AV¾ãÀÖ²¿

 

Our Team

Principal Investigators

Grace Johnston

MHSA, PhD

Positions: Professor and Graduate Coordinator, School of Health Administration, AV¾ãÀÖ²¿; Senior Epidemiologist, Surveillance and Epidemiology Unit, Cancer Care Nova Scotia; and Principal Investigator, Network for End of Life Studies: Interdisciplinary Capacity Enhancement (NELS ICE), Canadian Institutes of Health Research grant

Expertise: Epidemiology, health services research using administrative databases, cancer control, screening, palliative and end of life care, interdisciplinary learning, knowledge exchange, advocacy, mentoring

Anticipated Findings/New Knowledge: Focused data analyses on supportive care (SC) for women with advanced breast cancer; Greater understanding on the forms and cost of SC, and predictors of who has access to SC; Refinement of interdisciplinary research team development methods and knowledge exchange

Robin Urquhart

PhD

Positions: Assistant Professor (Primary Research Scientist), Department of Surgery, AV¾ãÀÖ²¿

Expertise: Knowledge exchange and translation, health services research, linked administrative data methods, qualitative methodologies

Anticipated Findings/New Knowledge: Improved understanding of effective knowledge exchange processes toward building interdisciplinary research teams and whether a participatory model is useful toward expediting SC research capacity; Greater depth of knowledge on access to and quality of SC services for women with advanced breast cancer using administrative data

Ìý

Researchers

Fred Burge

MD, FCFP, MSc

Positions: Professor, Department of Family Medicine, AV¾ãÀÖ²¿; and Co-Principal Investigator, NELS ICE

Expertise: Family medicine, primary care, palliative and end of life care, survey and linked administrative data methods

Anticipated Findings/New Knowledge: Perspectives on SC by next of kin of women dying of advanced breast cancer; Insights into the redesign of community based primary care; New grant proposal to CIHR for community based primary care

Judith Fisher

PhD

Positions: Manager of Drug Technology Assessment for Pharmaceutical Services in the Nova Scotia Government, Department of Health and Wellness

Expertise: Systematic literature review, appropriate use of medications

Anticipated Findings/New Knowledge: Medication use for the management of pain and other symptoms among persons with advanced cancer; Framework for medications guideline development for SC, focusing on women with advanced breast cancer

Janice Howes

PhD

Positions: Psychosocial Oncology Clinical Leader and Chair, Supportive Care Site Team, Cancer Care Nova Scotia

Expertise: Clinical psychology, Psychosocial oncology

Anticipated Findings/New Knowledge: Refinement of distress screening by cancer patient navigators; Improving SC for women with advanced breast cancer

Melanie Keats

PhD

Positions:Assistant Professor, School of Health and Human Performance, AV¾ãÀÖ²¿

Expertise: Behavioural medicine, exercise psychology, physical activity, oncology, survivorship, quality of life

Anticipated Findings/New Knowledge: Exploring the SC role of physical activity for women with advanced breast cancer

Bev Lawson

  

Lynn Lethbridge

Maureen MacIntyre

Jennifer Payne

PhD

Positions: Assistant Professor, Departments of Diagnostic Radiology and Community Health and Epidemiology, AV¾ãÀÖ²¿; and Senior Epidemiologist, Capital District Health Authority

Expertise: Epidemiologic methods, chronic disease surveillance, indicators of care, administrative data analysis, health services research

Anticipated Findings/New Knowledge: Screening for need for SC; Data analysis and knowledge translation related to SC for chronic disease co-morbidities for women with advanced breast cancer

Geoff Porter

MD FRCSC, FACS

Positions: Professor of Surgery, Ramia Chair in Surgical Oncology, AV¾ãÀÖ²¿; and Surgical Oncologist, QEII Health Sciences Centre

Expertise: Surgical oncology, health services research, outcomes research, quality indicators

Anticipated Findings/New Knowledge: Improved understanding of factors influencing access to and quality of SC services for women with advanced breast cancer; exploring opportunities to build a NET ACCESS-like team in breast cancer

Danny Rayson

aMD, FRCPC, FACP

Positions: Professor, Division of Medical Oncology, AV¾ãÀÖ²¿; and Medical Oncologist, Nova Scotia Cancer Centre

Expertise: Clinical trials, breast cancer, health services research, wait times, cancer genetics, translational research

Anticipated Findings/New Knowledge: Clinical trial development with focus on SC for advanced breast cancer (e.g., pain and symptom control, management of side effects from systemic therapies); understanding of factors (e.g., co-morbidities) that influence quality SC for women with advanced breast cancer

Chris Skedgel

Ingrid Sketris

Tallal Younis

MBBCh, FRCP (UK)

Positions:Assistant Professor, Division of Medical Oncology, and Clinical Research Scholar, AV¾ãÀÖ²¿; and Medical Oncologist, Nova Scotia Cancer Centre

Expertise:Economic/cost analysis, health services research,  outcomes research, breast cancer, clinical trials

Anticipated Findings/New Knowledge: Examining costs of various forms of SC, including medications for women with advanced breast cancer

Ìý

Trainees

Highly Qualified Personnel

Hillary Woodside

In 2012, Hillary commenced her MA in Kinesiology with Dr Melanie Keats; a co-investigator on the ABC-SC. Hillary is studying the perspectives of youth and young adults with advanced cancer on the value of yoga as a form of palliative support. Hillary and Melanie have published:

H. Woodside & M. Keats. (2012) Exploring the Role of Physical Activity During Palliative Care for Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Patients. Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology.

Photo: