Sherbrooke, January 26th, 2022 – Among the many treatment options available to women with breast cancer is clinical research. However, many patients are unaware that, in order to fight and even defeat the disease, they have the chance to participate in innovative clinical trials here in Sherbrooke. This is why the Centre de recherche du CHUS (CRCHUS) is joining forces with the McPeak-Sirois Group to create the first Patient-Partner Committee to raise awareness of clinical research in breast cancer.
The Committee is composed of socially engaged women aged between 40 and 94, who have chosen to put their life experience with breast cancer at the service of clinical research. The objective of the Committee is to raise awareness for clinical research as a treatment option and to optimize the participation rate of patients with breast cancer in clinical research trials, in particular by facilitating the dissemination and interpretation of research results.
“When those who have experienced breast cancer and benefited from research can act as a driving force to bring about better understanding and better adherence to research, the positive impact is as much for research as for researchers and patients”, explains Catherine Wilhelmy, Coordinator of the Committee and head of Patient Partnership at the CRCHUS.
“We are proud to work on this innovative Committee with the CRCHUS. Its team has developed a unique know-how that we leverage together to raise awareness of the benefits and increase participation in clinical research in breast cancer,” comments Dominique Johnson, Managing Director of the McPeak-Sirois Group.
This committee is supported by the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation as part of the Groupe’s Accès-recherche Program. It also benefited from the expertise of Marie-Claude Battista, now Director of the Valorization and Partnerships Office at the Université de Sherbrooke, who has developed a unique model for a patient-partner strategic committee.
About the McPeak-Sirois
The McPeak-Sirois Group is a charitable organization whose mission is to fight breast cancer more effectively by increasing patients’ access and participation to clinical trials. The Group’s executive scientific committee is made up of internationally renowned scientists who oversee the selection of clinical studies offered to the consortium’s member hospitals. Co-founded in 2015 by Susan McPeak, a breast cancer survivor, and Charles Sirois, a well-known entrepreneur, the McPeak-Sirois Group is committed to promoting research that cares by bringing it closer to breast cancer patients throughout Quebec.
About the Centre de recherche du CHUS
The CRCHUS stands out as a whole with an integrated approach that brings together basic, clinical, epidemiological and evaluative research. Thanks to the research and development expertise within its axes, the CRCHUS stands out from other research centers at the provincial, national and international levels.
Its present and future successes reflect the passion and hard work of more than 900 highly qualified researchers, research staff and graduate students dedicated to basic, clinical, epidemiological and evaluative research. Its research breakthroughs invariably result in improved care and services to the population.
For information and interviews:
Mélissa Letendre Lapointe
Conseillère en communication, CIUSSS de l’Estrie-CHUS
819 674-4046