May Lynn Quan, MD, PhD, FRCSC
Co-President, Canadian Society of Breast Surgeons
Professor of Surgery, University of Calgary
Breast Surgeon, Arthur Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre
Calgary, AB
Dr. May Lynn Quan is a Professor of Surgery, Oncology and Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary. She is a Breast surgeon at the Arthur Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre and is currently the Medical Director of the Calgary Breast Health Program.
Dr. Quan is the Scientific Director of the Strategies for Precision Health in Breast Cancer (SPHERE) program. Her research interest is in young women and using precision medicine approaches to improve cancer outcomes, in addition to improving access and quality of breast cancer care for Albertans. She has over 100 peer review publicaions and holds over $10 million in research funding, including from CIHR and Canadian Cancer Society (CCS).
Muriel Brackstone, MD, PhD, FRCSC
Co-President, Canadian Society of Breast Surgeons
Chair/Chief, Division of General Surgery
General Surgeon & Surgical Oncologist
Professor of Surgery & Oncology, Western University
Toronto, ON
Muriel Brackstone is a Surgical Oncologist at London Health Sciences Center, Professor of Surgery and Oncology at Western University and city-wide Chair/Chief of General Surgery. She completed her residency in General Surgery at Western University in 2004, followed by a fellowship in breast surgical oncology at the University of Toronto. During her early years in practice, she completed an MSc in Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics followed by a PhD in Pathology/Clinical Trials at Western. She also completed Harvard University’s Surgical Leadership Program. She is the founding medical director of London’s Breast Care Program and created one of the first Canadian fellowships in Oncoplastic Surgery. She created the London Tumour Biobank as a repository platform for window of opportunity clinical trials with over 150 peer reviewed publications. She is the Cancer Care Ontario/Ontario Health breast lead and is lead author on a number of guideline publications including the management of locally advanced breast cancer, ductal carcinoma in situ and a joint ASCO/OH guideline on the management of the axilla.
Melina Deban, MDCM, FRCSC
Surgical Oncologist, Providence Health Care
Vancouver, BC
Dr. Deban is a surgical oncologist at Providence Breast Centre. She grew up in Paris and Montreal and completed medical school at McGill University. She did her general surgery training at Université de Montréal before her Surgical Oncology fellowship at University of Calgary. Dr. Deban’s professional interests include improvement in perioperative care and quality of life of patients/survivorship. She is also appointed as Clinical Assistant Professor at UBC.
Dr. Pamela Hebbard, MD, FRCSC
Associate professor, Max Rady College of Medicine
General Surgical Oncologist, CancerCare Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Dr. Hebbard is an associate professor of surgery at UM. She is also a general surgical oncologist with CancerCare Manitoba and Shared Health/Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. Her bachelor’s degree, medical degree and general surgery residency were obtained through Memorial University of Newfoundland, as was a graduate diploma in clinical epidemiology. She then moved to the University of Calgary for a fellowship in general surgical oncology. Her clinical focus is on complex gastrointestinal malignancy, breast cancer and melanoma. She has research and administrative interests in optimizing surgical quality in cancer delivery.
Dr. Marianna Kapala, MD, FRCSC
General and Breast Surgeon
Trillium Health Partners, Mississauga, Division of General Surgery and Surgical Oncology
Lecturer, University of Toronto
Investigator Institute for Better Health
Course Director and Faculty Oncoplastic Partnership Workshop
Executive Member of the Canadian Society of Breast Surgeons
Dr. Kapala graduated from the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine in 2001 and subsequently, in 2006, completed a residency at the University of Toronto in General Surgery. Since 2007, she has held the position of Associate Staff within the Division of General Surgery at Trillium Health Partners, Mississauga, Ontario, with a primary focus of practice on breast surgery. She has worked to establish the Betty Wallace Women’s Health Center Breast Diagnostic Assessment Program, and is an Investigator with the Institute for Better Health. She is a Lecturer at the University of Toronto. Since 2017, she has been a key faculty member for the Oncoplastic Partnership Workshop, teaching and leading courses across Canada.
