Dr. Abu-Raya is a Pediatric Infectious Diseases Clinician-Scientist at the Canadian Center for Vaccinology and IWK Health in Halifax. His research has mainly been in the field of maternal immunization with many of the studies he has led have contributed to practice-changing immunization policies in Canada and other several countries. He also won several national and international awards in the field. 
Dr. Abu-Raya’s research team and lab at the Canadian Center for Vaccinology uses laboratory-based cutting-edge assays that measure the functions of antibodies that are induced after vaccination and infection to answer translational questions in the field of vaccination in pregnancy to protect mother-infant dyads. With over than 75 peer-reviewed papers, he is the principal supervisor of master’s and PhD students and post-doctoral fellows at Dalhousie University. 
Dr. Abu-Raya is also an IMPaCT ECR fellow for the year 2025-2026

Zahra Alidina completed her Honours Bachelor of Science in Biology at McMaster University. She has been involved as a patient partner for several years with organizations such as SickKids, Solutions for Kids in Pain (SKIP), University Health Network (UHN), and The Canadian Collaborative for Childhood Cannabinoid Therapeutics (C4T). Zahra is also on the advisory committee for the Canadian Autoinflammatory Network. She is passionate about involving patients and families in research and focusing on research outcomes that are important to patients.

Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou is a Child Neurologist and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto as well as Vice President of Research at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and Director of the Bloorview Research Institute. As a Senior Clinician Scientist, she co-leads the Autism Research Centre (ARC) at Holland Bloorview and University of Toronto. She has held the Canada Research Chair in Translational therapeutics in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and currently holds the Dr. Stuart D. Sims Chair in Autism at Holland Bloorview and University of Toronto. She is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

Dr. Anagnostou has received extensive international funding to understand the underlying biological differences associated with ASD and other neurodevelopmental differences, translate such understandings into potential novel interventions. She has also funding in health system innovation, partner engagement, and in understanding the meaning and impact of neurodevelopmental conditions in marginalized populations. She has served on multiple government committees on improving diagnostic and intervention pathways, and several editorial boards and grant review panels. She has also been recognized for her contributions to training young clinicians and scientists and for her commitment to women in STEM. She currently represents the region of America- North on the International Society for Autism Research Global Senior Leaders committee.

Melila Chesick-Gordis (she/her) completed her Honours Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Certificate in Disability and Physical Activity from Queen’s University. Her engagement as a patient partner began in 2020 with The Canadian Collaborative for Childhood Cannabinoid Therapeutics (C4T). She has since collaborated on various research projects, both as a patient partner and a research assistant. As a mentor, Melila aims to highlight the many ways that families can be engaged in all aspects of research. She is passionate about removing barriers for women and children in medical research and advocating for a system that supports and centers patient experiences.

Dr. Lauren Kelly is an Associate Professor in pharmacology and therapeutics at the University of Manitoba. She is a scientist at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba and a clinical trialist at the George and Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation.

Dr. Kelly leads a pan-Canadian Clinical Trials Training Platform, called Increasing capacity for Maternal and Paediatric Clinical Trials, known as IMPaCT. She is also the Scientific Director for the Canadian Collaborative for Childhood Cannabinoid Therapeutics, C4T.

As an expert in pediatric clinical trials and pharmacovigilance, Dr. Kelly has advisory roles with KidsCAN Trials, RareKids-CAN, and Conect4Children in Europe. Dr. Kelly is a former member of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Health Products Containing Cannabis at Health Canada, co-lead of the Canadian Medical Cannabis Trials Network and a current member of the Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabinoids Board of Directors.

Ngawai Moss is a maternal and child health advocate who moved into health research after taking part in a clinical trial during pregnancy. She is a board member of BRIDGE — Better Research, Information and Data Generation for Empowerment — which works to ensure women with chronic diseases have the information they need to make informed decisions throughout their reproductive journey.

She works with families, researchers, clinicians and civil society organizations to ensure patient perspectives shape research, policy and care. She is a research co-investigator on several reproductive health research programs in the UK, including studies focused on epilepsy in pregnancy, preconception health, fertility and infant feeding.

Ngawai is also an Honorary Research Fellow at Queen Mary University of London and founder of Elly Charity, where she leads work on maternal health literacy for pregnant women who do not speak English as a first language. She advises organizations including NIHR, NHS England and the Academy of Medical Sciences, and has been recognized by Health Data Research UK for her contribution as a Patient and Public Involvement co-investigator on MuM-PreDiCT, a study focused on multiple long-term health conditions in pregnancy.

Srinivas Murthy is an academic pediatric intensive care physician and clinical researcher at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. His clinical and academic interests are in innovative clinical trial design, the management of acute infections, and science policy.

Terry Pirovolakis, a co-founder of CureSPG50 alongside his wife Georgia, encountered the formidable challenge of addressing his child's SPG50 diagnosis in 2019. Leveraging robust fundraising and community backing, he spearheaded ground-breaking research, successfully treating his own child within three years through a Canadian CTA and two more children via an FDA IND. Furthermore, Mr. Pirovolakis established Elpida Therapeutics, a non-profit, committed to addressing ultra-rare, non-commercially viable conditions through gene therapies. Collaborating with industry leaders, Elpida initially focuses on SPG50, CLN7 and CMT4J, with plans to address two more ultra-rare diseases in 2026, allocating profits to sustain and expand programs. Pirovolakis extends his impact by assisting other patient foundations, conducting Gene Therapy 101 classes, and engaging in collaborations, all driven by the overarching goal of saving as many children as possible.