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We are pleased to announce the recipients of our Patient Scholarships for the World Congress in Banff
28 Aug 2019 1:51 PM | Anonymous
For the first time ever, the Congress will be "Patients Included". We are pleased to welcome the following advocates:
Victoria Forster @vickyyyf, @cancersurvSM
Margaret Ng: Over 10 years experience working in workplace wellness and health promotion my mission is to support health, healing, and well-being so others can thrive in life.
Karen Ladner Haas @caringcancermom
Lorna Larsen @TeamShan: I am honoured to receive a 2019 IPOS/CAPO World Congress of Psycho-Oncology patient and family advocate scholarship. I look forward to participating in the Congress, sharing my daughter Shanna's Story and my efforts to make a positive difference in the adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer journey. Shanna (Shan) lost her life to breast cancer at the age of twenty-four. As part of my grief process, I have advocated strongly to help improve AYA cancer outcomes across the continuum from awareness to palliative care. All in Shan's memory!
Jill Hamer-Wilson @JillHW
We are pleased to advise you of the following funding opportunities and updates from the Canadian Cancer Society
Innovation Grants/Subventions pour l'innovation:
Innovation Grants support the highest quality creative problem solving in cancer research. The goal of the Innovation program is to support the development and testing of transformative, paradigm-shifting concepts and approaches to address problems in cancer research, enhance our understanding of cancer, and generate novel approaches to confront the challenges we face in defeating cancer.
Budgets awarded may be up to $100,000 per year and a maximum of $200,000 per grant.
It is anticipated that approximately 30 grants will be awarded in this competition.
Innovation Grants are offered once per year. The timeline below is anticipated to be consistent going forward.
This competition consists of a full application only, abstract registration is not required
There must be no (0%) overlap with any pending or held grant applications (i.e. 100% unique aims are required - conceptual overlap is acceptable but must be described by the applicant)
Special funding calls within the Innovation Grant competition envelope:
Applications relevant to breast cancer research are encouraged
Applications relevant to skin cancer are encouraged
As a result of a generous donation, funding for one application with a focus on early detection, diagnosis, and/or treatment of malignant mixed Müllerian tumours (MMMT) is available
Additional funds may be available from the Lotte and John Hecht Memorial Foundation to support innovative projects focused on the application of complementary and alternative approaches in cancer treatment and control
Full application deadline: October 15, 2019
Results announcement: April, 2020
Anticipated start date: May 1, 2020
Please review the full Program Description on our website.
Veuillez consulter la description complète du programme sur notre site Web.
Innovation to Impact Grants/Subventions d'une innovation à un impact:
*Note update to eligibility criteria regarding pursuit of 'logical next steps' from an Innovation or CBCF grant.
These grants are intended to support the next phase following a productive CCS Innovation Grant or CBCF research grant, with the goal of working towards or achieving a significant impact on cancer.
Applicants are required to articulate significant achievements from the original Innovation/CBCF Grant (i.e., significant new knowledge, publications, intellectual property, technology development, or relevant endpoints) and clearly describe and justify the progression to the new research proposed. In other words, the original grant and the i2I proposal must be linked by their overarching goal or objective. Applicants must also describe the potential for impact of the proposed project on cancer.
Budgets awarded may be up to $150,000 per year for up to 3 years, to a maximum of $450,000 per grant.
Please note that only investigators with a funded Innovation or CBCF research grant with a project end date between January 1, 2017 and April 30, 2020 are eligible for this program.
Results announcement: April 2020
Travel Awards/Bourses de déplacement :
These awards are intended to defray the travel costs associated with making a scientific presentation as a first author or presenter at a conference, symposium or other appropriate professional meeting. PhD, MD, or MD/PhD students, and post-doctoral/medical/clinical fellows are eligible to apply.
There are three competitions in 2019. It is anticipated that approximately 10 Travel Awards will be awarded in each competition (approximately 30 awards per year).
Applications will only be accepted for conference dates within 6 months following the funding start date.
Eligible expenses include: 1) Conference registration fees; 2) Accommodations; and 3) Transportation, and will not exceed $2,000.
Individuals may receive this award only once per stage of training (PhD, MD, Postdoctoral fellow). Unsuccessful applicants may reapply in subsequent competitions.
Full application deadline: September 15, 2019
Results announcement: November, 2019
Funding start date: December 1, 2019
Please visit the Canadian Cancer Society research website for program and application information www.cancer.ca/research.
Les renseignements relatifs au programme et à la demande se trouvent sur le site Web de recherche de la Société canadienne du cancer (SCC), au www.cancer.ca/research.
