Program
Theme: Breaking Barriers: Affirming Care Across the Cancer Continuum
Date: June 11 & 12, 2026
Duration: 1.5 days plus 0.5 day workshop (Thursday–Friday, 9:00–17:00)
Location: Pierre-Péladeau Amphitheater (CHUM) 1050 R. Saint-Denis, Montréal, QC. Canada. H2X 3J4
Audience: Healthcare professionals, researchers, 2SLGBTQI+ advocates, community organizations, students and policy partners.
The First National Conference on 2SLGBTQI+ Cancer Care in Canada
DAY 1
08:00 – 09:00 | Registration
09:00 – 09:15 | Opening & Welcome
Dr. Christian Stapf, MD — Institutional Welcome
Associate Scientific Director, Clinical Research, CRCHUM; Full Professor, Université de Montréal
Dr. Jean-Marc Bourque, MD, MScPH — Conference Opening — Breaking Barriers: A Call to Action
Founder & Executive Director, OncoDiversity; Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology, CHUM; ESPUM, Université de Montréal
09:15 – 10:45 | Plenary I — Understanding 2SLGBTQI+ Cancer Disparities: The Canadian Landscape
Objectives:
(1) Describe the historical and present-day landscape of 2SLGBTQI+ cancer advocacy and care in Canada and internationally.
(2) Identify key surveillance, evidence and structural gaps that perpetuate cancer disparities for 2SLGBTQI+ populations.
(3) Articulate strategic priorities for building a sustained 2SLGBTQI+ cancer equity movement in Canada.
Dr. Amanda Bolderston & Kim Meeking — Queering Cancer: Building Canada's 2SLGBTQI+ Cancer Movement
Co-leads, Queering Cancer
Lane Bonertz — Two-Spirit Perspectives: Lessons from HIV Community Organizing for Cancer Equity
Associate Director, Two-Spirit Health, Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC); Piikani Nation
Julie Lapointe, PhD & Sophie Parent — 2026 Provincial Inclusive Oncology Forum: Bridging Knowledge to Foster Inclusive Practices
CHU de Québec–Université Laval Research Centre; Co-leads, Inclusive Oncology Study
Stewart O'Callaghan *(virtual) — Building LGBTQ+ Cancer Communities: The OUTpatients UK Experience and Lessons for Canada
Founder & CEO, OUTpatients
10:45 – 11:15 | Networking & Coffee Break
11:15 – 12:45 | Session II — Prevention, Screening & Early Diagnosis: Reaching 2SLGBTQI+ Populations
Objectives:
(1) Apply evidence-based approaches to HPV vaccination, anal cancer screening and gynaecologic cancer screening for 2SLGBTQI+ populations.
(2) Recognize how rapid diagnostic pathways and inclusive primary care can reduce delays to cancer diagnosis.
(3) Identify strategies and partnerships to extend prevention and early-detection services to under-served 2SLGBTQI+ communities.
Dr. Ann Burchell, PhD — HPV Vaccination and Primary Prevention: Building a National Strategy for 2SLGBTQI+ Populations
Professor, DFCM, University of Toronto; Scientist, MAP Centre, Unity Health Toronto; Canada Research Chair in STI Prevention
Dr. Troy Grennan, MD — Anal Cancer Screening in 2SLGBTQI+ Populations
Physician Lead, HIV/STI Program, BC CDC; Clinical Associate Professor, UBC; Incoming President, IANS
Dr. Jennifer Croke, MD, MHPE — HPV-Related Gynecologic Cancers in 2SLGBTQI+ Patients
Radiation Oncologist Clinician Investigator, Princess Margaret; Associate Professor, University of Toronto
Dr. Owen Carter, MD — Earlier Diagnosis for LGBTQIA+ Patients: Rapid Diagnostic Pathways from UK Primary Care
GP with Specialist Interest in Oncology, St George's University Hospitals NHS; National Clinical Advisor, Macmillan Cancer Support
12:45 – 13:45 | Lunch
13:45 – 15:15 | Session III — Diagnosis & Access to Affirming Treatment
Objectives:
(1) Define the core elements of gender-affirming and 2SLGBTQI+-inclusive cancer care across community, hospital and national settings.
(2) Compare emerging models of trans-affirming cancer care (UCATS-UK and CHUM) and identify transferable lessons for Canadian institutions.
(3) Recognize surgical, hormonal and psychosocial considerations for transgender and gender-diverse patients across the cancer pathway.
Dr. Antoine Cloutier-Blais, MD — Gender-Affirming Care in Community Practice: A Foundation for Inclusive Cancer Care (Quebec context)
General Practionner & Partner, Clinique Agora, Montréal
Dr. Alison May Berner, FRCP — Building Transgender-Affirming Cancer Care Systems: The UK UCATS Experience
Senior Clinical Lecturer, Queen Mary University of London; Lead, UK Cancer and Transition Service (UCATS); President, BAGIS
Olivier Landry / Dr Marie-Anne Archambault-Grenier — Bridging the Gap : Establishing Canada’s First Specialized Oncology Clinic for Transgender and Non-Binary Individuals Hospital pharmacist (CHUM) and Medical-oncologist (CISS-Lanaudière) with special interest in gender-affirming care ; CHUM’s Trans Cancer Clinic
Dr. Gary Ko, MD — Breast Cancer Care for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Patients: Surgical Considerations and Affirming Practice
Breast Surgeon & Associate Professor, Princess Margaret – UHN; ASBrS Health Equities Committee
15:15 – 15:45 | Networking Break
15:45 – 17:00 | Session IV — Research Methods & Inclusive Data Collection
Moderator: Antoine Desilet, MD Medical Oncologist, Clinician Scientist, CHUM/CRCHUM
Objectives:
(1) Critically evaluate qualitative, quantitative and biological approaches to studying cancer in 2SLGBTQI+ populations.
