Bringing cancer research from lab bench to bedside
Cancer research trainees and leading researchers seek to bridge the gap between cancer research and understanding patient needs

Participants at OHRI’s Café Scientifique

On World Cancer Day this year, cancer research experts and trainees at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) hosted a Café Scientifique to provide patients and their families with access to accurate and understandable information about cancer research. As its name suggests, “Bringing cancer research from bench to bedside” aimed to raise awareness and demystify various aspects of cancer by sharing ongoing local research with patients and their families. It was inspired by researchers’ and trainees’ interest in hearing directly from patients about their experiences and understanding of cancer research. This OHRI-led initiative was funded by the CIHR Institute of Cancer Research in the 2023 Café Scientifique Program.

A team of OHRI trainees, including Masters, PhDs and undergraduate students, collectively organized the Café to foster a sense of empowerment, confidence and support among patients and their families. The Café was designed as an interactive panel discussion with three leading expert panelists: Dr. Auer, a cancer surgeon and researcher; Dr. Carolina Ilkow, a researcher who focuses on the development of therapeutic viruses; and Dr. Barbara Vanderhyden, an ovarian cancer researcher.

Left to right: Dr. Rebecca Auer, Dr. Carolina Ilkow, Dr. Barbara Vanderhyden

Left to right, front row: Riana Zuccarini, Jaahnavi Dave, Khushi Rathod, Samantha Jang, Nouf Alluqmani, Sydney Vallati. Left to right, back row: Hong Meng Yew, Zaid Taha, Dylan Thomas, Tim Lee.
Trainees not pictured: Marie Marotel, Sara Asif, Mathieu Crupi, Priya Bharadwa, Victoria Gilchrist, Marlena Scaffidi, Henna Mistry, Emma Gerber, Maryam Echaibi

“The ultimate goal of the Café was to help patients and their families remain informed and help them understand how cancer research can benefit them,” says Dr. Auer. “Research is usually thought of as being in the lab— but research is tomorrow’s care being realized today and we wanted patients to understand the pipeline from the lab to them.”

Trainees at OHRI also organized a hands-on lab tour. The tour offered patients and their families deeper insights into OHRI’s research on cancer biology and the development of novel therapeutics. These students explained complex terminology in plain language, while also learning valuable communication skills. “It was such a rewarding experience to host this initiative and offer those with lived and living experience of cancer an opportunity to learn and ask questions. At the same time, as researchers, we were also learning how to best engage in knowledge exchange with the community,” says Jaahnavi Dave, a PhD student and the co-organizer.

The Café garnered a positive response from the community, with patients and their families appreciating being involved and learning more about the process of cancer research. The success of OHRI’s first Café Scientifique has already inspired a second Café themed “How would YOU want to be involved in cancer research?”

More on the Café Scientifique Program

The Café Scientifique Program at CIHR aims to foster a rich, inclusive dialogue between researchers, knowledge users and members of the public. The initiative seeks to bridge a research knowledge gap among members of the public by providing an opportunity for them to engage with researchers and learn more about how investments in health research translate to policy, program and practice.

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