CAPO/IPOS 2019 Patient Advocate Scholarship
4 Jul 2019 10:11 AM | Anonymous
The shared mission of the Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology (CAPO) and the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) is to foster the science and practice of psychosocial oncology to improve the care for people affected by cancer through partnerships, research, public policy, advocacy and education. Our 2019 World Congress will create an opportunity to bring together an international body of health care professionals. This forum encourages new global partnerships and allows for the dissemination of ground-breaking research to professionals and the general public about psycho-oncology, that is, the psychosocial (psychiatric, psychological, social, behavioural, ethical) and psychobiological aspects of oncology. Finally, this forum allows us to recognize exceptional contributions from around the world to the field of psycho-oncology through our awards of excellence.
The following financial support is being made available to patient advocates interested in attending the 2019 Congress:
Five (5) $1,000 CAD travel/accommodation scholarships to be paid directly to recipients at the Congress by cheque accompanied by complimentary congress registration valued at $750 CAD each (does not include the pre-congress workshops or dinner adventure).
In order to qualify, applicants must:
Be residing in Canada.
Identify themselves as a patient/family advocate (have an active role in communicating their cancer experience).
Be active on social media.
Complete an online application by July 31, 2019.
If selected, must submit a 250 to 500-word summary of key learnings from the congress that will be published on our website https://capo.ca/home-new, and also in the CAPO e-newsletter, CAPO Connection. Submission must be made by December 31, 2019.
Online application review and selection:
Applications are accepted online only. Confirmation of submission will NOT be issued. To submit, please go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9MMWLYT.
A panel of three current CAPO members (void of any conflict of interest), one in which must be a current CAPO board member, will review applications and select the five recipients.
Final decision on the five recipients selected will be issued via email by no later than August 16, 2019.
Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control
12 Jun 2019 10:58 AM | John Chagnon (Administrator)
We are pleased to provide you with early access to the modernized Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control – a 10-year roadmap to improve equity in the cancer system and to deliver world-class cancer care to all Canadians, while focusing on a sustainable healthcare system for the future.
This Strategy focuses on driving measurable change on the most pressing challenges for the next decade with five priorities:
Decrease the risk of people getting cancer
Diagnose cancer faster, accurately and at an earlier stage
Deliver high-quality care in a sustainable, world-class system
Eliminate barriers to people getting the care they need
Deliver information and supports for people living with cancer, families and caregivers
First Nations, Inuit, and Métis advisors, communities , governments, and organizations were engaged in all parts of Canada using a parallel process to ensure separate, respectful and Peoples-specific priorities and challenges were understood and reflected in the refreshed Strategy.
In addition to the five priorities above, the Strategy includes three priorities identified by First Nations, Inuit and Métis, each with Peoples-specific actions.
You can access the Strategy and other materials using the links below.
Download the modernized Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control
Download Refreshing the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control: Patient, Public and Stakeholder Engagement Summary Report
Communications Toolkit
We invite you to use this Communications Toolkit to share the messages and images on June 4, 2019 and beyond to help raise awareness of the refreshed Strategy. The toolkit is available in English and French, and includes:
Website content (Summary option and Detailed option)
Newsletter content
To show your support:
Use the Communications Toolkit to spread the message on and after June 4, 2019
Like, comment and share the Partnership's social media posts across Twitter and Facebook
Join the social conversation using hashtag #CDNCancerStrategy in English and#StratégieCASurLeCancer in French.
Thank you for your interest in the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer – we appreciate your support.
Canadian Partnership Against Cancer
Nous sommes heureux de vous offrir un accès anticipé à la version modernisée de laStratégie canadienne de lutte contre le cancer – une feuille de route sur 10 ans visant à améliorer l'équité au sein du système de lutte contre le cancer et à offrir des soins de calibre mondial à l'ensemble des Canadiens, tout en se concentrant sur la mise en place d'un système de santé durable pour l'avenir.
La Stratégie vise à favoriser des changements mesurables pour les défis les plus urgents au cours des dix prochaines années, avec cinq priorités :
Réduire le risque de cancer dans la population
Diagnostiquer le cancer plus rapidement, avec exactitude et à un stade plus précoce
Offrir des soins de grande qualité dans le cadre d'un système durable et de calibre mondial
Éliminer les obstacles qui empêchent les gens d'obtenir les soins dont ils ont besoin
Offrir de l'information et du soutien aux personnes atteintes de cancer, aux familles et aux aidants
Des conseillers, des communautés, des gouvernements et des organisations des Premières Nations, des Inuits et des Métis ont été mobilisés partout au Canada dans le cadre d'un processus parallèle pour faire en sorte que soient compris et intégrés dans la Stratégie actualisée les priorités et les défis propres aux peuples autochtones, de manière respectueuse et distincte.
