We're really sad that we can't gather in person this year, but we know that moving online is the right thing to do for the health of all our participants and attendees. Just because we won’t be face to face doesn’t mean we can’t still deliver an amazing event from the safety of your home.

We're so excited for the potential that an online event has to bring us all together in totally new ways. We've been doing a lot of thinking about how to make the 2020 Don Rix Distinguished Keynote Address an impactful and meaningful experience for everyone.

This year's Keynote features BC’s Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, along with Dr. Mel Krajden, Medical Director at the BC Centre for Disease Control’s Public Health Laboratory and Dr. Carl Hansen, CEO of AbCellera.

We've also created a space where you have the opportunity to make new connections through 1:1 networking via face-to-face video chat. 

Whether you're calling in from your living room, your kitchen, you can join us from anywhere that has internet access. We'll bring the event straight to you, right here. 

Dr. Donald B. Rix, the innovator and a philanthropist for whom this event is named after had a broad palette of interests: medicine and science, education, and the arts. He was a recipient of the Order of Canada, the Order of BC, one of the co-founders of Genome BC.

Don believed that technology and innovation were the fundamentals upon which to build the future of British Columbia. In a speech to the Vancouver Board of Trade, he explained that technological innovation transcends all boundaries.  He said:

"Not only does it create new industry sectors and new jobs, which in turn, boost economic output, it also provides traditional industries with advances that allow them to be more productive and competitive. Most importantly, technology improves every aspect of life by coming up with new ways to address important social issues."

Don was a visionary and a pioneer. Throughout his life he looked for gaps and created opportunities to fill them. As a physician Don saw the need for better diagnostics and helped to co-found a system of clinical labs across Canada —better known today as LifeLabs. 

Don had a keen interest in biotechnology and as the Chair of our Board through our formative years. his influence on the development of Genome BC is still felt today. We should never lose sight of his vision or his spirit of collaboration — this has guided  trajectory over the last 20 years.

When we lost Don in 2009, we decided to recognize his legacy by establishing this Annual Keynote Address — to continue to inspire our community. I believe that Don would approve of the keynote speakers we have invited over the years, and the speakers at this year’s event are no exception.

Click the images below to learn more about previous Don Rix Distinguished Keynote speakers and their increcible contributions to science.