BIOGRAPHY: I completed my Complex General Surgical Oncology Fellowship at the University of Ottawa, my General Surgery Residency at the University of Manitoba, and my Medical Degree at McGill University. During my General Surgery Residency, I studied at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where I acquired a Master of Public Health with a focus on improving health systems. I also obtained a Master of Science in Surgery from the University of Manitoba through the Clinician Investigator Program, where I evaluated the quality and costs of colorectal cancer care in Manitoba. In addition to my clinical work as a Surgical Oncologist within CancerCare Manitoba and Shared Health, I dedicate an equal proportion of my time to advancing my research program. I am an Affiliate Scientist at the Paul Albrechtsen Research Institute CancerCare Manitoba and an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Manitoba. My research is embedded within the Health Services Research Lab in the Research Institute, where I work with a collaborative, multidisciplinary team composed of trainees, clinicians, clinician-scientists and scientists.

What is your interest in clinical trials?
My primary research focus involves the study of biomarkers to personalize cancer care. I aim to use these findings to effectively and safely mitigate both the excessive and inadequate utilization of healthcare throughout the entire cancer control continuum, from prevention to end-of-life care and survivorship. My methodological expertise is in implementation science, pragmatic trials, and health services research. I combine these methodological approaches to develop innovative methods of designing and conducting research and facilitate the seamless translation of research findings into real-world practice.

Why do you think clinical trials are important?
Clinical trials allow us to change practice through both the process of doing the clinical trial and the subsequent knowledge translation. Clinical trials do more than just produce rigorous results. They change practice in institutions that are actively engaged in the process to ensure patients receive high quality care.

What is your personal philosophy about clinical trial training specifically or mentorship in general?
Research is care—this means that just like we aim to have equitable access to healthcare and education, we should aim to have equitable access to high-quality clinical trials and the required mentorship to conduct the research within a multidisciplinary team. The growth and advancement that happens through clinical trials and research is through the process more so than the end outcome. I believe in the iterative and continuous refinement of ideas and knowledge generation through teamwork. Most importantly, the journey and process in research have to be fun.