En plus des cinq priorités ci-dessus, la Stratégie comprend trois priorités déterminées par les Premières Nations, les Inuits et les Métis, et chacune d'entre elles s'accompagne de mesures propres aux peuples autochtones.
Téléchargez la version modernisée de la Stratégie canadienne de lutte contre le cancer
Téléchargez la publication intitulée Actualisation de la Stratégie canadienne de lutte contre le cancer : rapport sommaire sur la mobilisation des patients, du public et des intervenants
Trousse d'outils pour les communications
Nous vous invitons à utiliser cette Trousse d'outils pour les communications afin de partager les messages et les images qu'elle contient à partir du 4 juin 2019 pour aider à faire connaître la Stratégie actualisée. La trousse d'outils existe en français et en anglais, et comprend ce qui suit :
Publications pour les médias sociaux
Contenu pour les courriels
Contenu pour les sites Web (option courte et option détaillée)
Contenu pour les infolettres
Pour montrer votre soutien :
Utilisez la Trousse d'outils pour les communications afin de diffuser le message dès le 4 juin 2019.
Aimez les publications du Partenariat sur les médias sociaux, laissez-y des commentaires ou partagez-les sur Twitter et Facebook.
Joignez-vous à la conversation sur les médias sociaux au moyen du mot-dièse#StratégieCASurLeCancer en français et #CDNCancerStrategy en anglais.
Merci de votre intérêt envers le Partenariat canadien contre le cancer – nous apprécions votre soutien.
Présidente-directrice générale
Partenariat canadien contre le cancer
The Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology and the International Psycho-Oncology Society welcome the support of Bell Let's Talk for the 21st annual World Congress of Psycho-Oncology
The Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology (CAPO) and the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) are pleased to receive the support of Bell Let's Talk for this year's 21st annual World Congress of Psycho-Oncology. The Congress will take place this year in Banff, Alberta from September 23-26. The theme for the Congress is A Global Call for Action: Implementing Psychosocial Oncology Research for Optimal Cancer Care.
As Visionary Sponsor, Bell Let's Talk is supporting more than 800 international health care leaders, scientists and researchers from over 60 countries who will be gathering to share and learn how to help cancer patients and their families cope with the devastating emotional and mental health impact of the disease.
"We are very excited to have Bell Let's Talk join us this year in support of our World Congress," said Dr. Fiona Schulte, President and Co-Chair of the IPOS World Congress and President, Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology (CAPO). "The impact of their support will resound globally with the community of leading oncologists who will be engaging with patients, care-givers and family members through their cancer journeys."
Cancer is the second leading cause of death internationally. In 2018 alone, there were more than 18 million new cases, with just over a 50 per cent survival rate. Cancer impacts everyone – from patients, to friends, to loved ones.
The World Congress will bring together an international community of health care leaders, scientists and researchers who will take their knowledge back to improve patient and family care. This forum encourages new global partnerships and allows for the dissemination of ground-breaking research to professionals and the general public about psycho-oncology that will transform the cancer experience and improve the quality of life for millions of people globally.
Since 2010, the Bell Let's Talk mental health initiative has been leading a conversation about the impact of mental illness and the stigma that surrounds it, while also funding programs focused on 4 mental health action pillars: anti-stigma, care and access, new research and workplace leadership. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
For more information on the World Congress, please visit: https://ipos2019.com/
CAPO's Position Statement on Role of Psychosocial Oncology in Medical Assistance in Dying
Under the direction of the CAPO Clinical Advisory Committee a working group of CAPO members has developing a position paper on MAID. This position statement is intended to clarify the role of psychosocial oncology services and psychosocial oncology clinicians in responding to patient inquiries about MAID. This paper can be accessed at:
CAPO MAID Position Statement PDF
We thank Drs Doris Howell, Keith Wilson, Madeline Li, Harvey Chochinov, Eric Wasylenko, Jennifer Bell, Jacynthe Rivest and Chad Hammond for their work on this position statement.
A CAPO webinar is being planned on this topic for 12pm EST, November 22, 2017. Details will be circulated at a later date.
