Lung Cancer Canada Policy Series

Lung Cancer Canada 2026 Policy Series

It’s time to get serious about lung cancer.

Bringing together thought leaders from the public and private sectors to develop creative and actionable solutions for enhancing the healthcare system’s approach to lung cancer.

Past Policy Forums 

Too Often, Too Late: Lung Cancer, Women, and Systemic Delay

A policy roundtable examining how misconceptions and system design delay diagnosis and treatment — and what must change.

Recorded May 5th, 2026
 

Panel Members: Emi Bossio, Frances Cerato, Laura Floyd, Katie Hulan, Dr. Rosalyn Juergens, Bev Moir, and Dr. Stephanie Snow.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women in Canada, surpassing breast cancer, yet it remains under-recognized as a women’s health issue.

Anyone with lungs can get lung cancer. Misconceptions related to age, smoking history, and gender continue to shape awareness and health system design, contributing to delayed diagnosis and uneven access to testing and treatment for many women.

To coincide with Mother’s Day, Lung Cancer Canada convened a policy roundtable bringing together women with lived experience, female clinicians, and system leaders to examine how these misconceptions contribute to systemic delays across the lung cancer care pathway and to identify opportunities for awareness and policy action to improve timely, equitable care.

Bridging the Gap: Precision Medicine in Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

A multi-part forum examining the systemic delays that lung cancer patients face from diagnosis to treatment. 

Moderated by Dr. Stephanie Snow

For those living with lung cancer, the promise of precision medicine cannot be fully realized unless we address both the barriers to timely and equitable biomarker testing and the delays in access to life-saving treatments. These two critical pieces must work hand-in-hand to ensure better outcomes and improved survival rates for all Canadians. 

This series focused on ‘time to patient’, presenting a structured approach to understanding and addressing the critical bottlenecks that those impacted by lung cancer encounter in the journey from diagnosis to treatment.

Session 3: Collaborative Strategies for Reducing Delays
Recorded Tuesday, November 18^th, 2025
 

• Dr. Judith Glennie
  Health Policy Consultant
• Dr. Sandeep Sehdev
  Medical Oncologist – The Ottawa Hospital
• Laura Greer
  Executive Vice-President, Health & Wellness, and Global Client Lead - Burson
• Zahra Akbar 
  Senior Policy Analyst - Innovative Medicines Canada

Bridging the Gap: Precision Medicine in Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Session 2: Treatment Access and Drug Approval Processes
Recorded Tuesday, October 28^th, 2025
 

• Dr. David Stewart
  Professor of Medicine – The Ottawa Hospital
  Member, Lung Cancer Canada Medical Advisory Committee
• Dr. Sandeep Sehdev
  Medical Oncologist – The Ottawa Hospital
• Eva Villaba
  Executive Director - Quebec Cancer Coalition
• Robert Bick
  Co-Lead & Co-Founder - CanCertainty Coalition

Bridging the Gap: Precision Medicine in Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Session 1: Diagnostic Delays and Biomarker Testing
Recorded Tuesday, October 7^th, 2025

• Leah Stephenson
  Health Care Advocate – All.Can Canada
• Dr. Shantanu Banerji
  Medical Oncologist – CancerCare Manitoba
  Member, Lung Cancer Canada Medical Advisory Committee
• Dr. Brandon Sheffield
  Pathologist, William Osler Health System
  Member, Lung Cancer Canada Medical Advisory Committee

• Filomena Servidio-Italiano
  President & CEO, Colorectal Cancer Resource and Action Network (CCRAN)

   

Next Steps for Lung Cancer Screening: Building a More Equitable Program

Recorded November 14, 2024

• Dr. Christian Finley
  Thoracic Surgeon – St. Joseph’s Healthcare
  Expert Lead, Canadian Partnership Against Cancer
  Clinical Lead, Ontario Lung Cancer Screening Program
  Member, Lung Cancer Canada Medical Advisory Committee
• Dr. Stephen Lam
  Respirologist – BC Cancer Agency
  Member, Lung Cancer Canada Medical Advisory Committee
• Dr. Alain Tremblay
  Respirologist – Alberta Health Sciences Centre
  Medical Director – Alberta Lung Cancer Screening Program
• Dr. Geoffrey Liu
  Senior Scientist – Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
  Member, Lung Cancer Canada Medical Advisory Committee
• Dr. Simon Martel
  Respirologist – Quebec Heart and Lung Institute
  Chair, Quebec Lung Cancer Screening Committee
   

Clinical Trials: Towards a More Patient-Centric Model

Recorded December 5, 2024

• Dr. Rosalyn Juergens
  Medical Oncologist – Juravinski Cancer Centre
  Lung Cancer Canada Board Member
  Co-Chair, Lung Cancer Canada Medical Advisory Committee
• Dr. Geoffrey Liu
  Senior Scientist – Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
  Member, Lung Cancer Canada Medical Advisory Committee
• Emi Bossio
  Lawyer & Advocate Living with Lung Cancer
  Lung Cancer Canada Board Member (Corporate Secretary)
• Stephen Sundquist
  Executive Director -Canadian Cancer Clinical Trials Network (3CTN)
• Dr. Lacey Pitre
  Medical Oncologist, Health Sciences North
  Member, Lung Cancer Canada Medical Advisory Committee