Current review panels

Review panels are composed for specific competitions and membership will depend on the expertise needed. Panel meeting dates will be posted as they become available so that applicants may ensure timely updating of post-submission publications.

A collective list of CCS panel chairs, scientific reviewers, patient/survivor/caregiver reviewers, implementer/decision-maker reviewers, external reviewers and scientific officers will be posted each year in recognition of the outstanding contributions made by the cancer research community. Individual panel members will no longer be published.

For competitions with multiple panels – applicants indicate their panel recommendation, however, final panel selection will be determined by the panel chairs and CCS based on the panel with the most appropriate expertise.

Breakthrough team grants chair/s - 2024

Cyrus Ghajar, PhD (Theme 1)

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center - Seattle, WA 
Panel meeting date: December 4, 2024

Larissa Nekhlyudov, MD, MPH (Theme 2)

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute - Boston, MA
Panel meeting date: December 9, 2024

Health equity research grants chair/s - 2024

Catherine Worthington, PhD

University of Victoria - Victoria, BC
Panel meeting dates: November 19 & 20, 2024

Disruptive innovation grants chair/s - 2024

Alan Bernstein, PhD

University of Oxford - Oxford, UK
Panel meeting dates: October 31 & November 1, 2024

Data transformation grants chair/s - 2024

Kelvin Chan, MD, PhD

Sunnybrook Research Institute - Toronto, ON
Panel meeting date: June 19, 2024

Research training awards chair/s - 2024

Peter Greer (Panel: PDF Pillar 1)

Queens University -Kingston, ON
Panel meeting dates: June 5 & 6, 2024

Juliet Daniel and Mandana Vahabi

Juliet Daniel, PhD, McMaster University - Hamilton, ON
Mandana Vahabi, PhD, Toronto Metropolitan University- Toronto, ON

Panel meeting day: June 7, 2024

Ing Swie Goping (Panel: PhD Pillar 1)

University of Alberta - Edmonton, AB
Panel meeting dates: May 29 & 30, 2024

Helen MacKay (Panel: PhD/PDF Pillar 2)

Sunnybrook Research Institute - Toronto, ON
Panel meeting date: June 11, 2024

Darren Brenner (Panel: PhD/PDF Pillars 3 & 4)

University of Calgary - Calgary, AB
Panel meeting date: June 10, 2024

Workplace cancer research grants chair/s - 2024

Mark Purdue, PhD

National Cancer Institute - Rockville, MD
Panel meeting date: April 11, 2024

2023 grants chairs

Josie Ursini-Siegel, PhD (Panel C1: Mechanisms of risk, initiation, and progression)

Lady Davis Institute - Montreal, QC
Panel meeting dates: November 30, 2023 & December 1, 2023


Ryan Morin, PhD (Panel C2: Molecular biomarkers)

Simon Fraser University - Burnaby, BC
Panel meeting dates: November 23 & 24, 2023


Warren Chan, PhD (Panel C3: Imaging and technology)

University of Toronto - Toronto, ON
Panel meeting date: November 7, 2023


Lynne Postovit, PhD (Panel C4a: Therapeutics)

Queens University - Kingston, ON
Panel meeting dates: November 21 & 22, 2023


John Bell, PhD (Panel C4b: Immunotherapy)

Ottawa Hospital Research Institute - Ottawa, ON
Panel meeting date: November 29, 2023


Nicole Culos-Reed, PhD (Panel C6: Prevention and supportive care)

University of Calgary - Calgary, AB
Panel meeting dates: November 16 & 17, 2023


Winson Cheung, MD (Panel C7: Healh services and policy)

University of Calgary - Calgary, AB
Panel meeting date: December 5, 2023

George Zogopoulos, MD, PhD

McGill University - Montreal, QC


Jackie Bender, PhD

Peter Munk Cardiac Centre - Toronto, Ontario


Panel meeting dates:

June 25, 2023 and October 23 & 24, 2023

Darren Brenner, PhD

University of Calgary - Calgary, AB
Panel meeting date: October 26, 2023


Juliet Daniel - PhD

McMaster University, Hamilton, ON
Panel meeting date: October 27, 2023


Michelle Cotterchio - PhD

University of Health Network, Toronto, ON
Panel meeting date: June 22, 2023


Monika Krzyzanowska, MD, MPH

Cancer Care Ontario - Toronto, ON
Panel meeting date: June 26, 2023


Ing Swie Goping, PhD

University of Alberta - Edmonton, AB
Panel meeting dates: June 27 & 28, 2023


Peter Greer, PhD

Queen’s University - Kingston, ON
Panel meeting dates: June 27 & 28, 2023

2022 grants chairs

David Chambers, PhD

National Cancer Institute - Rockville, MD
Panel meeting date: October 21, 2022

Susan Chang , MD (Brain Cancer Panel) 

University of California - San Francisco, CA
Panel meeting date: November 28, 2022


Yuman Fong, MD (Esophagus, Stomach and Liver Cancer Panel) 

City of Hope - Duarte, CA
Panel meeting date: November 29, 2022


Hagen Kennecke, MD ( Pancreas and Lung Cancer Panel)

Providence Cancer Institute of Oregon - Portland, OR
Panel meeting date: November 30, 2022

Catherine Worthington, PhD

University of Victoria - Victoria, BC
Panel meeting date: November 16, 2022

Canadian Cancer Society research volunteers

Research volunteers serve on expert review committees as panel chairs, scientific reviewers, patient/survivor/caregiver reviewers, implementer/decision-maker reviewers, external reviewers and scientific officers. These individuals contributed a significant number of hours to ensure that CCS is able to fund the best cancer research in Canada.

2023

In 2023, more than 331 individuals volunteered their time to serve on expert review committees.

2022

In 2022, more than 109 individuals volunteered their time to serve on expert review committees.

2021

In 2021, more than 260 individuals volunteered their time to serve on expert review committees.

2020

In 2020, more than 170 individuals volunteered their time to serve on expert review committees.

2019

In 2019, more than 140 individuals volunteered their time to serve on expert review committees.