CAPO is looking for in-kind support to translate this position statement into French. If members are aware of local resources available for in-kind translation services, please contact [email protected]
CAPO 2017 Award Winners
Awards for Excellence in Psychosocial Oncology Lifetime Achievement Award
This annual award honours a CAPO/ACOP member who, in the opinion of the Awards Committee and the Board of Directors of the association, has made exceptional and enduring career contributions to Psychosocial Oncology.
2017 Recipient: Dr. Joan Bottorff
Dr. Joan L. Bottorff is a Professor in the School of Nursing and Director of the Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention at the University of British Columbia's Okanagan Campus in Kelowna, British Columbia. She is a UBC Distinguished University Scholar, an Affiliate Scientist at the BC Cancer Agency, a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. Her research program focuses on health promotion and health behaviour change particularly in the context of cancer prevention. Current projects center on developing more inclusive understandings of health behaviours and the development of gender-sensitive and gender-specific interventions to strengthen tobacco reduction among women and men, and to enhance cancer prevention initiatives targeting other health behaviours. This program of research, supported by the collaborative work of multidisciplinary teams and the involvement of knowledge users, has resulted in the development of innovative approaches to cancer prevention and new opportunities to reduce the burden of cancer.
Awards for Clinical Excellence
This award recognizes individuals who, in the opinion of the Awards Committee and the Board of Directors of the Association, have made significant contributions to Psychosocial Oncology in the areas of clinical work.
2017 Recipient: Dr. Steven Simpson
Dr. Simpson obtained a BSc (Hons) in biochemistry from St. Andrews University, Scotland, in 1976. He completed his PhD in Immunochemistry in 1980 at the University of Wales Medical School in Cardiff, Wales. In 1980, he moved to Canada to study Endocrinology with Dr. Henry Friesen in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He moved to Virginia in 1983 and carried out similar studies with Dr. Maria Dufau of the National Institute for Child Health and Development at Bethesda, Maryland. While in Virginia he was also employed as a research scientist by Hazleton Biotechnology Company.
In 1986, Steve returned to Canada to study Medicine at the University of Calgary. He graduated in 1989 and completed a year of Internal Medicine at University of Calgary. In 1990 he began his residency training in psychiatry and completed his fellowship in the summer of 1994. He is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Oncology at the University of Calgary.
He has clinical appointments in the division of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Calgary Health Region, and the Psychosocial Resources department at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Calgary since 1994. He is also a consulting Psychiatrist in the department of Patient and Family Counselling at the Fraser Valley Cancer Centre in Surrey, BC since 2012. He alternates his practice between these two settings.
His research interests are in psycho-oncology. He is currently working on projects looking at fatigue in cancer patients and is part of a team involved in addressing Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment.
The Award for Education Excellence
This award is made to recognize individuals who, in the opinion of the Awards Committee and the Board of Directors of the association, have made a significant contribution to education and training in psychosocial oncology in Canada.
2017 Recipient: Joan Hamilton
Joan Hamilton is a clinical nurse specialist in cancer care in the Queen Elizabeth Health Science Centre of the Nova Scotia Health Authority in Halifax.
Joan did her undergrad nursing at Dalhousie and her Master's of Science in Nursing at McGill in palliative care nursing.
Joan started her career in Vancouver in hematology and bone marrow transplant. She has worked in St. John's Newfoundland, Halifax, Hamilton and Montreal in oncology and palliative care.
The focus of Joan's work as a CNS is helping advance nursing practice through nursing education, mentoring, program development, research utilization, the integration of CPG, and small project group work with front line nurses. Joan's areas of interest/expertise include cancer-related fatigue, sexual health changes, vaginal dilation teaching post pelvic radiation, helping parents explaining serious illness and death to children, advancing nurses communication skills, managing patient distress, infertility risk reduction and mouthcare.
Joan is a member of the cancer care psychosocial team and is an adjunct professor at Dalhousie. As well as being a member of CAPO, she is also a member of the Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology as well as several of professional associations.
Joan has been in Halifax over the last 25 years where she and her husband have raised their children.
The CIHR – Institute for Cancer Research: CAPO Research Excellence Award
This award, formerly called the CAPO Award for Research Excellence was rebranded this year through generous support from The CIHR – Institute for Cancer Research. The Institute has signed a three-year agreement to fund this prestigious award.
The award is made to recognize an individual who, in the opinion of the Awards Committee and the Board of Directors of the association, has made a significant research contribution to Psychosocial Oncology.
