The Science of Cancer Patient Training Program

Patient engagement is the meaningful and active collaboration of patients in governance, priority setting, research development, and knowledge translation. The Science of Cancer Patient Training Program seeks to empower patients through training and bring in the collective voice of their communities, validate the patient lived experience,  in order to impact health policy, treatment, and product development.

The Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research 2016 Masterclass revealed that current research methodology lacks public engagement, transparency and collaboration; the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network Environmental Scan not only found a lack of patient representation on healthcare committees, but also discovered a lack of training tools and opportunities available. Lastly, 87.5% of Canadian patient survey respondents (2017, Canadian Cancer Survivor Network) were interested in training opportunities, noting that they felt unprepared in debates with PHD researchers, experts and policy makers. As a result, the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network is developing the Science of Cancer Training Program.

The Science of Cancer Patient Training Program is a 10 e-module program that trains patients, survivors and caregivers, who want to engage with healthcare policy in their community, to develop their clinical, research and knowledge based-skills, and to support them in accessing positions in health and advisory committees.  This model promotes the validity of the patient-lived experience. This 10 e-module program will train patients on the general biology associated with the science of cancer, drug policy, clinical research, critical analysis, and evidence-based healthcare. The Science of Cancer Training Program will then strive to empower and encourage patients and survivors to become involved with peer review research, funding panels, clinical trial design committees, patients and family advisory councils (PFAC), and other bodies where patients are able to express their voice and have an impact on cancer policy and research.

The Science of Cancer Patient Training Program will work towards the following objectives:

  • Developing an accessible and effective training resource for patients in Canada, in order to address the current lack of training resources for patients engagement in Canada.
  • Facilitating the link between Canadian cancer patients and healthcare committees, peer review research, funding panels, clinical trial design committees, patients and family advisory councils (PFAC).
  • Training patients with the skills and knowledge they need to effectively participate in healthcare and advisory committees.
  • Raising the need for further patient engagement in Canadian healthcare policy.
  • Increasing the number of patient engagement opportunities available to patients at hospitals, research facilities, and other healthcare bodies.

The movement towards patient engagement is one that will benefit the health care systems in Canada. If you are interested in funding the Science of Cancer Program, click here to learn more about the need for patient engagement in Canadian healthcare policy.

If you want to learn more about the teams behind the Science of Cancer project, click here.