Leading the Way from Ideas to Impact

PHRI’s Research Day made a strong comeback this year with a full day celebrating innovation, collaboration, and research excellence across the institute. 

The day kicked off with an inspiring keynote by Canadian Olympic marathoner Reid Coolsaet. In his talk, “The Pursuit of Potential: A Runner’s Journey from Hamilton to Kenya,” Reid shared his personal story, the challenges, the setbacks, and the persistence that led him to Olympic success. 

Following the keynote, Senior Scientist Richard Whitlock led a session titled “Are We the Olympians of Research at PHRI?”. He explored how persistence is key to overcoming challenges and to PHRI’s growth and continued success as a leading health research institute in Canada and around the world. 

The day also featured presentations from PHRI researchers and staff, showcasing the breadth and impact of the work being done across the organization. 

• Raed Joundi, Scientist, presented a secondary analysis of the AXIOMATIC-SSP Trial. 

• Silvia Maiorano, Research Fellow, shared findings from a HIP ATTACK-1 substudy. 

• Mike Walsh, Senior Scientist, presented results from the ACHIEVE Trial, recently published in The Lancet and presented earlier at the ERA Congress 2025. 

• Les Fargo, ICT Solutions and Innovations Manager, and Kristen Avery, Business Analyst, showcased PHRI’s ROME Portal, highlighting new tools and features available on the platform. 

• Kevin Reeh, Research Project Manager III, presented “Evidence Comparing Various Site Monitoring Approaches for Ensuring Clinical Trial Quality.” 

• PJ Devereaux, PHRI Deputy Director and Senior Scientist, delivered a talk titled “The Future of Research in Canada is Bright,” addressing the current research landscape in Canada and the importance of nationwide initiatives such as the Accelerating Clinical Trial Consortium.

Several research project managers presented updates on ongoing PHRI trials: 

• LeAAPS Trial by Rosemary Howe, Research Project Manager II 

• RADICAL PC Trial by Sarah Karampatos, Research Project Manager III 

• LIMIT Trial by Jenny Swanson, Research Project Manager II 

• COMPLETE-2 Trial by Helen Nguyen, Research Project Manager III 

• PVC-RAM-2 Trial by Stephanie Harrison, Research Project Manager I 

• TARGeT Trial by Maha Mushtaha, Research Project Manager III 

With 75 posters on display in the atrium, Research Day was a true celebration of PHRI’s collective contributions to advancing healthcare and health research in Canada and beyond. Staff, researchers, and students engaged with poster presenters, discussing findings and exchanging ideas throughout the day.

The event concluded with the announcement of the Poster Awards, recognizing outstanding submissions in five categories:

• Best Overall Poster Award
  The Effort Spent on CTA Negotiations in the Fourth Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion Study (LAAOS-4) at PHRI (Lead Author: Lyba Sheraz; presented by Stephanie Hall)

• Best Poster Presentation Award
  The COMPLETE-2 Study (Presented by Helen Nguyen)

• Best Visual Design Award
  The XX Factor in Clinical Trials (Presented by Crysta Choppick, Research Project Coordinator III)

• Most Innovative Approach Award
  REVIVE – Start-up Challenges (Presented by members of the REVIVE Study Team)

• Greatest Real-World Impact Award
  Site Document Management in the Florence eTMF (Presented by Sarah Molnar, Research Project Coordinator III)

PHRI’s inaugural Staff Awards winners were also announced during the event. These awards were created to recognize the outstanding contributions and achievements of PHRI’s non-research staff.

• PHRI Rising Star Award was presented to Nishitha Jeyachandradhas, Biometrics Programmer, in recognition of her initiative, exceptional performance, and inspiring contributions early in her PHRI career. 

• PHRI Excellence Award was presented to Kate Brady, Associate Program Manager, for her outstanding performance, professionalism, collaboration, and strong commitment to enhancing PHRI’s operations.