2017 Recipient: Dr. Gary Rodin
Gary Rodin is the University of Toronto/University Health Network Harold and Shirley Lederman Chair in Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care and Head of the Department of Supportive Care at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Canada. Dr. Rodin is also the Director of the Global Institute of Psychosocial, Palliative and End-of-Life Care (GIPPEC) and a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. He leads a clinical and research program on the psychosocial dimensions of advanced and terminal disease and on the development and evaluation of novel interventions to improve the quality of life and the quality of dying and death in this population. These integrated psychosocial and palliative interventions include Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM), a supportive-expressive psychotherapeutic treatment for patients with metastatic cancer and their caregivers, and an integrated emotion and symptom-focused intervention for individuals diagnosed with life-threatening hematological malignancies. Through GIPPEC, a University of Toronto Interdisciplinary Institute based at Princess Margaret, Dr. Rodin has established international partnerships in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East to contribute to global access to palliative and supportive care for patients and families facing advanced disease and the end of life. He has published widely in these areas and is recognized internationally for his efforts to improve the rigor of research and the effectiveness and availability of psychosocial and palliative interventions.
The CIHR – Institute for Cancer Research New Investigator Award
This award, formerly called the CAPO Early Career Award, was rebranded this year through generous support from The CIHR – Institute for Cancer Research. The Institute has signed a three-year agreement to fund this award.
The award honours a new investigator for outstanding contributions to research in the field of psychosocial oncology.
2017 Recipient: Dr. Shane Sinclair
Dr. Shane Sinclair is an Associate Professor and Cancer Care Research Professor with the University of Calgary, Faculty of Nursing. His research focuses on psychosocial and spiritual issues within oncology and palliative care, including his nationally funded program of research on compassion. Dr. Sinclair is a former Canadian Institutes of Health Research Postdoctoral Fellow (University of Manitoba), current President of the Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology, a recipient of the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care Award of Excellence in Research, a top 40 under 40 awardee and a recipient of the International Psychosocial Oncology Society New Investigator Award. Dr. Sinclair's research on spiritual care has been instrumental in enhancing research capacity within the discipline of spiritual care, establishing an evidence based approach to spiritual care practice, and has contributed to policy development on a global level. His CIHR funded program of research on compassion developed the first patient informed empirical model of compassion; delineated between patients' perspectives of sympathy, empathy and compassion; led to the reconceptualization of compassion fatigue and self compassion, and is currently focused on the development and validation of a patient reported compassion measure.
The Student Travel Conference Award
This annual award is given to honour a CAPO student member (or recent student) who has demonstrated excellence in his or her submission of an original paper. It is open to clinicians and researchers. The focus of the manuscript can be research, clinical, and/or education.
2017 Recipient: Nicole Racine
Nicole Racine has been awarded the Student Travel Award for her paper titled: Predicting Health-Related Quality of Life in Pediatric Cancer Survivors: Contributions to Parental Psychological Distress and Family Psychosocial Risk.
Psychosocial Care Meets Advocacy: The Therapeutic Practices for Distress Management Project
by Dr. Robin McGee, CKN Editor
Recently, I joined the Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology or CAPO
Dr. Deborah McLeod
An ongoing research project which tackles care delivery is the "Therapeutic Practices for Distress Management (TPDM) Project." The inspiration of Dr. Deborah McLeod and a number of other researchers, this study examines the impact of psychosocial training on the practice of front-line oncology nurses and their work systems. (Full disclosure: I am a big fan of Dr. McLeod. As described in The Cancer Olympics, she co-led a support group of which I was a grateful participant. Also, I serve as one of the patient representatives on the project.)
What are the "four horsemen" of the cancer experience? Every patient knows them: pain, fatigue, anxiety, and depression. Using her expertise as a nurse and Ph.D.-level training in counselling, Dr. McLeod developed online training modules for each topic. Nearly 70 oncology nurses in 5 major cancer centres across Canada spent 56 online hours aimed at developing their skill in truly listening and responding to cancer patients. Compared to a pre-training baseline, participating nurses had greater knowledge and confidence in their skills; as well, they showed observable increases in appropriate responsiveness during clinical roleplays.
The project also addressed the reality that nurses work within differing structures. Whereas some settings pair nurses with oncologists, some settings have nurses and doctors working apart. Settings vary tremendously in their hierarchies, operational flow, and on the importance they place on psychosocial issues. So for each centre, an Implementation Committee was formed comprised of key stakeholders (including patients) that examined the unique systemic factors at play. Not surprisingly, working cultures are significant determinants of the degree of psychosocial help patients get from front-line oncology nurses.
