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Cancer Care Research Programme |
| "It is really important for our graduate students to be gaining global health competence on pressing cancer care issues," explains Dr. Carmen Loiselle, the in-charge of a six-year old psychosocial oncology research training (PORT) programme in Canada. PORT trains promising graduate students to develop and test innovative, effective, accessible and patient-centred practices to significantly alleviate the burden this on patients, family members, friends and caregivers. The programme recently received renewed funding for another six years through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Last year, Dr. Loiselle established a partnership with India through a Shastri Institute Partnership Development Seed Grant. She and the PORT Programme Manager, Michelle Sterling, travelled to Bangalore to develop working relationships with leading Indian institutions such as Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), and Bangalore University. This fall, Dr. Loiselle plans to return to India to expand PORT's institutional collaborations. "Canada has been approaching its related communication and care in a more individualistic fashion whereas India - a culture that values collectivism - tends to involve multiple stakeholders in its care interventions. Each approach carries inherent advantages and challenges. Through ongoing exchanges among clinicians and researchers involved in our respective programmes, we are learning so much from one another," claims Dr. Loiselle Thanks to the relationships formed during Dr. Loiselle's initial trip, researchers in Canada and India now communicate on a weekly basis. PORT and NIMHANS researchers recently co-authored an article in the Indian Journal of Palliative Care entitled "Communication with relatives and collusion in palliative Care: A cross-cultural perspective." As PORT's international program continues to grow, Dr. Loiselle hopes to further faculty and student exchanges and conduct more joint training of both researchers and clinicians. With another six years of renewed funding through CIHR, PORT is expanding to include three new university sites, more transdisciplinary areas, and more international outreach. Courtesy: Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute |