Participate in the Childhood Cancer Identity Project

Concordia University: We are looking for adult survivors of childhood cancer to participate in an online study looking at cancer identity (how you view yourself as a survivor, victim, person who has had cancer, etc.) and mental and physical health outcomes. Our online study is open to people in Canada and the U.S, and should take approximately 40-55 minutes to complete.

If you’re interested in participating, email us at cchip.research@gmail.com, use this link https://concordia.yul1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eRvL6U1F8Yv1BfU or visit our website at https://bhilab.com/current-studies/the-childhood-cancer-identity-project-cchip-examination-of-cancer-identity-and-wellbeing-in-adult-survivors-of-childhood-cancer/

By participating, you will get a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card. Spread the word and help us learn more about cancer identity!

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Framework & Toolkit

3CTN and our collaborative partners are thrilled to announce the launch of an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Framework (EDI) and companion Toolkit designed to support the Canadian research community in embedding EDI best practices within clinical trial conduct!

This initiative was co-developed with the 3CTN EDI Working Group, which consisted of Representative Subject Matter Experts, Patient Representatives, Researchers, Sponsors, and experts in working with underrepresented communities.

The EDI Framework recommendations were developed to help research sites, clinical research staff, sponsors, and funders to identify meaningful opportunities in their efforts to improve equitable access to, and involvement in clinical trials among underrepresented populations and enhance the diversity and inclusiveness of Canada’s clinical research community. The Toolkit was designed to allow users to identify available resources, templates, and guidelines associated with each set of recommendations in order to implement best practices that are most relevant for overcoming local challenges.

The EDI Framework and Toolkit are now available on the 3CTN website. We invite our Network sites and our partners to use these resources and share awareness among colleagues! A huge thank you to our EDI Working Group members and reviewers for their invaluable input and contribution throughout the development of these resources.

In the coming months, 3CTN plans to launch a Demonstration Project to support and implement local EDI priorities across our cancer centres – Stay Tuned!

For more information, please feel free to contact us at info@3ctn.ca.

Recommendations around Central Lines and Water Exposure Survey

Central lines have made the treatment and supportive care of pediatric oncology patients much easier but there are also risks to having one of these lines in place and may require restriction in activity. There is limited and inconsistent information in the literature around water exposure and central lines, and even less specifically for pediatric oncology patients.

We are surveying the staff (oncologists and nurses) at the C17 centers across Canada about current recommendations they provide to patients with central lines and their caregivers. Please forward the link to other members of your team that you feel could contribute to the survey results.

We would appreciate if staff from all C17 centres would complete this survey before May 1.

The survey can be found here: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=hgSTEXC08kiRZj8Mwwh3J9ToL85RMNtJuU7mrFau3GNUNEFTQjMwUlFITzE1NzZGTjFSMjAwTlU3Qi4u

Thank you,
Karina Black NP and Jodie Jesperson RN
Northern Alberta Children’s Cancer Program
Stollery Children’s Hospital

CCRAN 2024 Pan-Tumor Survey

The Colorectal Cancer Resource & Action Network (CCRAN) has launched the 2024 Pan-Tumor Patient Biomarker Survey, Understanding Metastatic Cancer Patients’ Access to and Experiences with Biomarker Testing & Comprehensive Genomic Profiling (CGP)! This survey is in collaboration with AYA CAN and 20 patient organizations.

The live survey link can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TJDJ77R and will remain open through April 26, 2024. 

C17 100% Fund Grant Award recipients announced!

Congratulations to the recipients of the C17 100% Grant Awards! See the recipients here!

CADTH is recruiting members!

CADTH is recruiting 17 new members with significant expertise in health care systems in Canada; a range of education, experience, and skill sets; and an interest in helping support health care decision-makers in making informed choices about health technologies.

