Dr. Mamatha Bhat is a Hepatologist and Clinician-Scientist at the University Health Network's Ajmera Transplant Centre, Scientist at TGHRI and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Bhat completed her medical school and residency training at McGill University. She then completed a Transplant Hepatology fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, followed by a CIHR Fellowship for Health Professionals, through which she completed a PhD in Medical Biophysics.

The goal of Dr. Bhat’s research program is to improve long-term outcomes of liver transplantation by developing tools of Artificial Intelligence integrating clinical and 'omics data, and has been funded by CIHR, Terry Fox research institute, Canadian Liver Foundation, American society of Transplant among others.

She has published over 155 papers in journals such as Lancet Digital Health, Journal of Hepatology, JAMA Surgery, Gut and Hepatology. Dr. Bhat has been the recipient of recognitions such as the 2022 CASL Research Excellence award and the 2021 American Society of Transplantation Basic Science Career Development Award.

Dr. Bhat is also Director of the Clinician-scientist training program in the Dept of Medicine at U of T, Partnership & Engagement Lead for the Temerty Centre for AI Research and Education in Medicine (T-CAIREM), and past Chair of the International Liver Transplant Society Basic and Translational Science Research committee.

Elena Barbir, MD, FRCPC recently joined the division of nephrology at the U of A December 2024 after having completed general nephrology training at UBC, followed by 2 additional fellowships in transplant nephrology and onco-nephrology at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. She is establishing an Onco-Nephrology clinic at the U of A, in addition to maintaining an active kidney transplant practice. Her clinical and research interests include recurrent diseases in kidney transplant recipients, specifically complement mediated thrombotic microangiopathy and monoclonal gammopathies of renal significance, immunotherapy related renal complications, and drug induced thrombotic microangiopathy in Oncology patients. 

Kristi Coldwell serves as the Senior Advisor for Transplant Research Advocacy at the Organ Donation and Transplant Research Foundation of BC.

As a heart transplant recipient—having undergone the procedure as a teenager due to congenital heart disease—Kristi brings a profound personal understanding of the critical role research plays in advancing outcomes and improving quality of life for transplant recipients.

In her role at ODTRF, Kristi works to bridge the gap that often hinders patients, families and donors (PFD) from meaningful engagement in the research process. She believes that the active involvement of PFDs is essential to produce research that is both impactful and accountable. By fostering collaboration and advocating for inclusive practices, she strives to ensure that research initiatives are shaped by the lived experiences and perspectives of those most directly affected.

 Dr. Melanie Hamilton is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Jane and Ron Graham Centre for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at the University of Saskatchewan. With over 20 years of experience in nursing education, Dr. Hamilton has made significant contributions to the field.

Before transitioning to higher education, Dr. Hamilton served as an Operating Room Nurse at the University of Alberta, collaborating closely with various transplant teams. Her dedication to organ donation is deeply personal, as her youngest daughter underwent a liver transplant at Stollery Children's Hospital in April 2021. This unique experience has provided Dr. Hamilton with invaluable insights from both practitioner and parent perspectives.