Programmes d’affinité
Check out our 2026 Lab Summit agenda to see the incredible lineup of speakers you’ll have the chance to learn from. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain insights from experts in the field!
Time
Session
7:30 AM
Registration, Breakfast and Networking
8:20 AM
Welcome - Michelle Hoad
8:30 AM
The Power of Pressure
How we navigate periods of intense pressure has a huge impact on the trajectory of our lives. It impacts how successful we are in our careers, how much we enjoy the journey, and how much regret we carry. Drawing insights from his book, The Power of Pressure: Why Pressure Isn’t the Problem, It’s the Solution, Dane Jensen’s keynote address introduces three powerful strategies for using pressure as an advantage. The audience will hear unforgettable stories of pressure, learn practical skills for performing in peak moments and over the long haul, and come away with renewed energy for tackling the biggest sources of pressure in their lives.
Dane Jensen
Dane Jensen is an acclaimed speaker, media
commentator, educator and author. He is a
top-rated instructor at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill and Queen’s University in
Canada, and has contributed to the development
of thousands of leaders in companies of all sizes
through his company Third Factor. In addition to
his corporate work, Dane works extensively with
coaches, athletes, leaders, and Boards throughout the Olympic and Paralympic sport system to enhanced competitiveness. Dane is a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review. His work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Strategy+Business, and countless others, and he was named a top virtual speaker by Entrepreneur magazine. Dane’s book, The Power of Pressure: Why Pressure Isn’t The Problem, It’s The Solution, was called “the best book I’ve read on pressure and performance” by championship-winning NBA head coach, Nick Nurse.
9:30 AM
Bio Break and Book Signing
9:45 AM
An Update on Advocacy and Politics in Ontario
Gain insight into MLPAO’s recent advocacy efforts and the significant progress achieved with the provincial government as we work to strengthen Ontario’s laboratory workforce. This session will provide a clear overview of the current political landscape and highlight the advancements being made to address the province’s ongoing health human resources shortage of MLTs.
Michelle Hoad
Michelle Hoad is the Chief Executive Officer of the Medical
Laboratory Professionals’ Association of Ontario (MLPAO),
where she leads the organization’s advocacy, education, and
workforce‑development initiatives for Ontario’s medical
laboratoryprofessionals. With a strong background in
healthcare leadership and a passion for elevating the lab
profession, Michelle is a driving force behind efforts to
strengthen the province’s diagnostic workforce and ensure
the vital contributions of lab professionals are recognized across the healthcare system.
Clare Michaels
Clare Michaels is Vice President,
Ontario Government Affairs at Santis Health. Clare
helps health care organizations navigate the
complexities of government and craft the right message
at critical moments in the public environment. Before
joining Santis, Clare led high-stakes mandates for a
Canadian crisis communications agency, where she
worked with hospitals, long-term care operators,
universities and social services organizations. Clare
previously served as Director of Strategic
Communications and Principal Writer for the
Honourable Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario. In this role, she supported the Premier through hundreds of press conferences and speeches covering the government’s COVID-19 response, major infrastructure investments, and provincial budgets.
10:15 AM
Ontario Laboratory Medicine Program Pathology Panel: Current Priorities, Progress and the Road Ahead
This presentation will provide and overview of the purpose and structure of the OLMP, current activities within the OLMP Pathology Expert Advisory Panel, including support for the implementation of digital pathology across Ontario, and a look at the current and future state of AI in pathology.
Dr. Andrew Evans MD PhD FACP FRCPC
Dr. Evans is Chief of Pathology at Mackenzie Health
(MH), a large community hospital in North Toronto
that has transitioned to digital pathology. Prior to
moving to MH, he was at University Health Network
in Toronto from 2001-2020 serving as Director of
Digital Pathology from 2004-2020. He has been
extensively involved in developing best practice
documents for digital pathology with the College of American Pathologists (CAP). He chaired the CAP Digital and Computational Pathology Committee from 2016-2021 and serves on the Artificial Intelligence Committee, Council on Informatics and Pathology Innovation. He is the current clinical lead for the Ontario Laboratory Medicine Program Pathology Expert Advisory Panel responsible for improving specimen collection, access to testing across the province and digital integration including the use of digital pathology.
