Supporting the CCTG Gastrointestinal Disease Site Committee and Clinical Trials Committee Resides in Victoria, BC | CCTG Patient Representative since 2015 "I truly believe that Oncology patients, first and foremost, have their own unique voice. In the end, we as patient representatives and family members need to help empower patients to use their voice." Marie-Térèse’s late father was diagnosed with colon cancer, and she assisted with his care and all the aspects of his journey: diagnosis, expectations, treatment, potential difficulties, and prognosis of the disease. As a patient representative, Marie-Térèse brings her background as a biomedical researcher, scientist, and communication specialist to help make scientific and medical information more accessible and understandable to patients and their families. She contributes to the reviews of clinical trial protocols and aims to help patients better understand the treatment protocols and research designs of clinical trials which are often complex and not easy to understand. Her volunteer efforts are currently focused on patient advocacy which involves assisting newly-diagnosed (oncology) patients, their families and caregivers with navigating complex diagnoses and the equally complicated health care system. As a patient representative with CCTG, Marie-Térèse aims to leverage her biomedical research experience and communication skills to bring a family voice to the clinical trial table "I often encourage patients with cancer to become involved in a clinical trial. Clinical trials frequently focus on the latest and most advanced treatment at the cutting edge of world-wide science and medicine."