Nominations are open for the following expert and advisory committees:

• Canadian Drug Expert Committee: 3 expert members, 1 patient member
• pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review Expert Review Committee: 4 expert members, 1 patient member
• Health Technology Expert Review Panel: 1 health practitioner member, 1 patient member
• Formulary Management Expert Committee: 3 expert members
• Patient and Community Advisory Committee: 1 chair and 1 to 2 members

Full details about each role, who is eligible to submit a nomination, the nomination process, time commitments, and honorarium eligibility are available on the CADTH website. 

Interested individuals are invited to submit nominations through the online form by April 2, 2024. 

Questions can be emailed to requests@cadth.ca. 

JOB POSTING: Research Manager, C17 Council, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology

Status:               1.0 FTE – Full time
City/Town:         Remote work available, office based in Edmonton
Position Starts:  1 April 2024 or when available
Hours of Work: Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm – flexible based on location/personal preference, occasional travel/weekend days
Salary:                 Commensurate with experience

C¹⁷ Council is a network that links the 16 Hematology/Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant programs across Canada. It includes work in research, regulatory compliance, education, human resources and advocacy. Our work includes international collaborations, working with researchers, REBs, institutions, cooperative groups, pharmaceutical companies and patient and family advocates. Our office has moved to a fully remote work from home model, with some office support in Edmonton, Alberta.

Responsibilities/Duties

• The Research Manager, Regulatory Affairs will report to the C¹⁷ Executive Director
• Work with the C¹⁷ office, centres across Canada and the executive to fulfill the research, regulatory and education mandate of C¹⁷
• The primary focus of this position will be regulatory management of all academic clinical trials overseen by C¹⁷ and ensuring monitoring compliance of Canadian sites with Health Canada regulations for academic cooperative group multicentre clinical trials.
• This includes:
  • Preparation of submissions to Health Canada (CTA, CTA-A, CTA-N, RFIs, safety reporting) for academic cooperative group/institutional/IIT studies and single patient studies
  • Maintenance of study files for 100+ studies
  • Liaise between institutions, investigators, research staff, sponsors, companies, and Health Canada for study start-up and on-going maintenance of studies
  • Interaction with sites to ensure compliance with the regulations and protocol
  • Ensure C¹⁷ is up to date on new regulations and guidances and implementing new processes to reflect changes that occur
  • Responsible for maintaining, creating and revising Regulatory SOPs
  • Responsible for oversight of the monitoring programs for all studies managed by C¹⁷, including reviewing worksheets and reports prior to release to external stakeholders, review/revision of monitoring plans bi-annually
  • Preparation of presentations, regulatory office stats for dissemination to stakeholders
  • Preparation of study documents for distribution to sites
  • Assist with C¹⁷ operations and office responsibilities

Qualifications

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in a research or health-related field; 5+ years clinical research experience; exceptions can be made if experience or track record indicates capability and suitability
• Experience in oncology and/or hematology preferred
• Knowledge of Canadian (Division 5) regulations, ICH GCP and US (NIH, FDA) regulations
• Experience with monitoring and regulatory oversight
• Familiarity with computer software, databases and website development
• Excellent organizational, communication, problem-solving and interpersonal skills, high degree of accuracy and attention to detail
• Able to take initiative and work in a team environment or independently; capacity to be flexible, work well under pressure and able to meet deadlines
• Able to work efficiently, in a professional, confidential and ethical manner in accordance with industry policies/procedures
• Knowledge of French (particularly written) would be asset
• Canadian citizenship or permanent residency and living in Canada required

To apply:  Please email your resume and cover letter directly to Kathy Brodeur-Robb at kathy.brodeur-robb@c17.ca

The PHAC has added new statistics to the online and interactive CYP-C Data Tool on Health Infobase!

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has added new statistics to the online and interactive CYP-C Data Tool on Health Infobase!

The data tool now allows users to explore prevalence, mortality and potential years of life lost (PYLL) for different cancer types in children and youth. Thanks to a fresh redesign, users can view charts by age, sex, and year, and group results by cancer type, region and more.

The CYP-C Data Tool also includes the latest available incidence rates and case counts, as well as overall survival, event-free survival, and the cumulative incidence of relapse (up to 2020).

