Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

The Canadian Partnership for Cancer (CPAC) reports that approximately 7,600 adolescents and young adult (AYA) Canadians aged 15 to 39 years are diagnosed with cancer every year. Currently, there is limited research done to explore complex cultural needs of AYAs from non-white racialized social groups. According to Statistics Canada, Non-white racialized cultural groups include but not limited to people of color including Asian, Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous peoples. The role of diverse cultural dynamics and its connection to cancer care outcomes in AYAs is the area of interest for this research. The personal, societal, and socioeconomic effects of cancer in this age group are enormous, and the number of years of life affected are greater than in children and older adults. This research program will use the principles of participatory action research (PAR) and patient-oriented research (POR) to meaningfully engage 15-20 non-white AYAs to better understand AYA cancer care and explore gaps in culturally specific cancer care. It will also probe into how cancer care systems can respond to the unique, complex culturally inclusive needs of AYAs with cancer. Under the guidance and supervision of a researcher with lived experience of cancer as an AYA and 15 years of experience conducting PAR, and a team with professional and personal cancer care experience from a culturally diverse background, the work is a component of a broader AYA research program. It seeks to explore the need for culturally safe AYA cancer care in B.C.