President's Public Lecture Series
About the Series
Date(s): October 2025 to June 2026
Place: Events will alternate between Thunder Bay and Orillia campuses, with all lectures available by live stream
Price: Free
As Lakehead University celebrates our incredible legacy, we’re also looking ahead with a new purpose. That’s why we’re proud to launch the President’s Public Lecture Series, a 60th anniversary initiative designed to engage the communities we serve in timely, thought-provoking dialogue on the issues that shape our world.
Hosted by President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Gillian Siddall, the free lecture series features research and perspectives from Lakehead thought leaders and changemakers – sparking conversation on the most pressing challenges of our time.
Events will alternate between Lakehead’s Thunder Bay and Orillia campuses, with all lectures available via live stream and posted online for on-demand viewing.
Whether you’re deeply interested in a topic or just curious to learn more, come as you are–bring a friend if you’d like–and enjoy these engaging talks.
Talking About Racism During Turbulent Times
Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Time: 9:30 to 11 a.m.
Location: OA1033, Simcoe Hall, Lakehead Orillia, 500 University Ave. + Livestream
Join Dr. Sarah Olutola for a frank discussion about how the current political climate necessitates a re-examination of how we think about racism and what we can do about it. Presented in partnership with #ITSTARTS and Research & Innovation Week, this event underscores our shared commitment to advancing dialogue, scholarship, and tangible change.
Dr. Sarah Olutola is a public writer, novelist, and academic. As an Associate Professor and a member of the Royal Society of Canada, her current research concerns Black literature and Black popular media. As a public intellectual, she has written for publications such as The Walrus, CBC, and The Washington Post.
Ultra‑Sensitive Organ‑Targeted Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Technology: Transforming the Way Breast Cancer Is Detected in Women at High Risk of Developing the Disease
Date: Monday, April 27, 2026
Time: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Location: The Agora, Lakehead Thunder Bay, 955 Oliver Rd. + Livestream
In this lecture, Dr. Reznik will explore how advances in ultra‑sensitive, organ‑targeted Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging are transforming the way breast cancer is detected in women at high risk of developing the disease. It will trace the development of a breast‑dedicated PET imaging technology, from fundamental solid‑state physics and detector design in the laboratory to patient‑centred clinical translation, culminating in an FDA‑ and Health Canada–approved, commercially available PET scanner now used in cancer care. Innovation in detector and system design, imaging electronics, image reconstruction hardware and software, and clinical validation is driven by trainees at multiple levels -undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and research assistants, working closely with clinical and industry partners. The talk will highlight how this collaborative, trainee‑powered research enterprise is enabling more precise, lower‑dose, and more accessible breast imaging to improve early cancer detection and support more personalized treatment decisions.
Dr. Alla Reznik is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Physics of Radiation Medical Imaging and a Professor in the Department of Physics at Lakehead University. She also serves as a Senior Scientist at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute (TBRHRI). She specializes in photoconductive materials and technologies for radiation medical imaging, with a focus on organ‑targeted Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and low‑dose x‑ray imaging detectors. She is dedicated to advancing radiation medical imaging technologies to achieve higher diagnostic accuracy while making them more affordable for healthcare systems and more accessible for patients, thereby improving patient outcomes. Her work bridges the gap between fundamental physics research and practical healthcare solutions by promoting knowledge transfer and collaboration among academia, industry, and healthcare institutions. Dr. Reznik's program of research on organ‑targeted PET has led to the establishment of Radialis Inc., a Lakehead/TBRHRI spin‑off company that produces a commercial breast‑dedicated PET system based on the technology developed by her research group for breast cancer detection.