CMC Patient & Family Conference Draft Program
Last Updated: July 19, 2026
NOTE: PROGRAM IS TENTATIVE AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
DAY ONE: Friday, September 18, 2026
10:00AM - 5:00PM
10:00AM - Welcome & Introductions
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"Our Journey: Cavernous Malformation Canada", Speaker TBA
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"All About Seizures and Epilepsy in CM Patients", Samyami Chowdhury
Wellness Interval
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"Hemorrhagic Stroke and Aphasia", Speaker TBA
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"Share Your Thoughts with a Researcher on an Upcoming Brainstem CM Study", Speaker TBA
Lunch
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"Understanding Anti-Seizure Medication", Abraam Ghattas
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"Has a Fourth CM Gene Been Found?", Ben Goult
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Clinical Topic To Be Announced
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Lived Experience Showcase
Afternoon Break
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"Complexities in Treating CM", Peter Dirks
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"Neurology Panel: Living With 'Watch and Wait' and CM", Atif Zafar, Liza Pulcine, and Joanna Schaafsma
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"Mom's Panel: Perspectives on Life with CM", Speakers TBA
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"End of Day Reflections", Speaker TBA
NOTE: PROGRAM IS TENTATIVE AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
DAY TWO: Saturday, September 19, 2026
8:00AM - 3:00PM
7:15AM - Breakfast with Scientists: enjoy an engaging breakfast alongside scientists and clinicians.
8:00AM - Welcome Remarks
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"Demystifying Radiology in an Age of Online Access", Speaker TBA
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"Managing Symptoms of CM", Atif Zafar
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"All About Spinal CM", Speaker TBA
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"Patient Connections", Speaker TBA
Morning Break
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"Surgical Decision Making", Jennifer Quon
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Special Announcement, Peter Dirks & Prem Kaur
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"The Road to Recovery: From Hemorrhage/Surgery to Rehab and Beyond", Speaker TBA
Lunch with Scientists: enjoy lunch alongside scientists and clinicians.
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Small Group Discussions, topics to be announced
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"What Does the Future Hold? An Interactive Discussion with the CMC Advisory Board", Brent Derry, Peter Dirks, Atif Zafar
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Clinical Topic To Be Announced
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"Patient Connections", Speaker TBA
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"Closing Reflections" ,Speaker TBA
Confirmed Speakers:
Dr. Atif Zafar
Dr. Atif Zafar is the Chair of the Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board at Cavernous Malformation Canada.
Dr. Zafar obtained his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from Dow Medical College and completed his residency at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics. He also completed a Vascular Neurology Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic. Upon completing his fellowship, Dr. Zafar became an Assistant Professor of Stroke and Vascular Neurology at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, then moved to the position of Chief of the Stroke Program at University of New Mexico School of Medicine.
Dr. Zafar was the Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Neurology at the University of Toronto, the Co-Director of the Fellowship Program-Stroke at St. Michael's Hospital and the Medical Director of St. Michael's Hospital Comprehensive Stroke Program until June 2025. Currently, he is the Neurology Attending and Tele-Neurologist in Dallas, Texas for Tele-Specialists USA.
Dr. Zafar's clinical focus is on complex stroke cases and cerebrovascular diseases. His academic pursuits involve a personalized stroke algorithm, equitable care access and patient-centered care development. Dr. Zafar has been the PI and co-PI in various United States and Canadian trials, including NIH grants. His collaborative work has been published in Stroke, Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA Neurology, and Nature Communications.
Dr. W Brent Derry
Dr. Derry is the Vice-Chair of the Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board at Cavernous Malformation Canada.
Dr. Derry earned his B.Sc. (Honours) in Biochemistry at Carleton University in Ottawa, his M.Sc. in Biochemistry at McMaster University and his Ph.D in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). He completed his postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Joel Rothman at UCSB, where he discovered and characterized the long sought after C. elegans p53 tumour suppressor gene cep-1. Dr. Derry joined the SickKids Research Institute in 2003 and uses C. elegans and human cells to model human diseases such as cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM). Dr. Derry holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Animal Models of Human Disease. He is a Senior Scientist in the Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program at SickKids and a Full Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto. His research is supported by funding from CIHR, NSERC, CFI and SickKids.
