Registration is now open for the fourth annual EPIC Symposium! This year’s symposium will take place on October 16th, 2026, at the Toronto Reference Library.
Following the numerous infectious outbreaks we’ve all been tracking this year — from hantavirus and Ebola to cyclospriasis and measles — the theme for this year’s symposium will be “Outbreak readiness and response beyond borders.”
The EPIC Symposium is a day-long event featuring faculty research talks, trainee flash talks and invited keynote speakers. It is open to all to attend, including industry professionals, academics outside of the University of Toronto and public health partners. The EPIC Symposium is an excellent opportunity to build new connections while also learning about all the exciting research and innovation taking place in the Toronto infectious disease landscape.
Stay tuned for more announcements on keynote speakers and the upcoming agenda! To register for the event, please see the event website.
Check out the programming for the day: 2026 EPIC Symposium Agenda
Date: October 16, 2026
Time: 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Location: Toronto Reference Library
Registration fees: Registration is free for researchers, staff and trainees at the University of Toronto and EPIC partner hospitals, as well as public health professionals. For researchers and trainees at other academic institutions and industry professionals, paid tickets are available. Registration for external attendees will open in September.
Trainee Connection Lunch 🥗
We are happy to announce that, like last year, trainees will have the opportunity to register to have lunch with one of our keynote speakers, panel chair, or industry representatives during the symposium. Trainees can sign up for a networking lunch table by completing the form below! Tables will be assigned in a first come, first served basis. Deadline to register: October 13, 2026.
Connection tables:
- Elke Mühlberger
- Susy Hota
- Roger Paredes
- Daniel Warshafsky
- Chloe McDonald, PhD, MSc
- Chloe McDonald is a Medical Advisor with the Pfizer Canada Vaccines team. In this role she provides medical strategy and support for the COVID-19, RSV maternal, global business services and pipeline mRNA vaccines. McDonald has an MSc in Neuroscience (Queen’s University) and a PhD in Infectious Disease (University of Toronto) and with a background in medical research, clinical trial design, and biostatistical analysis, including real world evidence and health economics and outcome research (HEOR). She has over 40 peer-reviewed publications from her work as a research scientist with the University Health Network in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in addition to a CIHR-funded Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Prior to joining Pfizer, she worked as a Senior Portfolio Manager with Grand Challenges Canada, and as the Lead Program Officer with the United Nations Every Woman Every Child Innovation Marketplace, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Please register to join the trainee connection lunch using this form by October 13.
Speakers:
Check out the speaker bios to learn more about our invited guests.
Keynotes🌟
- Elke Mühlberger, PhD
- Michelle Murti, MD, MSc, CCFP
- Roger Paredes, MD, PhD
- Daniel Warshafsky, MD, MPH, CCFP (SEM), Dip Sport Med, FRCPC
Panel Moderator 🎤
Spotlight Talks💡