Dr. Henry T. Peng is a Senior Scientist and Principal Investigator at Defence Research and Development Canada, Toronto Research Centre. He received his PhD in Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry from the University of Toronto. His research spans basic laboratory science to clinical and translational biomedicine and is currently focused on combat casualty care involving hemorrhage control, trauma coagulopathy, and resuscitation.

Kanwal Singh is a Defence Scientist at the Defence Research and Development Canada, Toronto Research Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada. He received an Honours Bachelor of Science in Biology for health sciences, psychology, and chemistry from the University of Toronto Mississauga and a PhD in Medical Sciences from McMaster University. He received a Postdoctoral Fellowship-St. Michael’s Hospital in Trauma and Acute Care Surgery from the University of Toronto. He has provided Medic-Health Services at the Canadian Armed Forces since 2019 and as an Affiliate Scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital since February 2024.

Shawn G. Rhind is a senior Defense Scientist in the military Operational Health and Performance section at Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) and an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. He leads an integrative – molecular to systemic – translational research team investigating the immunoregulatory mechanisms of (psycho)physiological stress and trauma-associated changes in cellular and humoral immune and inflammatory responses. He completed a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) postdoctoral fellowship with the Defence and Civil Institute of Environmental Medicine (DCIEM) and the US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM), examining the biomolecular mechanisms underlying neuro-endocrine-immune dysfunction and adaptive responses to severe physiological and environmental stress and their impact on human health and performance. Rhind’s research interests are focused on understanding pathogenic cytokine dysregulation, involved in excessive leukocyte activation, vascular endothelial dysfunction, and multiple organ damage. His research spans basic laboratory science to human clinical trials and is currently aimed at elucidating the biological basis and therapeutic interventions for combat-related psychological and physical trauma – including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and battlefield care of hemorrhagic shock and brain injury.

Dr. Luis da Luz is a General Surgeon originally from Brazil. In Canada, Dr. Da Luz completed a Trauma Surgery Fellowship and a Critical Care Medicine Fellowship at the University of Toronto. He also completed two Masters of Science, one at the Institute of Medical Sciences and another at the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, both at the University of Toronto. In addition to his position as Associate Professor of Surgery and Staff Physician at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Da Luz is an Associate Scientist at the Sunnybrook Research Institute. His research program focuses on the initial management of severely bleeding and coagulopathic trauma patients and trauma resuscitation in general, including improvement of team performance. His methodology expertise is in knowledge translation, systematic review and meta-analysis and most recently in clinical trials. He has recently concluded a multicenter trial across Canada assessing the use of clotting factors concentrated in bleeding and coagulopathic trauma patients.

Dr. Andrew Beckett is a trauma surgeon and critical care physician who also serves as a Professor at the Department of Surgery, University of Toronto. In addition, Dr. Andrew Beckett is a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Royal Canadian Medical Service, having served multiple military missions overseas. He has spent nearly two decades in the Canadian Forces, first as a paramedic and then as a trauma surgeon. He holds active positions in the Canadian Armed Forces, including Chief of General Surgery, and Trauma Advisor to the Surgeons. General and a Senior Advisor on the Canadian Forces Health Services’ blood program. Dr. Beckett has a master’s in clinical epidemiology from the University of Toronto and is a graduate of the Critical Care fellowship program. His research interests include massive transfusion and resuscitation in the austere setting, combat casualty database management, and military simulation training.