Grant: Health System Impact Embedded ECR Award - Patient-Oriented Research

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Canadian females, and a major source of physical and emotional health burden. Since 2016, work has been underway within the Alberta health system to identify and address priority targets for improvement in breast cancer care. Major projects thus far have addressed issues in the pre-treatment phases of care, such as obtaining a timely diagnosis and accessing genetic testing to guide treatment plans. My program will now tackle challenges faced by patients and the health system in the treatment and survivorship phases of care. The overarching goal of my program will be to make care more patient-centered. I will focus on two major initiatives during the four-year award. In the treatment domain, I will lead a three-phase study to improve coordinated care for our highest-risk breast cancer patients who undergo complex treatment journeys involving chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. With numerous tests and procedures, frequent changes to care plans and multiple healthcare providers involved, patients struggle to navigate the system and care is often not well-coordinated between treatment teams. Our study will engage multiple stakeholders including patients to co-design, implement and evaluate a digitally-enabled clinical care pathway to solve this problem. In the survivorship domain, I will lead a national study to better understand quality of life for node-positive breast cancer patients after surgery, and determine whether a new procedure can reduce symptom burden. I will work closely with committed mentors within my health system (Cancer Care Alberta) and the University of Calgary to deliver this program. This award will support me in generating evidence-informed practice change and system improvement, build capacity in health services research locally and nationally, and grow my competencies as an embedded researcher.