But what about the patient voice? "As an educator, I have been involved in seeking out and using patient narratives for learning forever," says Dr. McLeod. To foster empathy and engagement, stories and dramatizations of patient struggles were used to reach the learners. One such story was "Simon's romantic evening" in which a prostate cancer patient recounts his anguish in needing to use injections to address erectile dysfunction. "I had a nurse who had worked with prostate patients for 10 years," Dr. McLeod recalls, "who responded to that narrative with 'I had no idea what these men were going through!'" Opening the eyes of oncology nurses to the totality of the cancer experience helped hook them into learning, and into responsive care.
What are the key issues that CAPO ought to advocate for? Dr. McLeod, a longstanding member, hopes that CAPO will continue to develop and maintain their standards and guidelines of care. Along with advocating patient support by specialists like psychologists, she hopes they will continue to advocate for psychosocial support by generalists. "One of the biggest things," she recommends, "CAPO ought to advocate for patient engagement and psychosocial care at every level of the health care team."
What does all this mean for patients? There are clinicians out there who understand that the distress of cancer is as potent as the disease itself. They want to hear about distress, and teach others in the system how to address it. Any patient or caregiver can join CAPO to help this vision, and to support projects such as Dr. McLeod's.
Dr. Robin McGee (The Cancer Olympics, Twitter @TCOrobin), is a Registered Clinical Psychologist, mother, wife, educator and friend. Living in Nova Scotia, she has worked in health and education settings for over 25 years. Since entering remission, she has been very active in advocacy, mentorship, and fundraising on behalf of cancer patients. In particular, she has been involved in provincial, national, and international initiatives aimed at improving standards of cancer care. In 2015, she was awarded the Canadian Cancer Society's highest honour, the National Medal of Courage. Robin was recently named the 2016 recipient of the Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers from the Governor General of Canada. Her book The Cancer Olympics has won five literary awards, and was recently listedamong the best 55 self-published books of 2015 by Kirkus reviews. Proceeds of sales go to cancer support programs. The Cancer Olympics is McGee's first – and hopefully her last – memoir about her cancer experiences.
2016 CAPO Award Winners
Life Time Achievement Award
This annual award honours a CAPO/ACOP member who, in the opinion of the Awards Committee and the Board of Directors of the association, has made exceptional and enduring career contributions to psychosocial oncology. Prior to 2010 this award was called the CAPO Award of Excellence.
2016 Recipient: Gina MacKenzie, MSW
Gina MacKenzie has been a Social Worker for the past 40 years – almost 35 years in oncology at the BC Cancer Agency. She has been in a Clinical Coordinator/Practice Leader role since 1988 and in 2011 accepted the Provincial Director and Practice Leader position for Psychosocial Oncology. She led the development of the Patient and Family Counselling program at the Fraser Valley Centre and was involved in the planning and design of the new cancer centres in Abbotsford and Prince George, including Patient and Family Counselling at those locations.
She has been passionate about improving access to counselling services and care. This led to the development of the first interpreter program for people with cancer at the Agency, which is now available province wide. She has also led the development of web based programs for people with cancer, their families and health care professionals including the coping with cancer section on the Agency website, the Cancerinmyfamily.ca website for children when a family member is diagnosed with cancer and more recently Facts4Teens. She provided administrative support for CancerChatCanada when it was hosted and operated by the Agency and currently is involved with colleagues to develop courses online for new staff and community Social Workers. This passion also led to participating in the development of CAPO's "Start the Talk".
In the late 1990s, she became interested in distress screening and led the first pilot of a psychosocial screening program at the BC Cancer Agency. This pilot led to the development of a screening instrument which is part of the new patient consultation process provincially and currently is working with a team to use an electronic format.
Gina values ongoing learning and has been involved with CAPO conferences in Vancouver numerous times, either as a member of the planning committee or Chair. She was a member of the CAPO Education committee and a Board Member. She led the program in developing a Psychosocial Oncology Graduate level course which clinicians in the program co-taught at the UBC School of Social Work prior to the availability of IPODE courses.
In the past two years, she has increased the number of Psychiatrists and recruited the BC Cancer Agency's first Provincial Professional Practice Leader for Psychiatry. She feels most fortunate to work with clinicians and practice leaders who are highly motivated to provide excellent care and open to possibilities for innovative practice.
Award for Clinical Excellence
This award is made to recognize individuals who, in the opinion of the Awards Committee and the Board of Directors of the association, have made significant contributions to clinical excellence in the field of psychosocial oncology in Canada.
