A researcher in the Faculty of Medicine’s Division of BioMedical Sciences is one of six Canadian leaders in cancer research receiving national recognition for their work.
The Canadian Cancer Research Alliance (CCRA) has awarded Dr. Sevtap Savas the Exceptional Leadership in Patient Involvement in Cancer Research Award for the critical role she has played in the development and growth of the Newfoundland and Labrador Public Interest Group on Cancer Research and the Atlantic Cancer Consortium Patient Advisory Committee, and for her commitment to the inclusion and capacity-building of people with lived and living experience from equity-deserving communities as patient partners in public engagement and cancer research.
“This is very exciting, and it’s a huge honour,” said Dr. Savas about receiving the award. “But in this path, we don’t do things by ourselves. There are a lot of people who have contributed to this award, particularly the patient and public partners I have worked with, both in this province and in Atlantic Canada. They have turned me into an advocate and together we have done things I didn’t think I would ever do as a lab scientist.”
The CCRA is an alliance of organizations that collectively fund most of the cancer research conducted in Canada, research that will lead to better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer and improve outcomes for people living with and beyond cancer.
The nomination was spearheaded by Quality of Care NL.
Big impact
A cancer scientist since 2002, Dr. Savas first became involved in public engagement six years ago when she received $2,500 in funding from Memorial University.
“It was a small amount of money, but the impact has been big,” she said. “Since then, we’ve gone on to start the Public Interest Group on Cancer Research, which focuses on Newfoundland and Labrador.
“After that success, I wanted to try to do something within Atlantic Canada, so we started the Atlantic Cancer Consortium Patient Advisory Committee. That includes patient-public partners from all four Atlantic provinces. It’s still young, but I think it’s becoming equally successful in doing similar engagement, community impact and outreach.”
Dr. Savas gratefully acknowledges others involved in her journey. She says she has worked with five “brilliant” assistants in her patient and public partnership activities.
“Together we can do much more than alone.”
She has also received support from NL Support and colleagues, including Dr. Holly Etchegary and clinical colleagues in the Discipline of Oncology, including Dr. Teri Stuckless. They connected her with patient partners and helped form and support the Public Interest Group on Cancer Research. The Discipline of Oncology also provided additional funding for her select public engagement activities.
“My colleagues understand this kind of work is at the heart of social accountability,” she said. “In addition to making our research better and improving our skills, it’s also being impactful at the community level – contributing, giving benefits and advocating.
“Not every research area is suitable to patient or public engagement, but my colleagues and I can be advocates. We have an integral role in being out there, making connections and providing correct information. This is especially important now with all the misinformation and disinformation out there.”
Transformative power
Dr. Savas says it’s also important for the community to continue working with researchers like her.
She says she wants the world to know that when people are together, they see things differently.
“As a scientist, that helped me expand my expertise and interest into different fields,” she said. “When I am an advocate, working with patient and public partners, I’m not afraid to speak up on their behalf. Together we can do much more than alone. We have a transformative power.”
Along with receiving the award, Dr. Savas was invited to deliver a talk during the CCRA panel on the growing incidence of cancer in younger adults.
She says there is a global trend of increasing cancer rates in individuals younger than 50-55. Adding to the alarm is the common belief that people that young don’t get cancer, even though at least 10 per cent of cancer cases in Canada are in that demographic, she says.
“But they are easily dismissed in the clinic, and they are often not eligible for screening programs because of their age. This results in them being diagnosed at late stages, which is associated with poor outcomes. Why is this happening? How can our health-care system and guidelines keep up with what’s going on in real life?”
By advocating to reduce the cancer screening age, and by promoting cancer screening generally through her social media channels, websites, podcasts and media articles, Dr. Savas hopes to bring about change.
“Every once in a while I get an email from someone saying, ‘My day is a little big lighter because you are talking about us,’ or ‘My entire family has now been screened for cancer,’” she said. “I don’t know if I can make a difference in my lifetime, though I believe together we can. But even if you change something for one person, I’m going to speak about it.”
