People

Directors:

Emina Emilia Torlakovic is an Associate Professor of Pathology and a staff hematopathologist at the University Health Network, University of Toronto. She is a Medical Director of the Diagnostic Immunohistochemistry Laboratory at University Health Network. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pathology in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and Hematopathology. She was one of the founding members of NordiQC, a Scandinavian Immunohistochemistry Quality Control Organization. She is a co-chair of the CAP National Standards Committee for High Complexity Testing (a former CAP-ACP National Standards Committee/Immunohistochemistry that she chaired). She is currently leading an initiative of the International Council for Standardization in Hematology (ICSH) with an aim to standardize bone marrow immunohistochemistry.  Her research interests are in the area of immunohistochemistry, hematopathology, and gastrointestinal pathology. Her doctoral thesis evaluated biology of B-cell transcription factors.

Blake Gilks, MD, FRCPC, PhD

Dr. Blake Gilks is Professor, Dept of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, at the University of British Columbia and Division Head, Anatomic Pathology at Vancouver General Hospital, the site of the largest surgical oncology program in the province. Dr. Gilks leads a research program focused on gynecological cancers and is co-founder of OvCaRe, a multidisciplinary team studying ovarian cancer.  In addition, he is also a co-founder of the Genetic Pathology Evaluation Centre, a collaborative research venture of the Pathology Department, the Prostate Research Centre of the Vancouver General Hospital, and the BC Cancer Agency, utilizing tissue microarray technology to uncover novel cancer biomarkers.

Scheme Organizer:

John Garratt, RT (Cyto)

 John is the Anatomic Pathology Technical Specialist for Vancouver Coastal Health. There are four surgical pathology laboratories in the health region with a combined volume of over 80,000 cases per annum in the health region. John is actively involved in the development and maintenance of standards in Surgical Pathology and Diagnostic Cytology with the Diagnostic Accreditation Program of British Columbia. He also maintains the British Columbia Immunohistochemistry proficiency program run out of Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver.

Assessors:

Richard Berendt, MD, FRCPC

Dr. Berendt is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology with the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta. Since 2005, Dr. Berendt has been the Director of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Edmonton’s Cross Cancer Institute. He also serves as medical director at the Alberta Research Tumor Bank in Edmonton, an initiative funded by the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Dr. Berendt is an active member of the PolymX Program, lending support to breast cancer related projects for the Cancer Genomics Program of the Alberta Cancer Board.

Gilbert Bigras, MD, FRCPC

Pathologists, Cross Cancer Institute

Maria A. Copete E., DDS, MS

Maria A. Copete E., DDS, MS., is an Associate Professor and Head of Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, College of Dentistry, and Associate Member of the Pathology Department, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. She is interested in diagnostic immunohistochemistry and is currently pursuing Immunohistochemistry Fellowship at the University of Saskatchewan.

John F. DeCoteau, MD, FRCPC

John DeCoteau's main academic and clinical interests are in diagnostic hematopathology and translational research related to this discipline. He is a staff hematopathologists at the Royal University Hospital, Experimental Pathology Section Head, co-Director of flow cytometry and molecular hematology diagnostic laboratories. He is also a co-Director of the Genomic Medicine and Pathobiology Research Group (G-MAP), University of Saskatchewan. His research aims to clarify molecular mechanisms of disease promotion and progression using innovative genomic and proteomics technologies. He also serves as a member of the Hematopathology Nucleus Committee and Examination Board for Hematopathology of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

John Garratt, RT (Cyto)

 John is the Anatomic Pathology Technical Specialist for Vancouver Coastal Health. There are four surgical pathology laboratories in the health region with a combined volume of over 80,000 cases per annum in the health region. John is actively involved in the development and maintenance of standards in Surgical Pathology and Diagnostic Cytology with the Diagnostic Accreditation Program of British Columbia. He also maintains the British Columbia Immunohistochemistry proficiency program run out of Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver.

Blake Gilks, MD, FRCPC, PhD

Dr. Blake Gilks is Professor, Dept of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, at the University of British Columbia and Division Head, Anatomic Pathology at Vancouver General Hospital, the site of the largest surgical oncology program in the province. Dr. Gilks leads a research program focused on gynecological cancers and is co-founder of OvCaRe, a multidisciplinary team studying ovarian cancer.  In addition, he is also a co-founder of the Genetic Pathology Evaluation Centre, a collaborative research venture of the Pathology Department, the Prostate Research Centre of the Vancouver General Hospital, and the BC Cancer Agency, utilizing tissue microarray technology to uncover novel cancer biomarkers.

