Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a leading contributor to the public health burden of Canada. Chronic fatigue is the main patient-reported outcome measure of the infection. Given that fatigue persists despite excellent medical care and it severely comprises patients' functioning, studies testing the benefits of fatigue-specific treatments are urgently needed. My Master's project revealed that insomnia is a major contributor to fatigue in HCV. It also showed that patients' beliefs about fatigue and the coping strategies they adopt can intensify fatigue and worsen fatigue outcomes. Building on my Master's study, the goal of my doctoral project is to improve patients' fatigue and sleep by testing an evidence-based, short, feasible, and safe non-medication treatment that targets both fatigue and insomnia. Integrating an effective fatigue and sleep treatment into patient care will improve the outcomes and ease the public health burden of the disease. A successful treatment will also provide a template for other medical conditions to ease the burden of fatigue in medical settings.