Laleh Bighash
Jason Chu
Vicky Koutsandrea
Conor Purdon
Dr. Tigran Uzunyan
Melissa Maltais
Kevin Mueller
Parviz Yousefian
Hina Siddiqie
Doris Chu
Pharma, Cannabis
Ms. Bighash has a Bachelor of Pharmacy, and a Bachelor degree in Pharmacology and Toxicology from University of Toronto, Canada. She also obtained her Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Schulich School of Business. She is a recipient of 2019 UC-University of Toronto alumni of influence award and has been nominated for the Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award. In her current role as the President of AAPS, a post-graduate private college focusing on pharmaceutical and food higher education, she oversees the strategic, educational and training direction of AAPS. She has over 27 years of experience working for a number of multinational pharmaceutical companies such as Genpharm Inc., Bayer Corp. and Eli Lilly & Company. Laleh has also worked with a number of Food and Cannabis organizations in various capacities such as Research and Development, Quality Control, Quality Assurance, Regulatory and Compliance, Strategic Planning, and Business development.
Ms. Bighash has lectured extensively and has been an invited speaker at many global and Canadian academic and industry events focusing on pharma, food and cannabis-related topics such as regulatory, compliance and efficient operations. She has worked closely with the industry players and stakeholders in formulating efficient operating systems, ensuring regulatory compliance and certification.
Pharma, Cannabis
Jason Chu is an experienced laboratory instructor at AAPS focusing on quality control and research and development functions in the pharmaceutical industry. He is an expert in HPLC, Dissolution, Pharmaceutical Laboratory Tests and GMP regulations. Beyond the classrooms at AAPS, he has led corporate training covering topics on WHMIS, health and safety, GMP regulations and data integrity.
Prior to joining AAPS, he was an Analytical Research and Development Chemist at Apotex Inc. – task with laboratory investigations, method validation, API screening and process validation support. During his time in R&D, he was appointed as a Designated Compliance Coordinator (DCC) to conduct regularly scheduled self-audits for continuous compliance improvement. At Apotex, he also held position as a Quality Control Chemist – testing raw materials, in-process products, finished products using a variety of laboratory techniques and instruments. In that role, he was also designated as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) task with responding to audit requests conducted by Health Canada and FDA.
Pharma, Cannabis
Vicky has a background in Applied Science, Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs.
Four years ago, she joined AAPS as a QA/RA Consultant. Since then, she has worked with many applicants towards their licence applications, licence amendments, etc. She has also set up quality systems from scratch, written SOPs, developed Hazard Analyses and Preventive Control Plans for various pharma and cannabis clients.
In addition to these, Vicky has performed Gap analyses and prepared various facilities for Health Canada and other regulatory audits. Vicky is passionate about quality and aims to help clients improve their operations, avoid pitfalls, detect compliance issues early, and stick to GPP, GMP and other standards, as applicable.
Cannabis
Conor Purdon graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2012 with a degree in Medical Anthropology. Following his graduation, Conor worked as a Laboratory Technician within the Environmental Microbiology Laboratory for Public Health Ontario. After three years at the Public Health Lab, Conor returned to school to attend the University of Kent in England where he graduated with a MSc. in Ethnobotany. At Kent, Conor performed graduate research on the use of psychedelic plants as medicine. After returning home in 2015, Conor gained experience working in the cannabis industry for a number of licensed producers performing responsibilities related to the production, processing, extraction, as well as sales and marketing of medical cannabis. In 2018, Conor was brought on by AAPS to help develop a cannabis retail training and consulting program following the announcement of a private retail model in Ontario. Conor has developed and run a number of workshops and seminars focused on cannabis retail regulations, quality assurance and cannabis management. As a result, Conor has closely followed the development of the Registrar’s Standards for Cannabis Retail Stores, as well as all applicable laws and regulations, including the Cannabis Control Act, 2017 (CCA), the Cannabis Licence Act, 2018 (CLA), and Ontario Regulation 468/18 and has developed a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the current cannabis retail landscape in Ontario and across the country.
Clinical Research
Tigran Uzunyan is a medical doctor and research scientist with over 18 years of diversified experience in academia, pharmaceutical industry and clinical research. Tigran acquired a degree of medical doctor and then specialized in clinical pharmacology in Yerevan, Armenia. In 2008 he defended his PhD thesis in pharmacology.
