Palliative Care and Psycho-Social Oncology Scientists

Dr. Lynda G. Balneaves, RN, PhD

Dr. Balneaves is an Associate Professor in the College of Nursing, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba. She has held academic positions at the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia. Her research program focusses on the use of complementary therapies by individuals living with cancer and promoting informed treatment decisions through innovative decision support and education interventions. She also engages in health policy and access research related to medical and non-medical cannabis. Dr. Balneaves’ research has been funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Social Science and Humanities Research Council, and the John and Lotte Hecht Memorial Foundation. Currently, Dr. Balneaves is the Immediate Past-President of the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) and is Deputy Director of the Canadian Consortium for the Investigations of Cannabinoids (CCIC). She is also a member of the executive committees of the Breast and Supportive Care Disease Site of the Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG).   

Harvey Max Chochinov, MD, PhD, FRCPC

Dr. Chochinov is a Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Manitoba and Director of the Manitoba Palliative Care Research Unit, CancerCare Manitoba. His seminal publications addressing psychosocial dimensions of palliation have helped define core-competencies and standards of end-of-life care. He holds the only Canada Research Chair in Palliative Care and is a member of the Governing Council of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. He also chairs the CIHR’s Standing Committee on Ethics. He did his undergraduate medical training and Psychiatric Residency at the University of Manitoba and completed a Fellowship in Psychiatric Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York. In 1998, he completed a PhD in the Faculty of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba.

Dr. Chochinov has been doing palliative care research since 1990 with funding support from local, provincial and national granting agencies. He is a grantee of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the National Cancer Institute of Canada and the National Institute of Health. His work has explored various psychiatric dimensions of palliative medicine, such as depression, desire for death, will to live and dignity at the end of life.

Pubmed Links

Dr. Thomas Hack

Dr. Hack’s research interests include coping and adjustment to life-threatening cancer, and knowledge translation (KT). He has conducted the largest trials worldwide examining the utility and effectiveness of providing cancer patients with audio-recordings of primary treatment consultations, and has applied his KT expertise to assist CancerCare Manitoba in launching a consultation recording service as standard clinical practice.  He recently completed a study examining the use of consultation recordings in patients with brain tumor.  Dr. Hack is the Manitoba lead on CIHR study examining the implementation of a national online course to enhance oncology nurse therapeutic effectiveness in responding to cancer patient pain, fatigue, anxiety and depression. Dr. Hack is a member of KT Canada, and is collaborating on KT research projects with the Manitoba Palliative Care Research Unit and with colleagues in the UK and Australia.

CR3018, 369 Taché Ave, Winnipeg MB Canada R2H 2A6
Tel: (204) 235-3791
Fax: (204) 233-7214
thack@sbrc.ca or tom.hack@umanitoba.ca

Dr. Susan McClement RN, PhD

Dr. McClement is a Professor in the College of Nursing, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, and holds specialty certification in Hospice and Palliative Nursing from the Canadian Nurses Association. She has been the recipient of awards for teaching excellence in undergraduate and graduate education at the University of Manitoba. Dr. McClement’s research interests in palliative and end-of-life care include the psychosocial dimensions of cancer anorexia cachexia syndrome, understanding the salient indicators of compassion in the provision of palliative care, the nature of expert nursing practice in care of the dying in a variety of health care contexts, ethical issues in the provision of palliative home care, and the development and evaluation of palliative care educational approaches. Dr. McClement’s work has been funded by the Manitoba Medical Services Foundation, Research Manitoba, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the former National Cancer Institute of Canada.

Contact Information

Dr. Susan McClement
Office 475-Helen Glass Centre for Nursing
89 Curry Place University of Manitoba,
Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3E 2N2
Tele: (204) 474-9515
Email: susan.mcclement@umanitoba.ca

Pubmed Links