Alison Laws, MD MPH FRCSC
Breast & General Surgeon, Foothills Medical Centre
Assistant Professor of Surgery and Oncology, University of Calgary
Calgary, Alberta
Dr. Laws is a breast surgeon at the Foothills Medical Centre and Assistant Professor of Surgery and Oncology at the University of Calgary. She completed a breast surgical oncology fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and holds a Master of Public Health degree from Harvard University. She is an active clinical researcher with interests in minimizing morbidity from breast cancer surgery and optimizing models of cancer care delivery.
Mira MacLennan, MD, MPH, FRCSC
General Surgeon, Whitehorse General Hospital
Whitehorse, YT
I completed General Surgery residency at McMaster University, taking a 1-year leave to complete an MPH at the Harvard School of Public Health. After residency and a number of rural locums across the country, I have been fortunate enough to land in Whitehorse, YT, where I now live and work in a shared practice. Breast cancer care is a considerable component of any community surgical practice, and for Yukoners, this care is collaborative with BC Cancer Agency.
Dr. Jennifer Mattews
Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon, Plastic Surgery Associates
Patient Concerns Chair, Department of Surgery
Clinical Researcher, Outcomes & Quality of Life After Cancer Treatment
Calgary, Alberta
Dr. Jennifer Matthews completed her plastic surgery residency at the University of Calgary in 2013. She then completed fellowship training in microsurgery at McMaster University focusing on complex reconstruction for breast cancer, head & neck cancer, and trauma patients. Dr. Matthews has a diverse practice that covers most areas of plastic and reconstructive surgery. Her reconstructive practice is focused on breast reconstruction and head & neck reconstruction. Outside of the operating room Dr. Matthews is an active member in the Department of Surgery, acting the Patient Concerns Chair and member of the peer support team. In addition, she plays a significant role in teaching microsurgery skills to residents and fellows. Her research focuses on improving outcome as well as the quality of life of patients following cancer treatments.
Dr. Lashan Peiris
Oncoplastic & Reconstructive Breast and General Surgeon
Clinical Lead of the Comprehensive Breast Care Program
Associate Professor, University of Alberta
Surgical Site Lead, Cross Cancer Institute
Dr. Peiris attended Imperial College School of Medicine, London, England. He did his surgical training in South East England, and then became a Consultant Breast Surgeon in Winchester. He emigrated to Canada in 2017. Since starting practicing in Edmonton, AB he has helped improve access to Oncoplastic Breast Conservation Surgery. Research interests include the management of high-risk breast lesions, predictors of axillary response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with node-positive breast cancer, formulating an Oncoplastic Database showing both clinical and patient-reported outcomes, and the de-escalation of axillary surgery. He is the fellowship director of the Oncoplastic Breast Surgical Fellowship in Edmonton which just commenced in July 2025.
Jeannie Richardson MD, FRCSC
General Surgeon, Trillium Health Partners, Toronto ON
Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto
Dr. Jeannie Richardson is a General Surgeon at Trillium Health Partners in Toronto, Ontario. She serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto and is the Medical Director of the Queensway Breast Diagnostic Assessment Program.
Bryan J. Wells MD, MSc, FRCSC
General surgery, Trauma and Critical Care Medicine
Nanaimo Regional General Hospital
Dr. Wells is a general surgeon and critical care specialist at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. He completed medical school at the University of Toronto in 2005, followed by a General Surgery residency, also at the University of Toronto, in 2013. During his training, he earned an MSc under the supervision of Dr. May Lynn Quan in 2010. He went on to complete a Critical Care and Trauma Fellowship at the University of Calgary in 2015. Dr. Wells has been practicing in Nanaimo since then, and considers himself lucky to do a bit of everything—including breast. Even luckier, he’s husband to Meg and dad to their four children.