C17 Council Call for Nominations

C¹⁷ Council is seeking nominations for the following positions:

1. C¹⁷ Council Executive Committee Vice-Chair (open)
2. C¹⁷ Council Executive Committee Treasurer (Director)
3. C¹⁷ DVL Committee Co-Chair (non-MD)
4. C¹⁷ Human Resources Co-Chair (non-MD)
5. C¹⁷ Hematology Task Force (open)

Nominations may be submitted by an individual interested in the position, or by a member of C¹⁷. Submit nominations to Kathy Brodeur-Robb, Executive Director, C¹⁷ Council, by email at kathy.brodeur-robb@c17.ca.

If not a self-nomination, the nominee must indicate that they accept the nomination. The nomination should provide a brief description of their qualifications, vision and goals for the position, and provide a copy of their CV. Nominations will be accepted until the deadline listed. The position will be voted on by the C¹⁷ Council.

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Position: VICE-CHAIR, C¹⁷ Council Executive
Term: 3 years
Nomination deadline: 1 March 2024

If appointed, the Vice-Chair shall attend meetings of the C¹⁷ executive, Board of Directors, and annual full member meetings and participate in electronic discussion and voting related to the business of C¹⁷ Council. The Vice-Chair shall Chair meetings in the absence of the Chair or when the Chair is in conflict of interest. The Vice-Chair shall assist with governance and leadership of C¹⁷ Council.

Requirements: The Vice-Chair need not be a director or an MD.  However, if the successful candidate is not a program director then they will have voting rights at the executive, but will not have a vote as a program director at the Board of Directors.

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Position: TREASURER, C¹⁷ Council Executive
Term: 3 years
Nomination deadline: 1 June 2024

If appointed, the Treasurer shall attend meetings of the C¹⁷ executive, Board of Directors, and annual full member meetings and participate in electronic discussion and voting related to the business of C¹⁷ Council. The Treasurer shall work with the Executive Director to develop the annual C¹⁷ budget for approval, be responsible for oversight of the annual financial audit (contracted out to a professional accounting firm), act as one of the signing authorities for C¹⁷ Council for agreements, bank accounts and cheques. The Treasurer shall be responsible for financial planning and oversight for C¹⁷ Council. 

Requirements: The Treasurer must be a C¹⁷ Council Director. 

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Position: CO-CHAIR (non-MD), Developmental Therapeutics Committee (DVL), C¹⁷ Council
Term: 3 years
Nomination deadline: 1 March 2024

If appointed, the DVL Co-Chair shall attend meetings of the C¹⁷ DVL Committee and annual C¹⁷ Council full member meetings and participate in electronic discussion and voting related to the business of C¹⁷ DVL Committee. The Co-Chair shall assist the other Co-Chair providing direction and leadership to the C¹⁷ DVL committee, chair meetings in the absence of the other Chair or when the Chair is in conflict of interest. The Co-Chair shall assist with governance and leadership of C¹⁷ DVL Committee, report on activities and budget to C¹⁷ Council, and work closely with the C¹⁷ Council operations office on clinical trials.

Requirements: The Co-Chair (non-MD) position is open to any member of C¹⁷ who is not an MD. Knowledge of clinical trials, regulations and policy in Canada is required. 

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Position: CO-CHAIR (non-MD), Human Resources Committee (HR), C¹⁷ Council
Term: 3 years
Nomination deadline: 1 March 2024

If appointed, the HR Co-Chair shall attend meetings of the C¹⁷ HR Committee and annual C¹⁷ Council full member meetings and participate in electronic discussion and voting related to the business of C¹⁷ HR Committee. The HR committee is responsible for the annual HR surveys developed and sent out to programs, and for pursuing initiatives related to scope of work, workload issues, program staffing, etc. The Co-Chair shall assist the other Co-Chair providing direction and leadership to the C¹⁷ HR committee, chair meetings in the absence of the other Chair or when the Chair is in conflict of interest. The Co-Chair shall assist with governance and leadership of C¹⁷ HR Committee, report on activities and budget to C¹⁷ Council, and work closely with the C¹⁷ Council operations office on HR surveys.

