New breast cancer patient representatives join CCTG

CCTG is so happy to welcome Dawn Barker and Ruth Ackerman new patient representatives who will be supporting the Breast Disease Site Committee.

Dawn Barker

At the age of 44, Dawn was facing her own diagnosis of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Her experiences open her eyes to the gaps in healthcare, the lack of education around TNBC as well as the disparities in access to resources, especially for under served communities. Her goal is to ensure a more inclusive, compassionate and patient-centered approach to healthcare.

Dawn says, “Clinical trials are the gateway to our future! Patient involvement means not only advancing science but also potentially accessing cutting-edge treatments, empowering themselves and others and increasing diversity and representation that could lead to more effective, tailored treatments for all ethnic backgrounds.”

Ruth Ackerman

Ruth was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999, undergoing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, it was later that doctors described her breast cancer as triple negative. She developed sarcoma in 2016 and successfully underwent treatment. At the beginning of her cancer journey, she was visited by an energetic breast cancer survivor who gave her hope at a time when she did not feel very hopeful, she then vowed to help patients in a similar capacity. Ruth became a peer support volunteer for the Canadian Cancer Society, talking on the phone and visiting with newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and witnessed the many advances in treatment because of clinical research. 

Ruth says, "Clinical trials can provide access to medications and treatment modalities that are cutting-edge, and patients in clinical trials may be followed more closely than they would with regular care."

Please join us in congratulating our newest additions to the Patient Representative Committee.