Prof. Lehana Thabane is a Vice President of Research at St Joseph’s Healthcare—Hamilton; Scientific Director of the Research Institute at St Joseph’s Healthcare; Professor of Biostatistics and Former Interim Chair/Associate Chair of the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact; Associate Member of the Departments of Pediatrics, Medicine, Family Medicine, Surgery, Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, and Anesthesia, School of Nursing, and School of Rehabilitation Science, in the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) at McMaster University. He is also the Director of Biostatistics at St Joseph’s Healthcare—Hamilton. His international reputation has led him to be honored by many professional societies: He is an Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute, Fellow of the American Statistical Association, Fellow of the Society for Clinical Trials, Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and Honorary Foreign Associate Member of the Academy of Science of South Africa. He is the 2020 Anne & Neil McArthur Annual Research Award. Prof. Thabane is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Pilot and Feasibility Studies; and he is a member of the editorial board for many journals including Trials, and Clinical Trials. As a senior biostatistician and methodologist, he has led many clinical trials and co-authored about 900 peer-reviewed manuscripts leading to significant contributions and transformation of science, healthcare, and delivery of care in many clinical areas. Having mentored over 200 graduate students and junior faculty, Prof. Thabane has won several teaching and mentorship awards for his commitment to building capacity in health research and nurturing the next generation of researchers.  

Professor Paul Drain, MD, MPH, is Associate Professor in the Departments of Global Health, Medicine (Infectious Diseases), and Epidemiology at the University of Washington and a practicing Infectious Disease physician at Harborview Medical Center and the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. His research group focuses on development, evaluation and implementation of diagnostic testing and clinic-based screening, including novel point-of-care technologies, to improve clinical care and patient-centered outcomes for tuberculosis and HIV in resource-limited settings.

He is Associate Director of the Tuberculosis Research and Training Center at the University of Washington and teaches the “Clinical Global Health and Social Medicine” course for medical students. He research has been supported by several institutes of the National Institutes of Health, the Infectious Disease Society of America, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Harvard Global Health Institute, both the UW’s and Harvard’s Center for AIDS Research, and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. He has authored several global health books and received a Faculty Teaching Award from Harvard Medical School.