Requirements: The Co-Chair (non-MD) position is open to any member of C¹⁷ who is not an MD. Knowledge of surveys, workforce and workload issue, and human resources and staffing is relevant.  

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Position: CO-CHAIR, Hematology Task Force (TF), C¹⁷ Council
Term: 3 years
Nomination deadline: CO-CHAIR, Hematology Task Force (TF), C¹⁷ Council

If appointed, the Hematology Co-Chair shall attend meetings of the C¹⁷ Hematology TF and annual C¹⁷ Council full member meetings and participate in electronic discussion and voting related to the business of C¹⁷ Hematology TF. The Hematology TF is responsible for understanding, promoting and developing the hematology the annual HR surveys developed and sent out to programs, and for pursuing initiatives related to scope of work, workload issues, program staffing, etc. The Co-Chair shall assist the other Co-Chair(s) providing direction and leadership to the C¹⁷ Hematology TF, chair meetings in the absence of the other Chair(s) or when the Chair is in conflict of interest. The Co-Chair shall assist with governance and leadership of C¹⁷ Hematology TF, report on activities and budget to C¹⁷ Council, and work closely with the C¹⁷ Council operations office on hematology issues and the C¹⁷ HR committee on HR surveys.

Requirements: More than one Co-Chair (MD or non-MD) may be selected. The position is open to any member of C¹⁷ who is an MD or from other health professions. Knowledge of hematology as well as surveys, workforce and workload issue is relevant.  

JOB POSTING: Pediatric Oncologist-Hematologist, CancerCare Manitoba

PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGIST-HEMATOLOGIST WITH INTEREST IN PEDIATRIC NEURO-ONCOLOGY

The Department of Pediatric Oncology-Hematology – BMT at CancerCare Manitoba and the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, invite applications for the position of Full Time Pediatric Hematologist-Oncologist. This position includes an appointment with the University of Manitoba as a Geographical Full-Time academic physician, with rank of Assistant, Associate or full Professor based upon qualifications. While clinical skills in all areas of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology are required (including Pediatric Oncology, Hematology, and BMT), the successful candidate should have an area of specific training and interest in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology and would join another physician in our group with Pediatric Neuro-Oncology focus. The position includes clinical care for all infants, children, and adolescents with pediatric brain tumours, including participation in Brain Tumour Rounds, managing Neuro-Oncology patients on targeted therapies, and continuing the development of the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology program at CancerCare Manitoba and the Winnipeg Children’ s Hospital. The position would include opportunities for being a site principal investigator for multi-institution trials (both clinical / non-clinical trials) and future development of investigator-initiated trials. Although the focus will be on Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, all attending physicians in our group still participate in general Pediatric Hematology and Oncology service, leaving opportunities to continue to manage the spectrum of disorders within the specialty. Coverage of Blood and Marrow Transplant patients occurs only on the weekends with appropriate subspecialist back up as required. Clinical service and on-call responsibilities are proportionately shared amongst all attending physician members of the Department of Pediatric Oncology­ Hematology-BMT.

The Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, CancerCare Manitoba consists of eight faculty members with active clinical and research programs in pediatric oncology, neuro-oncology, blood and marrow transplant, hematology, hemostasis and thrombosis. It is the sole Pediatric Oncology-Hematology Program seeing patients from across the Province of Manitoba, Northwestern Ontario and parts of Nunavut. Our program is an active contributor to Children’ s Oncology Group and other collaborative clinical group trials, has a blood and marrow transplant program with FACT accreditation, a Royal College accredited subspecialty training program in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and is well supported by all pediatric subspecialties including experienced pediatric neurosurgeons, pediatric radiologists, and pediatric neuropathologists.

For more information to apply, visit: Pediatric Oncologist-Hematologist (wrha.mb.ca)