Dr. Derry previously served as Vice-Chair of Fundamental Research in the Garron Family Cancer Centre and is currently the Research Integrity Advisor at SickKids. He is Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board for Alliance to Cure Cavernous Malformation. Dr. Derry is also an editor with the FEBS Journal and an Affiliate for the pre-print server bioRxiv.
Outside of science, Dr. Derry enjoys walking his dog, playing hockey as well as writing and performing original music.
Dr. Peter Dirks
Dr. Peter Dirks is a Professor of Surgery and Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto. He holds a Harold Hoffman/Shopper Drug Mart Chair in Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Hospital for Sick Children as Division Head. He is a Senior Scientist in the Developmental, Stem Cell and Cancer Biology Program. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
Dr. Dirks received his MD from Queen's University (1989) followed by a PhD at the University of Toronto (1997). He completed neurosurgery training at the University of Toronto (1998) and a pediatric neurosurgery fellowship at Necker Enfants Malades in Paris (1998) Dr. Dirks joined the neurosurgery staff at SickKids in 1998, developing a clinical focus in surgical neuro-oncology and neurovascular disorders.
In 1999, he established his research laboratory in the Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre at SickKids where in 2004 he was the first to prospectively identify cancer stem cells in human brain tumours, contributing to a paradigm shift in understanding solid cancer growth, and putting emphasis on stemness properties and tissue development both experimentally and conceptually in the study of primary brain tumours.
His research interests continue to lie with the intersection of cancer biology with stem cell and developmental biology, with a focus on uncovering the origins and mechanisms of growth and evolution of glioblastoma and medulloblastoma. He has published nearly 250 papers with 57,000 citations and an h-index of 95. Over his career he has directly mentored over 23 graduate students and 14 postdoctoral fellows.
Dr. Jennifer Quon
Dr. Jennifer Quon is a paediatric neurosurgeon at The Hospital for Sick Children and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto. She is also an Associate Scientist-Track Investigator in the Neurosciences and Mental Health program at the SickKids Research Institute.
Dr. Quon has broad clinical interests in paediatric neurosurgery including the surgical treatment of brain tumours, particularly through endoscopic endonasal approaches, as well as vascular disorders in children. Her research interests include machine learning applications in medical imaging and paediatric neurosurgical diseases.
Dr. Ben Goult
Ben Goult is Professor of Mechanistic Cell Biology at the University of Liverpool and studies how cells use mechanical forces to control signaling, adhesion and tissue integrity. His research has helped define how force-sensitive proteins such as talin regulate the actin cytoskeleton and cellular behaviour in health and disease.
His current cavernoma research focuses on how the CCM complex connects to the actin cytoskeleton and vascular mechanics. His group recently identified TLNRD1 as a new interacting partner of CCM2 and is investigating whether TLNRD1 may represent a previously unrecognised fourth CCM gene. He works in collaboration with Alliance to Cure Cavernous Malformation, Cavernoma Alliance UK and The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust to help translate discoveries in vascular mechanobiology towards improved understanding and treatment of cavernous malformations.
Dr. Elizabeth (Liza) Pulcine
Dr. Elizabeth (Liza) Pulcine is a pediatric neurologist and stroke specialists who cares for neonates, children and adolescents with various neurovascular disorders. Her clinical care and research focuses on all aspects of childhood stroke including etiology, diagnosis, early treatment, prevention and rehabilitation. Additionally, she is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto and Staff Physician in the Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is currently the Fellowship Director of the Children’s Stroke Program at the Hospital for Sick Children.
Dr. Pulcine completed her residency training in Paediatric Neurology at The Hospital for Sick Children and pursued further subspecialty training in Paediatric Neurovascular Disease at The Hospital for Sick Children and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. While completing her fellowship training, she was accepted into the Clinician Investigator Program and attained a Master of Science degree looking at the safety of antithrombotic therapy in children with stroke and congenital heart disease. Personally, Dr. Pulcine in a native of Toronto, Canada, a mother of two boys and one Bernedoodle, and, in her spare time is passionate about reading fiction, listening to podcasts, running and weight-training.
...and more to come!
CMC Patient & Family Conference
Where Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning (686 Bay Street, Toronto ON M5G 0A4)
When September 18, 2026 10AM-5PM
September 19, 2026 8AM-3PM
Registration Fee Early Bird $40.00 CAD (until Aug 1)
Need Help? Email us at contactus@cavernousmalformation.ca
Cavernous Malformation Canada
Charitable Registration #851604041 RR 0001