2016 Recipient: Sarah Sample, MSW
Sarah Sample has worked as a clinical oncology social worker for over 23 years, and has been Professional Practice Leader for Patient and Family Counseling at the Vancouver site of the BC Cancer Agency since 2011. She chairs the BCCA Lymphoid Cancer Education Planning Committee and her work has been recognized by a Lymphoma Foundation of Canada Appreciation of Clinical Contribution to Lymphoma Patients and Families Award. She is also the treasurer of the BC Mindfulness- Based Stress Reduction Society and developed the BCCA Mindfulness- Based Stress Reduction course over 15 years ago.
Sarah is passionate about helping patients and is known to put aside her impressive titles to cover on-call duties or even the reception desk if that's what's needed to best serve BCCA patients on a particular day. She is also able to think outside-the-box to champion the needs of underserved patient groups. For example, she created the first Lesbian Cancer Support Group at a Canadian cancer centre.
Fortunately, some of Sarah's skills have been passed on to many as she has been a clinical supervisor for the UBC School of Social Work and Family Studies for over 15 years and also supervises and teaches junior counselors. She has presented at CAPO and other conferences on topics including death anxiety, therapeutic touch, lesbian families affected by cancer, mindfulness, and young adults with cancer, and currently chairs the local organizing committee for CAPO 2017.
Sarah Sample is an outstanding model of innovative clinical leadership who is creating a growing legacy of clinical excellence in Psychosocial Oncology at the BCCA.
The CAPO Innovation Award honours the development of quality improvement and innovative clinical, educational, or organizational initiatives aimed at enhancing the performance of psychosocial cancer care or cancer prevention. Award submissions will be rated based on originality and scope, impact of initiative on processes, impact of initiative on stakeholders, meaningfulness, value for money and sustainability.
2016 Recipient: Dr. Carole Mayer, RSW, PhD
Dr. Carole Mayer is the Director of Research and Regional Psychosocial Oncology Lead of the Supportive Care Program at the Northeast Cancer Centre (NECC), Health Sciences North (HSN) in Sudbury, Ontario. She is also the Regional Lead for the Ontario Cancer Symptom Management Collaborative.
A social worker by discipline, she brings 30 years of health care experience with 27 years specializing in oncology.
Some of her achievements are leading: the implementation of Screening for Distress, 6th Vital Sign, for symptom management in 14 community chemotherapy clinics; new Models of Care for Breast and Colorectal Survivorship; the development of the Aboriginal Navigators' roles in the cancer centre and hospital; Bridges to Better Breast Health, a breast health promotion campaign reaching over one million residents through multi-media. Establishing the need and developing one of the first Breast Diagnostic Clinics in Ontario. A founding member and advisor to the Circle of Strength, Sudbury Beast Cancer Support Group. Working collaboratively to develop and evaluate the use of the Ontario Telemedicine Network. Fostering and sustaining psychosocial/supportive care oncology programming.
Dr. Mayer says: "It has been more than a career; it is a commitment and passion for developing unique programming that best meets the needs of people affected by cancer living in urban, rural and remote communities across North- East Ontario. Of course I could not do this work without the wonderful team I work with".
The CAPO Early Career Investigator Award honours a new investigator for outstanding contributions to research in the field of psychosocial oncology. Candidates must be within seven years of completing their postgraduate, fellowship or equivalent specialist training (defined as a PhD or MD or equivalent). Recipients are distinguished by the level and quality of research output at this early career stage.
2016 Recipient: Dr. Jennifer Brunet, PhD
Jennifer Brunet (PhD) is an Assistant Professor at the School of Human Kinetics at the University of Ottawa, a Research Member at the Institut de recherche de l'Hôpital Montfort, and an Affiliate Researcher at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. Recognizing that physical activity is a key component for successful cancer prevention and treatment, her research goal is to reduce the growing burden of cancer in Canada through physical activity by producing findings of high scientific and applied merit.
She has conducted a series of projects to identify correlates and antecedents of physical activity behavior among people with cancer, as well as identify the mechanisms and processes by which these correlates and antecedents affect physical activity behavior (e.g., mediation and moderation effects) in order to enhance understanding and advanced knowledge of how to increase physical activity behavior. Consequently, she has used this knowledge to inform and design interventions aimed at changing physical activity behavior to enhance the quality of life of people with cancer and lessen the likelihood of them dying from cancer. She has also been involved in a number of projects aimed at testing the effectiveness of physical activity for people with cancer and developing evidence-based materials and guidelines to share knowledge that supports people in making healthy choices that will help them recover from cancer. For example, as a member of a working group facilitated by Cancer Care Ontario's Program in Evidence-Based Care, she recently helped develop exercise guidelines for people with cancer to help bridge the gap between research and practice. In 2014, she was the recipient of the Charles Polanyi Prize in Medicine for her collective work in physical activity and cancer.