Tigran Uzunyan has an extensive experience in drug development and regulation under various jurisdictions, designing and conducting early phase (bioequivalence, bioavailability, first in human, etc.) and late phase (II to IV) clinical and observational studies. He also managed medical cannabis development research projects in Canada.
Pharma, Cannabis, Food
For more than two decades, I helped several companies bring innovative products to market using R&D to scale production expertise in solid and liquid dosage forms used for pain treatment, ADHD and cancer therapies. My portfolio consists of a wide array of knowledge such as product innovation, formulations, project management, manufacturing operations, process validation, quality assurance and analytical chemistry. This expertise along with my passion for formulation ultimately contributes to the success of new products, including the #1 selling cannabis beverage in Ontario.
Pharma, Cannabis
Kevin has over 25 years of pharmaceutical industry experience working for Novopharm Ltd. and Teva Canada Ltd. For 19 years, he was a supervisor in the following areas: Analytical Research and Development Stability, Quality Control Finished Product, Quality Control Stability, Quality Control Method Transfer, and Operational Excellence. Kevin is known as a positive person with an ability to motivate and guide people to reach their potential. He has demonstrated expertise in compliance, data integrity, laboratory investigations, root cause problem solving, recommending and implementing corrective and preventative actions (CAPAs), and continuous improvement of documentation and efficiency. Kevin graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a M.Sc. in chemistry and has a yellow belt in Operational Excellence. In his spare time, Kevin enjoys long distance running.
Food
Pirouz Yousefian has over 17 years experience in the food industry working in various positions such as plant and operations manager, PD and Quality Assurance manager. He has been teaching Quality Assurance, Food Processing, Food Plant Sanitation, and Food Chemistry in Ontario Colleges and Universities. He provides consulting and technical support to food and allied industries.
His previous employment includes: Seneca College, Centennial College, University of Ryerson, Max Soy Canada, Kisko Products and Novopharm. He holds a M.Sc. in Food Science from University of Guelph.
Pharma, Cannabis
Hina brings diverse and innovative practical skills learned in a range of positions within the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. She has over 20 years of experience in different areas of Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs, with a focus on compliance, and has worked with solid/liquid doses, medical devices and cannabis. Hina has worked for many leading companies including: Shoppers Drug Mart, Apotex Incorporated, Baxter Corporation and The Supreme Cannabis Company. She is also the Prinicipal and Managing Director of CannaPharm Consulting and Training. As a results-oriented leader, Hina is able to effectively use her communication, analytical and management skills to drive companies forward.
Food, Natural Health Product
Doris earned her B.Sc in Biological Sciences from the University of Alberta and the Post-graduate Certification in Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs and Quality Operations from Seneca College. She brings over 15 years of experience in the Natural Health and Food industry with extensive knowledge in product licence applications, label compliance, regulatory framework in both US and Canada including Good Manufacturing Practices and Food Safety. During her career in the industry, she has helped launch a wide variety of products such as weight supplements, vegan bars, protein powders, and probiotics.
In addition to her knowledge in Regulatory, she was also the Corporate Quality Assurance Manager during her tenure at Clorox Canada, where she implemented and maintained the Quality Management System for Clorox’s product portfolio which included cosmetics, cleaning solutions, natural health products, and food.
She is currently the Director of Regulatory and Quality Department in the CPG industry and operates her own NHP and Food consulting business. She enjoys sharing her experience with others and exchange candid discussions on regulations, industry news, travelling, and good hikes.
Clinical Research
Sase Boyo has over 15 years’ experience in Clinical Research; this experience includes Clinical Trials’ Phases 1- 4 in Pharmaceutical and Biotech Clinical Development – with core work in Clinical Project Management and Clinical Operations. Ms. Boyo oversees all aspects of Clinical Trials – Protocol and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) Development, Risk Assessment and Management, Clinical Compliance and Monitoring, Clinical Research Regulations, Good Clinical Practice Adherence, Data Management and Reporting, and Pharmacovigilance.
Ms. Boyo has a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from California State University, Northridge, a Master’s Degree in Clinical Research from Morehouse School of Medicine and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Kennesaw State University. Ms. Boyo is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with the Project Management Institute (PMI).
