Grant: SPOR Mentorship Chair in Innovative Clinical Trials

In an era of whole-person medicine, there is growing recognition of the importance of addressing the needs, values and personal preferences of patients when developing treatment plans to optimize outcomes. The whole-person approach adopted by the field of Integrative Oncology addresses the physical, psychological, social and spiritual dimensions of care. My research and training program does so through the use of innovative clinical research designs from program development and preliminary evaluation, to real-world pragmatic preference-based efficacy trials and clinical implementation strategies. Specifically, we develop, evaluate and disseminate mind-body therapy programs for cancer patients, survivors and family members, using in-person, online and self-directed approaches. We utilize real-world, pragmatic methods to take into account personal preferences and characteristics that help move us towards personalized whole-person care. We are embedded in the clinical cancer care setting and are therefore able to move quickly from research to program implementation. We work in multidisciplinary cancer care teams to integrate research knowledge seamlessly into clinical practice. The mentorship program described herein trains students in the methodological, statistical, knowledge translation, patient engagement and clinical skills required to move research in this area from best evidence to best practice. Students will attend courses offered through the Alberta SPOR Support Unit Clinical Trials, Patient Engagement, Knowledge Translation and Training platforms, and move that knowledge into real-world practice. They will gain experience conducting clinical research in a multidisciplinary environment in a busy clinical care setting, interacting with patients and professionals from many different backgrounds. They will be able to participate and see firsthand how evidence is created and is moved into practice, thereby improving the quality of life of cancer survivors.