11:00 AM
Energy Break
11:15 AM
A Year Later: An Update on the CAMLPR Field of Practice Exams
In 2024, provincial MLT regulators announced a fundamental shift in Medical Laboratory Technology entry-to-practice examinations and formally adopted the CAMLPR Field of Practice Competency Profiles as the national standard. In 2025, CAMLPR launched the Field of Practice Exams. One year on, what has this change delivered—and what have we learned so far?
Adam Chrobak
Adam Chrobak is the Executive Director of the
Canadian Alliance of Medical Laboratory
Professionals Regulators (CAMLPR). Adam has
over 15 years of leadership experience in health
profession regulation, including serving as the
Registrar & CEO of the College of Medical
Laboratory Technologists of Manitoba (CMLTM).
Adam has been an MLT for over 35 years, has completed a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and has held various leadership positions including the Chair of the Manitoba Alliance of Health Regulatory Colleges (MAHRC) and the Vice-Chair of the Canadian Alliance of Medical Laboratory Professionals Regulators (CAMLPR).
12:00 PM
Lunch - Sponsored by AstraZeneca
1:00 PM
Check-in with Michelle Hoad
1:30 PM
Age is Just Insight: Unlocking the Power of Generational Diversity
Move beyond tired stereotypes and embrace the profound power of generational diversity. Explore how shifting values and expectations can become strategic opportunities rather than obstacles. Learn to lead with a “discovery-driven” mindset rooted in genuine curiosity.
This session isn’t just about management. It’s about fostering deeper, more authentic connections across your teams. Step into this conference feeling grounded in your purpose, energized by new perspectives, and ready to turn generational differences into collective strength.
Jennifer Krueger
Jennifer is an award-winning keynote speaker and
Leadership coach who loves to ignite positivity in
people, so they love their jobs even more. Your
participants will laugh, learn, discuss, and self
-evaluate while absorbing Jennifer’s research
-based recommendations on communication
and leadership behaviours that work in a modern
world. She combines 20 years of business experience
with a Bachelor of Education and a degree in Adult
learning and Instructional Design, Warm. Witty. Savvy. Direct. No sugar-coating. You can feel confident and excited with Jennifer on your stage because you and your organization deserve the best and Jennifer will deliver that to you.
3:30 PM
Michelle Hoad - Closing Remarks
3:45 PM
Free Time in Toronto
6:00 PM
Member Appreciation Social Event
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Time
Session
7:30 AM
Registration and Breakfast with Vendors
8:30 AM
Welcome and Awards Ceremony
9:00 AM
Opening Remarks with Data Innovations
9:15 AM
Crisis, Collaboration, and Change: Lessons from the U.S. Healthcare and Public Health Landscape
In this timely session, Dr. Rodney E. Rohde—renowned public health microbiologist, medical laboratory scientist, and science communicator—will take attendees on an insightful tour of the current U.S. public health, medical laboratory, and healthcare landscape. Drawing on decades of experience in state and federal public health laboratories as well as academia, Dr. Rohde will illuminate the pressing challenges and emerging opportunities that define the state of America’s health systems in 2026 and beyond.
Attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of key issues shaping the U.S. frontlines: the evolving roles of public health laboratories and clinical labs, ongoing workforce pressures, regulatory and reimbursement shifts, and how data and diagnostics are influencing outbreak response and healthcare delivery across the nation. Through a blend of expert analysis and real-world examples, this presentation offers a holistic view of how laboratories and public health professionals are adapting to rapidly changing scientific, policy, and operational environments.
Whether you’re navigating issues like surveillance data gaps, funding constraints, or technological transformation, this session will equip you with a deeper appreciation of how U.S. laboratory and public health systems intersect—and why collaboration and innovation are more critical than ever.
Rodney Rohde
Dr. Rohde is a Regents’ Professor for the Texas
State University System. He is a University
Distinguished Professor and Chair for the Medical
Laboratory Science (MLS) Program and serves as
Associate Director for Translational Health
Research Center for Texas State University. He is a
Global Fellow, Fellow of the Association of Clinical
Scientists, Honorary Professor of International studies, and an ASCP board certified Specialist in Virology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology. He served as a public health microbiologist and molecular epidemiologist with the Texas Department of State Bureau of Labs and Zoonosis Control prior to academia, including two terms as a CDC visiting scientist. His research interests include Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs), antimicrobial resistance, and clinical / public health microbiology.
He is an Associate Adjunct Professor of Biology at Austin Community College (30 years) where he teaches microbiology. He has published 150+ research articles, abstracts, chapters, two books, and is a keynote presenter with 250+ presentations at all levels. His books focus on MRSA and Clinical Considerations in Rabies. He is a globally viral author, popular keynote speaker, and expert utilizing invited articles, TEDx talks, podcasts, and interviews for science communication and translational health research literacy. The pandemic made Doc R the #1 quoted Texas State expert conducting over 200 interviews, webinars and workshops at the international and national level. He hosts his own podcast for Contagion Live’s “From Pathogen to Infectious Disease Diagnosis,” is an ASM contributing author, and has his own column for Healthcare Hygiene Magazine.
10:00 AM
Energy Break with Vendors
10:30 AM
Machine Learning and AI in Hematopathology
Discover how machine learning and AI are transforming hematopathology, from enhancing diagnostic accuracy to accelerating workflows that support clinical decision‑making.
Dr. Clinton Campbell
Clinton Campbell, MD, PhD, FRCPC is a
hematopathologist with clinical experience
in blood and bone marrow morphology,
transfusion medicine, special coagulation,
red cell disorders, digital pathology and
laboratory management. He is the Discipline
Director of Hematopathology at the Hamilton
Regional Laboratory Medicine Program and an assistant professor in Pathology and Molecular Medicine at McMaster University.
11:15 AM
Pre AGM - Future-Forward: Introducing MLPAO's New Strategic Plan
11:30 AM
Annual General Meeting
12:00 PM
Lunch with Vendors
1:00 PM
Sponsor Presentation by BD Diagnostic Solutions
1:15 PM
Antimicrobial Resistance and Phage Therapy
Dive into the evolving world of infectious disease as we uncover how antimicrobial resistance is accelerating worldwide and how phage therapy is emerging as a powerful, customizable tool in the fight against hard‑to‑treat infections.
Dr. Greg German
Greg German, MD, PhD, FRCPC, DTM&H (UK) is a
phage clinician/chronic infection clinic physician at
Unity Health in Toronto. As a medical microbiologist,
he is a physician specialist in the clinical and
laboratory diagnosis of infectious diseases including
enteric molecular testing, personalized medicine,
antibiotic stewardship and parasitology. Dr. German is the co-founder of Phage Canada.
2:00 PM
Small Volumes, Big Deal! Transitioning to Small-Volume Phlebotomy Tubes at a Tertiary Care Hospital System
This presentation will provide an overview of the ongoing transition to small-volume blood collection tubes at Sinai Health. Specifically, we will describe our experience leading such a significant change management initiative across our hospital system through adapting approaches used at other institutions but tailored to our unique spectrum of patient populations and needs. Additionally, we will highlight the valuable collaboration with Nursing throughout this journey particularly with respect to understanding the state of phlebotomy, establishing contextual key performance indicators and evaluating the impact of small-volume blood collection tubes on phlebotomy practice.
Dr. Felix Leung
Felix Leung, PhD, FCACB is Division Head of Clinical
Biochemistry in the Department of Pathology and
Laboratory Medicine at Sinai Health System and an
Assistant Professor in the Department of Laboratory
Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto.
He completed his PhD and Clinical Chemistry Fellowship at
the University of Toronto and is a Fellow of the Canadian
Academy of Clinical Biochemistry. His professional interests
revolve around utilizing data analytics to enhance quality
assurance and clinical biochemistry education and advocacy.
2:45 PM
Energy Break with Vendors
3:15 PM
The Value of Clinical Proteomics in Laboratory Medicine
This presentation will introduce participants to the fundamentals of proteomics using mass spectrometry, with a focus on how these technologies are increasingly shaping and supporting emerging applications within clinical laboratories. Attendees will also explore real-world case examples that illustrate the practical value and clinical impact of proteomic testing. By the end of the session, participants will gain a clearer understanding of how proteomics can enhance diagnostic capabilities and support precision medicine efforts.
Dr. Vathany Kulasingam
The Division Head of Clinical Biochemistry at the
University Health Network (UHN) and a Professor
in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and
Pathobiology at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Kulasingam also serves as a Clinician-Investigator
at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and
Co-Director of the Clinical Chemistry Postdoctoral
Training Program at U of T. Her research applies
high-throughput “omics” technologies, including
proteomics and metabolomics, to investigate disease
mechanisms, particularly in cancer and rheumatic diseases. She has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and received numerous grants and awards for her contributions to clinical biochemistry, research, and education.
