Wespark cancer cures - Sahar

Our cures class welcomed its last guest speaker for the semester Dr. Caroline Hamm a medical oncologist who talked about research and clinical trials.

Dr. Hamm who has been an investigator for over 50 clinical trials shared with us her experiences and highlighted the importance of research in the evolution of treatments used in hospitals. In addition to that she talked about the different types of medical research and taught us about explanatory trials which focus on the efficacy of the clinical trials treatments and pragmatic trials which focus on the effectiveness of the treatment.

Thank you to our guest speaker for this amazing last lecture.

Our cures class welcomed two amazing guest speakers Dr. Dorota Lubanska and Dr. Mohammad Soliman who talked about how important it is to collaborate between research and clinical trials and shared with us their knowledge about brain cancer.

Dr. Lubanska talked about her pathway in science, her current research project on brain cancer more specifically GBM cells (Glioblastoma Multiform) and the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration.

Dr. Soliman talked about his publication and the process of publishing papers and he highlighted how important it is. We should be experienced, creative and knowledgeable.

Thank you to our guest speakers for this amazing and informative lecture.

The month of November is also stomach cancer awareness month and here are some general information about it.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/stomach-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20352438

Our cures class welcomed two amazing guest speakers Jeff Casey and Karen Metcalfe who talked about their experience with cancer.

Jeff talked about his experience with cancer as a cancer survivor and shared with us all the process and pain that he went through.

Karen shared with us her story from a care giver’s point of view and how cancer changed her entire lifestyle and her priorities.

This lecture was one of the most emotional ones and the guest speakers really inspired me. Thank you to our guest speakers for this amazing lecture, and “Without research, Hope is just a word!”

Our cures class welcomed Dr. Arezoo Emadi and Dr. John Trant who talked about their work and research and how it contributes to cancer research.

Dr. Emadi talked about cancer research from a biomedical engineering point of view and how important it is to have devices and machines that are both quick and efficient. I’m addition to that she is working on a device that will help in early cancer diagnosis.

Dr. Trant talked about how his organic chemistry research relates to cancer research and that there is no meaning to chemistry and biology if they don’t coexist. He also said that he is currently working on developing cancer vaccines to give to cancer patients and that chemistry is really important in cancer biology.

Thank you to our guest speakers for this amazing lecture.

Our cures class welcomed Dr. Ken Schneider who talked about his experience in research and radiation oncology.

He talked about his life experience and how he got to this point in life and the benefits and side effects of radiation therapy in cancer. He also highlighted the importance of the relationship between the physician and the patient.

Thank you to our guest speaker for this informative and exceptional lecture.

Our cures class welcomed Krista Naccarato who talked about the process of clinical trials and how drugs take years and decades of studying before testing them to insure our safety.

She highlighted the effort that goes into clinical trials and the autonomy of the patients and how they should know everything including side effects before proceeding. Placebos are not a major focus, only treatments are put in effect.

We also learned about the four phases of clinical trials which are:

Phase I: Test the new drug on small groups to determine effectiveness, dosage and side effects.

Phase II: Drug is now given to a bigger group of people to further study and confirm effectiveness, safety and more potential side effects.

Phase III: The drug is given to an even bigger group of people in order to confirm its effectiveness, side effects and safety and to compare it to other treatments.

Phase IV: Drug is released in the market and is studied for long term use and effects among diverse populations.

Thank you to our guest speaker for this informative and exceptional lecture.

In addition to lung cancer November is pancreatic cancer awareness month and here are some general information about it.

Our cures class welcomed three amazing guest speakers Gemma Grey-Hall, Dr. Bre-Anne Fifield and Karen Metcalfe who talked about the importance of fundraising in cancer research.

They shared with us the tips to have a successful fundraiser, and the importance of having a theme, focusing on the small goals of a fundraiser and keeping the people engaged and up to date with everything that is happening. It is really important to have a personal motivation and be able to connect with the goal of of the fundraiser and most importantly we have to let the people know where their money is going and how it is being used. Every donation that we get matters and we should be thankful for everything. Finally, they highlighted a major point that really interested me and it is cultivation. Cultivation is a strategy to bring the donors closer to the research that is being done and keep them engaged.

Thank you to all of our guest speaker for this amazing and exceptional lecture.

Our cures class welcomed two amazing women: Jaimie Kechego and Sarah Mushtaq.

Jaimie and Sarah highlighted the challenges that Indigenous people face in healthcare.

Jaimie enlightened us about the indigenous culture, the wellness flower, and how different groups spiritually connect with the Creator and with each other through prayers. Jaimie taught me a lot of new things about the Indigenous culture that I didn’t know before.

Sarah spoke about systemic racism that Indigenous people face in the healthcare system and the programs that are in place to fight this problem.

Thank you Jamie and Sarah for this amazing and interesting lecture.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions I wasn’t able to go to this week’s placement, instead since November starts tomorrow and it is lung cancer awareness month I want to post a couple general information about lung cancer which is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the world.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lung-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20374620