Gastroenterologist and GI Society Medical Advisory Council Chair. Both spoke about different aspects of the Society’s roles and predominance in the GI community. Evan Carter closed out that evening eliciting roars of belly laughter with his GI-related humour.
We thank the organizations and individuals who supported the work of the GI Society by sponsoring the event, purchasing tickets, or volunteering. We could not have done it without you! Together we raised $205,000 in essential new funds to support the work of the GI Society. Our major event sponsors were Abbvie, Actavis, AstraZeneca, Cubist, Janssen, Le Groupe Maurice, LifeScan, Merck, Pfizer, Rx&D, Shire, and Takeda. A round of applause is in order for our generous donors who helped us raise funds by providing high quality raffle prizes, and for our national in-kind sponsor, National PR.
We look forward to seeing you all again at the Inside Affair and Fête GASTROnomique events in 2015.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
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Where | VanDusen Botanical Garden, 5251 Oak Street
Reception |5:30 pm
Dinner |6:00 pm
Featured Speakers
Lynda Cranston, Chair | Gastrointestinal Society Board
Lynda has been a woman of many “firsts” throughout her extensive career in healthcare. She earned her BScN at the University of Ottawa and her MScN at the University of Western Ontario. Most recently, she was the first CEO of the Provincial Health Services Authority in BC, responsible for highly specialized services within BC, with a budget of $2.5B. Prior to this, she was the first CEO of Fraser Health in BC, the first CEO of Canadian Blood Services in Ottawa, Ontario, and the first CEO of the Children’s and Women’s Healthcare Centre of BC.
The Canadian Board Diversity Council identified Lynda as one of Canada’s most board-ready candidates of 2013. In 2008, the HealthCare Leaders’ Association of British Columbia awarded her the Board Chair Award of Excellence, and in 2007, the Women’s Executive Network™ inducted her into Canada’s Most Powerful Women Top 100™ Hall of Fame. Lynda is a also a recipient of the YWCA Women of Distinction Award, the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Commemorative Medal for community contributions, and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for her contribution to Canada and her community.
Dr. James Gray, Gastroenterologist | Vancouver General Hospital
Dr. James Gray is a graduate of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia, and performed his internship at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. After operating a successful family practice, he completed his residency in internal medicine and gastroenterology at UBC and was subsequently awarded a research fellowship at the University of Edinburgh. Dr. Gray is the author of numerous published medical studies in the field of gastroenterology. He is a frequently invited speaker and is an active participant in many of the GI Society’s public education initiatives. He is currently Clinical Professor of gastroenterology at the University of British Columbia, President of the BC Society of Gastroenterology, and Honorary Vice Chair of the GI Society.
Gail Attara, President & CEO | Gastrointestinal Society | Emcee
Gail Attara’s motto, “The patient comes first,” directs her resolve for patient-focused health care and commitment to increasing awareness about the seriousness of gastrointestinal illnesses in Canada. She has a solid background in public relations and fundraising and is an active community volunteer in Canada serving on numerous collaborations, such as the Best Medicines Coalition, where she currently serves as Chair.
Entertainment
Evan Carter, Comedian
Evan Carter is a Toronto based stand-up comedian, show host and MC. For three decades Evan has been successfully mining all three of these live entertainment veins. His versatility, experience and professionalism has served him well and Carter can move easily from concert halls, opening for such acts as Gladys Knight, The Temptations, Air Supply, Dionne Warwick and many other top names in the world of showbusiness, to smaller functions like private corporate affairs or fundraisers for community groups and sports teams. Evan spends his time observing the world through his eyes, the eyes of a father, husband, son, and friend. His likes, dislikes and especially what confuses him provide an endless source of fascination and material.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
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Where | Fermenting Cellar, 28 Distillery Lane
Reception | 5:30 pm
Dinner | 6:00 pm
Featured Speakers
Ed Gudaitis, General Manager | Gilead Sciences Canada Inc.
Ed Gudaitis is the General Manager of Gilead Sciences Canada Inc. Mr. Gudaitis joined Gilead Sciences in June of 2005 to establish the operation of the Gilead’s Canadian affiliate. In this role he was responsible for leading the commercial success of Gilead’s HIV, Hepatitis B and Respiratory portfolios in Canada. Mr. Gudaitis also has experience working for Gilead Sciences at their Foster City, California headquarters, where he was the Senior Marketing leader for Gilead’s U.S. HIV business – launching Gilead’s latest HIV medicines Complera® and Stribild®.
Prior to joining Gilead Sciences, Ed had worked for more than 12 years for Hoffmann-La Roche Limited in Canada. His last position at Roche was as Vice-President of Marketing and Sales, Specialty Products. In this role, Ed was responsible for leading the commercialization of Roche Canada’s Oncology, Hospital, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Dialysis portfolios. In his career at Roche Canada, Ed has also held the role of Business Unit Director – Oncology, Business Unit Director – Transplantation, Director of Market Access and Business Policy, and Director of Health Economics and Pricing. Ed has also worked for Genentech Canada Inc. in the mid 1990’s in the clinical research area.
Ed has a B.Sc. from Brock University in St. Catherines, Ontario and an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario in London.
Judith Glennie, Director | Gastrointestinal Society Board
Judith is a senior member of the health care community with more than 25 years of experience in national and international pharmaceutical policy. A clinical pharmacist by background, she has held roles in strategy, policy, teaching, research, and patient care in the payer, regulator, industry, clinical, and academic environments.
