Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute

Shastri News - July 2009

Cancer care research programme gaining global perspective

“It is really important for our graduate students to be gaining global health competence in pressing cancer care issues,” explains Dr. Carmen Loiselle, the leader 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 of cancer 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, traveled 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 cancer-related communication and care in a more individualistic fashion whereas India – a culture that values collectivism – tends to involve multiple stakeholders in their cancer 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.” ~ Dr. Loiselle

Thanks to the relationships formed during Dr. Loiselle’s initial visit, 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 fields, and more international outreach.

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