 Shannon is the senior immunohistochemistry technologist for the Saskatoon Health Region. She received her general MLT (CSMLS) in 1987 and started working in Histology shortly after. She received her ART in Histotechnology in 1995 and became the charge tech of the IHC laboratory in 1996. In 2008, through the NSH Region IX awards committee, Shannon received the Dako IHC/ISH award and the Ventana Medical Systems IHC Award.  

Nik Marketsov, MD, PhD, FRCPC 

Dr. Nik Makretsov is an assistant professor of pathology at the Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, since December 2008. He is a pathologist with an MD and a PhD, certified by Royal College of Physicians of Canada and by European Board of Pathology as a specialist in Anatomical Pathology. He has extensive interests in translational clinical research of breast cancer and is a busy breast surgical pathologist- serving a population of 250.000. His main research focus is on estimation of novel diagnostic and prognostic markers in breast cancer and their combination by immunohistochemistry, tissue microarrays, clinical epidemiology and quantitative image analysis.

Sarah Mitchell, BSc, MLT

Sarah Mitchell is a senior technologist in the Immunohistochemistry Laboratory at the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton, Alberta. Sarah has a keen interest in the optimization of clinical antibodies using both closed and open immunohistochemistry systems. Her most recent projects include validation of an antibody panel for Mismatch Repair Proteins for colon cancer and the cross validation between CISH and FISH for Her2.

Dragana Pilavdzik, MD, FRCPC

 Dr. Dragana Pilavdzic is a Staff Pathologist at the Jewish General Hospital and Assistant Professor of Pathology at University of McGill in Montreal.  She is an anatomic pathologist specializing in breast pathology actively involved in quality assurance in immunohistochmistry for hormone receptors and Fluorescence in situ for Her2/neu.  She is currently working in the Jewish General Hospital as a breast pathologist.  She is also an active member of the Canadian Association of Pathology and has continuing interest in teaching and quality assurance in pathology. She was involved with the cIQc from its inception and continues to contribute to the program as an assessor for class II immunohistochemical tests.

Louise Quenneville, MD, FRCPC

Dr. Louise Quenneville is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan. She is an anatomical pathologist certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. She has a special interest in breast pathology and has studied as a fellow under Dr. Frances O'Malley at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.

Henrike Rees, MD, FRCPC

Dr. Henrike Rees is a clinical associate professor of pathology at the Faculty of Medicine, Saskatoon. She is an anatomic pathologist certified by the Royal College of Physicians of Canada and by the American Board of Pathology. For more than a decade she has worked as a community surgical pathologist with special interest in breast pathology. She has extensive hands–on experience in breast marker analysis. She founded the only Her 2 FISH testing lab in Saskatchewan in 2004. She has long standing interest and experience in quality assurance and management.

Emina E. Torlakovic, MD, PhD, FCAP

Emina Emilia Torlakovic is an Associate Professor of Pathology and a staff hematopathologist at the University of Saskatchewan. She is the Medical Director of the Diagnostic Immunohistochemistry Laboratory at Department of Pathology, Saskatoon Health Region. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pathology in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and Hematopathology. She was one of the founding members of NordiQC, a Scandinavian Immunohistochemistry Quality Control Organization. She is a chair of the CAP National Standards Committee/Immunohistochemistry. Her research interests are in the area of immunohistochemistry, hematopathology, and gastrointestinal pathology. Her doctoral thesis evaluated biology and diagnostic applications of detection of B-cell transcription factors.

Goran Torlakovic, MD, FRCPC, FCAP

Dr. Goran Torlakovic  is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Saskatchewan and a staff pathologist at St. Paul’s Hospital. He received his MD at the University of Zagreb Medical School, followed by a rotating internship and pathology residency at Hennepin County Medical Center and Abbot Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. He is certified by the American Board of Pathology and by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in Anatomic Pathology.  Special areas of interest: prostate pathology, thyroid pathology and gastrointestinal pathology. 

Statistical Adviser

Hyun J."June" Lim, Ph.D.

Dr. Lim specializes in biostatistics and design/analysis of clinical trials. She is an associate professor at the Department of Community Health & Epidemiology, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan. 
Phone:(306) 966-6288
Fax:(306) 966-7920

Project Manager:

Amanda Doherty