Jennifer is also dedicated to building capacity and expertise in the area of physical activity and cancer. Thus, she co-founded and co-directs the Psychosocial Oncology Group with Dr. Sophie Lebel at the University of Ottawa. The goal of the group is to create an active, knowledge-sharing, dynamic, and collaborative environment that inspires novel and practical research. Further, it is a place where researchers, health care providers, and trainees can engage in research-related activities and discussions focused on psychosocial oncology.
CAPO Member Profile – Dr. Sylvie Lambert, Assistant Professor, Ingram School of Nursing, McGill University
Dr. Sylvie Lambert is Assistant Professor at the Ingram School of Nursing, McGill University since August 2013. Dr. Lambert is also a Research Associate, St. Mary's Research Centre. Her research focuses on 1) better understanding the substantial impact of a cancer diagnosis on patients' and their caregivers' well-being and functioning, 2) developing and evaluating illness self-management interventions that are sustainable to enhance translation in practice, 3) addressing the challenges of using patient reported outcomes in intervention programs, and the use of advanced psychometric approaches for improving the precision and efficiency of outcome evaluations.
Prior to entering the Psychosocial Oncology field in 2002, Dr. Lambert worked at the ICU. Even then, she was interested in how individuals cope and wanted to learn more in that area. Later, she joined McGill University as a graduate student under Dr. Carmen Loiselle's supervision and completed her doctorate (2002 -2008). She completed her Postdoctoral training at the University of Newcastle under the supervision of Prof. Afaf Girgis (2009 – 2011). During this time she managed Australia's first longitudinal study on the wellbeing of partners and caregivers, which documented the impact of caring for or living with a cancer survivor over the first five years following the initial diagnosis. After her postdoctoral studies, she joined the Translational Cancer Research Unit, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, University of New South Wales as National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Research Fellow (2011 – 2013) and became particularly interested in developing interventions for cancer caregivers. Her team developed and tested Coping-Together – a self-directed coping skills training intervention for patients with cancer and their spouse caregivers. She considers the development of Coping-Together as one of her greatest achievement.
Since Dr Lambert has returned to Canada she has continued to focus on developing and testing sustainable coping skills and self-management interventions for patients with cancer and their caregivers. She recently received funding from Prostate Cancer Canada to develop a web-based home-based exercise program and psychosocial self-management intervention for men with prostate cancer and their caregivers. She also plans to expand her research around patients and caregivers with low literacy and culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Dr. Lambert acknowledges the support of Dr. Afaf Girgis, as she laid the foundation for her research career, helped her refine her research interests, mentored her in areas on how to initiate and manage a research study and more importantly how to become an independent researcher. She also recognizes Dr. Carmen Loiselle, as she accepted her as a graduate student and helped her enter the field. She stated "without them I wouldn't be where I am today".
When asked what she enjoys the most about her job, she said "I love what I do". She admits that she feels that she is able to make a make a difference for patients and their families. Teaching and mentoring is another aspect of her work that she loves and is currently supervising nine graduate students (seven masters and 2 PhD) and teaching a course "Learning and Health Education".
She stated "Psychosocial Oncology field is growing and in the right direction. More and more people are entering the field, and the Psychosocial issues are being valued by all – clinicians, researchers, patients and caregivers. We need to be innovative and find ways to address the issues, needs and understand what people really want".
Dr. Lambert is a CAPO member because it is an arena where she can meet other researchers and clinicians in the field. The conference is a great opportunity to liaise with colleagues, and learn about their research. She particularly appreciates some of the new services, including the newsletter, Sosido, and profiling of the members. She wants to be more involved with the organization.
When asked what would be her advice to someone who is thinking about entering the profession, she said 'The first step would be to find the mentor that matches your career interests and to find the research lab that meets your interests".
Thanks to CAPO member and volunteer Dr. Violet D'Souza, University of Montreal, for writing this profile.
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ABOUT CAPO:
The Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology (CAPO) is a national registered charity that promotes excellence in psychosocial care for people with cancer and their families throughout the cancer experience—from diagnosis to treatment to survivorship or death. We work to transform cancer care wherever it is delivered—in hospital, in the community and in hospices. Advancement in psychosocial oncology have been significant and CAPO continues to be a world leader. We believe change will come through more research, better education and improved clinical practice.
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