Her public policy background includes a MSc in Community Health Science and work with the Drug Programs Branch, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care; Health Canada’s Health Products and Foods Branch; and with the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board as a Federal Cabinet appointee.She has held leadership roles in health technology assessment (HTA) policy as well as post-marketing effectiveness research, strategic planning, reimbursement submissions, and market access strategies.
Judith served many years as a Board member with the Drug Information Association (DIA), an international not-for-profit educational association. She is currently the President of J.L. Glennie Consulting Inc., providing a range of strategic advisory services to non-profit, government, and industry clients.
Gail Attara, President & CEO | Gastrointestinal Society
Gail Attara’s motto, “The patient comes first,” directs her resolve for patient-focused health care and commitment to increasing awareness about the seriousness of gastrointestinal illnesses in Canada. She has a solid background in public relations and fundraising and is an active community volunteer in Canada serving on numerous collaborations, such as the Best Medicines Coalition, where she currently serves as Chair.
John Crean, National Managing Partner | NATIONAL | Emcee
John Crean is responsible for the strategic and operational performance of NATIONAL Public Relations. He brings more than 20 years of diverse communications experience as a public relations consultant to the team. Managing all aspects of his clients’ assignments, John’s experience ranges from product launches and media relations to crisis counselling and coalition-building. His background encompasses accomplishments in the life sciences and pharmaceutical sectors, having provided his clients counsel in a variety of highly sensitive areas. He also chairs the board of directors of Hospice Palliative Care Ontario and formally sat on the board of the New Haven Learning Centre.
Entertainment
Evan Carter, Comedian
Evan Carter is a Toronto based stand-up comedian, show host and MC. For three decades Evan has been successfully mining all three of these live entertainment veins. His versatility, experience and professionalism has served him well and Carter can move easily from concert halls, opening for such acts as Gladys Knight, The Temptations, Air Supply, Dionne Warwick and many other top names in the world of showbusiness, to smaller functions like private corporate affairs or fundraisers for community groups and sports teams. Evan spends his time observing the world through his eyes, the eyes of a father, husband, son, and friend. His likes, dislikes and especially what confuses him provide an endless source of fascination and material.
Monday, October 20, 2014
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Where | Le Challenger, 2525 rue des Nations, Room 101
Reception | 5:30 pm
Dinner | 6:00 pm
Featured Speakers
Dr. Christiane Laberge
Specializing in family medicine and pediatrics since 1977, Dr. Christiane Laberge works with the public in CLSCs and runs her own private practice. A prominent voice for the health industry, she speaks daily on the Paul Arcand radio show with COGECO on 98.5FM and has been on the television news channel LCN-TVA for several years. Dr. Laberge is also committed to participating in many community-based events. She was a guest speaker for the GI Society’s La Fête GASTROnomique last year and we are pleased to welcome her again as our master of ceremonies.
Mr Russell Williams, President | Rx&D
Russell Williams is a passionate advocate for innovation in health care and economic development. Since joining Rx&D in March 2004, Mr. Williams has promoted policies that improve patient outcomes by expanding patient choice and access to new medicines and vaccines. He works to ensure that Canada is a world leader in attracting biopharmaceutical investments, which are key components of the knowledge-based economy.
Mr. Williams participates in provincial working groups and task forces aimed at improving the partnership between industry, governments, and stakeholders. Prior to joining Rx&D, he had a successful career in provincial politics and community service. For 15 years, he represented the Montreal riding of Nelligan in the National Assembly of Quebec.
Caroline Ouellette
Caroline Ouellette has been a member of Canada’s National Women’s Hockey Team since 1998 and is a winner of four Olympic gold medals. She was team captain in 2014, when Team Canada won the gold medal. In addition to these Olympic achievements, Ms. Ouellette has participated in 11 IIHF World Championships, winning six gold and five silver medals. She is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Duluth with a BLA in Criminology and Women’s Studies. She is also a graduate of the Quebec National Police School.
In addition to many athletic achievements, Ms. Ouellette finds time to devote to community work. She was the recipient of the 2013 Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Award, given to a player that has made a significant contribution to female hockey and demonstrates strong community involvement and dedication to all aspects of the game.
Catherine Ward
Catherine Ward has been part of Canada’s National Women’s Hockey Team since 2009, having won gold in 2010 and in 2014. She has also played on four IIHF Women’s championship teams, winning three silver medals and one gold medal. In 2012-13 she won the CWHL Defenseman of the Year award.
Ms Ward has a BComm from McGill University and an International MBA from Boston University, where she received the Gretchen Schuyler Award for being the top female student athlete. She also has a scholarship in her name, awarded every year to a female student at Dawson College who is entering university to pursue both her studies and her sport.
Mr Gary Fabian, Executive Director Quebec | GI Society | Emcee
Gary Fabian is a senior executive with a long career in the health, pharmaceutical, and consumer packaged goods areas. Fluent in French and English, Gary is a graduate of Concordia, with diplomas from McGill University and the American Management Institute. He has worked with AC Nielsen and IMS Health, both large information and market research firms, as well as with The JBL Group, an independent consultancy specializing in health policy and market access.
Gary also volunteers his time to charities, especially the West Island Palliative Care Residence, where he serves on the Board of Directors. In addition to his expertise in public affairs and government relations, Gary also brings to the GI Society his experience as a strategist with a pragmatic and creative approach. He has established high-level relationships with key health stakeholders across Canada within industry, government, and professional communities.