OBIO’s International Women's Day Celebration
OBIO’s International Women’s Day Celebration will bring together dynamic women leaders across the health tech and life sciences industry. This event is a unique platform where investors, entrepreneurs, and industry professionals will gather to celebrate and empower women-driven innovations.
Event Highlights:
We will be hosting a panel discussion on "Future-Proofing Your Company and Career: Navigating the Evolving Landscape of Life Sciences".
WiHI Seed companies will pitch their groundbreaking solutions, showcasing the incredible potential of women-led start-ups to advance the future of healthcare.
Agenda
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Registration & networking
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Welcome & Opening Remarks
Dr. Maura Campbell, President & CEO, OBIO®
Cate Murray, President & CEO, Stem Cell Network
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Panel discussion:
“Future-Proofing Your Company and Career: Navigating the Evolving Landscape of Life Sciences".Panelists:
Connie Chen, PhD - Sr. Director, Strategy & Corporate Development at FACIT
Jennifer Humphrey - Associate, Emerging and High Growth Companies at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Catherine Hunter - Partner and National Leader, Consumer Health and Life Sciences at EY
Cheryl J. Kerr - Founder and President of Medex Health Services Incorporated
Moderator: Maura Campbell, PhD - President and CEO of OBIO®
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Networking break
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Join us to listen to 5-minute pitches from 7 WiHI Seed companies.
AiimSense
Aptec Health
Asima Health
Cura Therapeutics
Flutter Care
SanoLiving
Women’s Global Health Innovation (BFree Cup)
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Announcements & Pitch Prizes Distribution
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Closing remarks
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Networking
Meet our panelists
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With over 20 years of experience in life sciences, biotech and capital markets, Dr. Connie Chen brings extensive experience in investment banking, seed investing, start-up and corporate development to her role at FACIT. FACIT is an award-winning commercialization venture firm that builds companies with entrepreneurs to accelerate oncology innovation. Its portfolio includes Triphase Accelerator, Turnstone Biologics, and Fusion Pharmaceuticals, and which has attracted over $1 billion in investment to Ontario. Dr. Chen is part of the senior leadership at FACIT, driving strategies to translate biotechnologies into business opportunities, grow sustainable start-ups and establish commercial partnerships to drive value for cancer assets. Dr. Chen’s broad investment, transaction and strategic experience arises from various corporate development, investor relations and equity research roles including at Functional Technologies (Renaissance BioScience), Loewen, Ondaatje and McCutcheon, and Clarus Securities. Dr. Chen holds a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Toronto.
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Jennifer is an associate in our Emerging and High Growth Companies Group. Her practice focuses on advising a wide range of clients on matters including mergers and acquisitions, continuous disclosure, equity and debt financings, as well as general corporate and securities related matters.
Prior to joining Osler, Jennifer worked as a corporate securities associate at a leading regional Bay Street firm. She is an active member of the legal community and is a mentor to first year law students at Ryerson University.
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Catherine is a Partner and the National Life Sciences Leader with EY Canada. Throughout her 25+ year career in consulting and industry, Catherine has worked with health service providers, pharmaceutical and med tech companies, and government to develop and deliver health-focused strategies and technology-enabled transformations for strategic growth, operational improvement and consumer focus. Catherine brings a deep understanding of the health ecosystem and has a particular interest in innovation and how diverse organizations can effectively work together to meet Canadians’ evolving health needs.
Catherine holds an MBA (Health Services Management) from McMaster University and a BScH (Life Sciences) from Queen’s University. She has served on several health related Boards at local and national levels, and is currently a Board Director with the Women’s Brain Health Initiative.
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Ms. Kerr is a serial health services entrepreneur with over 30 years’ experience as a leader in the healthcare field.
Ms. Kerr has honed vast diagnostic and paramedical experience through her tenure at Med Chem Laboratories, Rapidmed Paramedical and Gamma Dyna Care laboratory services. Having mastered the full spectrum of medical diagnostics and home care services. Ms Kerr then launched MedEx Health Services in 2008 with operations in Canada and the USA.
Ms. Kerr’s expertise includes outpatient care and ambulatory services, with an emphasis on coordinating and implementing rehabilitation services in the accident benefits and disability management industry. MedEx has developed into one of Ontario’s leading accredited Black female-owned and operated, full-service rehabilitation and home healthcare company, catering to a diverse client base.
An active philanthropist and community advocate, Ms. Kerr is dedicated to supporting organizations that provide service and care to those who are less fortunate. For her efforts she was awarded the Bob Marley Toronto Humanitarian award for 2023.
Ms. Kerr is the 2020 recipient of the BBPA’s Harry Jerome female entrepreneur business Award as well as a 2020 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women (100 ABC) Honoree. She was recognized by the RBC Champions for Women in 2006, and also received The National African American Insurance Association Award in 2007. She has established a distinguished reputation with various professional organizations, such as the Ontario Brain Injury Association, the Canadian Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Association, and The Black Physicians Association of Ontario.
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Dr. Maura Campbell is the President and CEO of OBIO®, a not-for-profit, membership-based organization dedicated to advancing health technology innovation and commercialization. Dr. Campbell has more than 30 years of experience in all key areas of biotech, including private and public companies, universities and research institutes, and government-funded public sector research organizations.
With expertise in technology transfer and commercialization of intellectual property, Dr. Campbell has held various roles in senior management, most recently as the Vice-President of Intellectual Property and Contracts for Turnstone Biologics, which recently went public on the NASDAQ. Previously, Dr. Campbell served as: Director, Intellectual Property at VBI Vaccines; Research Program Manager, and Manager of Technology Transfer & Commercialization at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute; Director of Intellectual Property for PainCeptor Pharma Corporation; and Manager of Technology Transfer at the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Systems National Centre of Excellence. Dr. Campbell has also served as an IP consultant to a number of Canadian start-ups including Neurochem, Conjuchem, Aonix, AMRIC and Sussex Research Labs.
Dr. Campbell received a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Ottawa, and an M.Sc. and a B.Sc. in biochemistry from Queen’s University in Kingston. Dr. Campbell served as the Vice-Chair of Ontario’s Life Sciences Council, supporting a plan to make Ontario a top hub for innovation growth and life sciences investment. She currently serves as a board member for FACIT (a business accelerator and investor established by the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research), SPEC Labs (a life sciences incubator and healthcare & life sciences innovation hub) and Intellectual Property Ontario (a provincial agency providing trusted IP support for Ontario innovators).
Meet our pitching companies
The event is a great opportunity for attendees to network, collaborate, and invest in the next wave of healthcare innovations, while amplifying the voices of the women shaping the industry.