(2) Apply sex- and gender-based analysis (SGBA+) and inclusive sociodemographic data collection to cancer research.
(3) Identify strategies to embed 2SLGBTQI+ inclusion into clinical trials, biobanking and patient-reported outcome programs.
Dr. Geneviève Rail, PhD — In the Margins of Cancer: LBTQ Experiences of Breast and Gynaecologic Cancer Care
Distinguished Professor Emerita, Simone de Beauvoir Institute, Concordia University
Dr. Robert-Paul Juster, PhD — Stigma, Stress, and Specimens: Advancing 2SLGBTQI+ Cancer Research Through Biomarker Science
Associate Professor, Université de Montréal; Researcher, CESAR
Dr. Vikki Ho, PhD — Sex and Gender Science in Cancer Research: Implications for Sexual and Gender Minority Populations (CIHR)
Associate Professor, ESPUM, Université de Montréal; Researcher, CRCHUM; Sex and Gender Science Chair in Cancer Research, Canadian Institute of Health Research, Co–Scientific Director, CARTaGENE
Anna Johnson, PhD *(virtual) — Advancing Equity for Sexual and Gender Minorities in Cancer Clinical Trials: The CCTG EDIIA Experience
EDIIA Lead, Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG); Adjunct Assistant Professor, Queen's University
17:00 – 19:00 | Networking Reception — Agora, CRCHUM(5th Floor)
DAY 2
08:00 – 09:00 | Registration
09:00 – 10:45 | Plenary II — Survivorship, Sexual Health & Quality of Life
Objectives:
(1) Describe the survivorship, sexual-health and quality-of-life needs of 2SLGBTQI+ cancer patients across the cancer continuum.
(2) Integrate chosen-family, community-based and psychosocial perspectives into clinical models of survivorship care.
(3) Apply patient-reported outcomes and quality-of-life evidence to improve affirming care for SGM cancer patients.
Dr. Tom Bootsma, MD, PhD — Measuring What Matters to SGM Cancer Patients: Insights from the EORTC DIVERSITY-QOL and RESPECT projects
Postdoctoral Fellow, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam; PI, EORTC DIVERSITY-QOL & RESPECT
Margo Kennedy, MSW, RSW — Building Chosen Family into Cancer Care: A Clinical Social Work Perspective
Oncology Social Worker; Clinical Lead, Sexual & Gender Diversity in Cancer Care Program, Princess Margaret – UHN
Dr. Christian Schulz-Quach, MD — The Sexual & Gender Diversity in Cancer Care Program at Princess Margaret: Advancing Gender-Diverse Cancer Care in Canada
Program Director, Sexual & Gender Diversity in Cancer Care Program, Princess Margaret; 2025 CAPO Education Excellence Award
Film screening — On Queer Aging and Endings (19 min)
Directed by Dr. Christian Schulz-Quach; 2026 BFI Flare LGBTQ+ Film Festival
Panel discussion — Schulz-Quach, Kennedy, Bootsma
10:45 – 11:15 | Networking Break
11:15 – 12:45 | Session V — Systems Change & Building a National Agenda
Moderator: Dr. Jean-Marc Bourque, MD, MScPH
Objectives:
(1) Compare international, European and Canadian models of building cancer-care systems equitable for 2SLGBTQI+ populations.
(2) Identify policy, publishing and funding levers required to advance 2SLGBTQI+ cancer equity nationally.
(3) Lay the strategic foundation for a Canadian national agenda — the Montréal Declaration — developed in the afternoon workshop.
Dr. Lan-Lan Smith, PhD (Keynote Speaker— 30 min) — Advancing Gender Equity and Diversity in Health Research and Publishing: Perspectives from The Lancet Group
Founding Editor-in-Chief, The Lancet Haematology; Chair, Sex and Gender Based Analysis Workstream, Elsevier Gender Taskforce
Dr. Nicolò Battisti, MD *(virtual) — Building Multinational Coalitions for 2SLGBTQI+ Cancer Equity: The European Cancer Organisation Experience
Chair, Inequalities Network & LGBTQI+ Subgroup, European Cancer Organisation (ECO); Consultant Medical Oncologist, Marsen Hospital, UK
Michael Kwag — Community-Driven Research at the HIV–Cancer Intersection: The CBRC Experience
Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC)
[Placeholder — TBC] — TBC
National policy / advocacy voice
12:45 – 13:45 | Lunch
13:45 – 15:45 | Workshop — Developing the Montréal Declaration on 2SLGBTQI+ Cancer Equity
Details to be confirmed.
15:45 – 16:00 | Closing Session
Dr. Jean-Marc Bourque — Synthesis of the Montréal Declaration; acknowledgements; post-conference Delphi Round 3.