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Rebecca Cohoe

������Ƶ 45 per cent of Canadians  during our lifetimes, with about 247,100 new cases expected this year.

That’s about 676 new diagnoses every day.

Looking at these cases as a group can be useful from a research perspective. Making generalizations across cases can lead to knowledge that helps a lot of people.

Still, each person with cancer is also an individual with a unique experience of the illness, a person with insight unlike anyone else’s.

That’s the driving force behind this year’s recipient of the President’s Award for Public Engagement Partnerships: .

Individual wisdom, collective support

The collaboration brings together scientists from ������Ƶ University’s Faculty of Medicine, including one member who also works with N.L. Health Services, and people whose lives have been touched by cancer — patients, caregivers and family members.

Together, they co-design studies, advocate for better cancer care and share valuable knowledge with both the scientific community and the public.

Jason Wiseman, a social worker and public member of the group since the group’s creation, co-leads a project focused on developing a public engagement strategy to help share information and findings about cancer with the wider public.

Mr. Wiseman’s involvement is deeply personal.

He was a caregiver for his sister who was diagnosed with cancer at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and entered palliative care during a challenging time for the health-care system.

“This experience has been immersive.”— Jason Wiseman

This personal insight is what makes the group’s approach so valuable. They work together to ensure that the voices of those affected by cancer are not only heard but are central to the research process.

“All the ideas have come from the members, and the members have been actively participating in whatever capacity they have been able to,” said Mr. Wiseman. “It is truly a member-driven project.”

He believes this inclusive approach has been key to the group’s success.

“This experience has been immersive.”

‘Taught me so much’

The deeply publicly engaged nature of the partnership is something of a new development for Dr. Sevtap Savas, a professor in the Faculty of Medicine and the group’s lead.

As a seasoned researcher, she spent much of her career in the lab before understanding the value of collaborating directly with the public.

“I was a lab rat for a long time,” she laughed. “I never had training in public engagement or advocacy during my graduate studies or post-docs. I didn’t fully understand how important it could be.”

“The support and encouragement I’ve received . . . allows me to pass on these lessons to the next generation of researchers.”— Dr. Sevtap Savas

But once she did, everything changed. She says public engagement has taught her “so much.”

“It’s been incredibly rewarding, and I encourage my students to get involved in these partnerships as much as possible.”

Dr. Savas now mentors graduate students who work alongside patient partners in their research and says it is a unique opportunity for students to engage directly with the community.

“The support and encouragement I’ve received for public engagement allows me to pass on these lessons to the next generation of researchers.”

Group outreach

The group’s collaborative efforts have led to multiple scholarly manuscripts, with public members as co-authors, conference presentations and even a podcast.

By co-designing research projects, co-developing grant applications and participating in public events, members of the group have created a dynamic and meaningful partnership between academia and the community.

“It is a massive shift and a very valuable one,” said Dr. Savas. “We are stronger, more efficient and we are able to impact the community and academia through our work together.”

 will be presented with the President’s Award on Jan. 27 during a special ceremony.

The President’s Award for Public Engagement Partnerships is the highest award for public engagement at ������Ƶ University and celebrates a high-level partnership between ������Ƶ and members of the public.

More information is available here.