Simon Sutcliffe steps down from Agency post to take on the world

It’s rare that the aspirations of an organization and its leader are so synchronous that it’s hard to think of one without the other. But, when that elusive magic happens, so do great things.

Over the past eight years, Dr. Simon Sutcliffe has been the architect of a strategic plan that transformed the Agency into a truly translational research organization, with a notable presence on the national and international stages.

Both within and outside the Agency, Simon’s vision and leadership are greatly respected and valued. “Simon has the unique ability to look at the big picture, whether that’s British Columbia, Canada, or the world, and he looks at the picture and understands what can be. Not necessarily what is, but what is possible. That is a unique and very powerful ability,” says Dr. Gavin Stuart, dean of the Faculty of Medicine, UBC.

“I don’t think I’ve been in a cancer control forum where it hasn’t become apparent that Simon is one of the strongest leaders in that conversation. The esteem in which he’s held for the commitment and vision he has for cancer control is enormous.”

Simon came to the Agency 12 years ago when it was on the cusp of a transformation, and he guided the organization on the next critical steps in its growth.

“The Agency was a well-respected research and clinical organization, but hadn’t really harnessed all of its strength to become a truly population-based cancer control program,” says Simon. “However, the Agency clearly had the potential to achieve great heights, because it wasn’t hampered by jurisdictional issues, it had strong links between research and clinical activities, and support in the community. My role was to point the direction, and support the organization as it moved in that direction.”

According to Dr. Sally Thorne, former BC Cancer Agency Board Chair, Simon did much more than that. “It is very difficult for a leader to effectively represent all aspects of the Agency’s activities. When Simon assumed the leadership, it was wonderful to see the degree of enthusiasm he had for the role, and that the Agency had for him.

“Simon helped everyone understand that the Agency’s core business is knowledge generation and knowledge application in the context of complex human systems: patients, families, and the cancer journey,” Dr. Thorne adds. “Simon is unique in his absolute comfort bringing all of those areas together, and integrating them to create a vision for the Agency. He was able to capture the potential within the organization, and take it forward.

“He will be most recognized for his intellectual capacity to conceptualize the nature of a problem. He synthesizes various complex ideas and perspectives within the Agency and articulates them in a manner that is logical, coherent, and compelling. He draws people toward a sense of confidence that this is the right idea and the direction we need to go.”

Simon’s leadership has attracted many talented individuals to the Agency. “He does things with a grace, patience, elegance and diplomacy that is truly remarkable," says Dr. Clay Smith, senior scientist and director of the Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program of B.C., who was recruited to the Agency five years ago. "I’ve been in situations where frankly steam was starting to come out of my ears and I would see Simon dealing with the situation with poise and respect, and it made you want to do better yourself."

Another remarkable quality is Simon’s ability to connect with people at all levels. It’s commonplace for Simon to stop and say hello to staff by name as he heads to appointments. “He has this wonderful ability to communicate with people. He makes everybody feel special,” says Ruth Grantham, executive assistant, who has worked with Simon since he arrived at the Agency. “When he visits the centres, he knows everybody and they know him. He treats everybody with courtesy and respect and you just feel that what you have to say matters.”

“Simon always impresses me because you wouldn’t expect somebody of his stature or his position to really be aware what people, who don’t directly report to him, are doing,” says Sharon Kennedy, senior director of development, BC Cancer Foundation. “But, every once in a while you get a handwritten note – handwritten, not dictated and typed – to say thank-you. He also sends those same handwritten notes to donors. It is such a wonderful gesture from someone I know who is so incredibly busy, but it is important for him to do it, and it means so much to staff and donors.”

Simon will leave the Agency at the end of December to pursue opportunities in global initiatives in cancer control. 

Clay reflects the sentiments of many Agency staff when he says, “Simon will be an incredible ambassador for B.C. and Canada in whatever role he takes on. I hope this isn’t goodbye, and that Simon will find new ways of interacting with the Agency as he goes on to support national and international cancer initiatives.”

Human breast stem cells that regrow mammary tissue

A team of scientists at the BC Cancer Agency in Vancouver have made an important advance for breast cancer. Published in the leading medical journal, Nature Medicine, their study shows that the normal female breast contains a population of breast stem cells – each being able to regrow a complete miniature, milk-producing mammary gland after being transplanted into a special type of mouse. Many investigators believe these normal breast stem cells are the culprits that start to form breast cancers.

Dr. Samuel Aparicio of the BC Cancer Agency and co-author explains, "The long term aim is to figure out what makes normal breast stem cells tick and then use this information to see what may be high-jacked or distorted when these cells become malignant.

For a full copy of the press release, please visit: www.bccancer.bc.ca/ABCCA/NewsCentre/2008/mammarystem.htm  

Advancing Strategic Direction #2
Establish the knowledge generation and application model within the provincial cancer control platform.

Researchers show ovarian cancer is a group of distinct diseases

Scientists from the Ovarian Cancer Research (OvCaRe) Program at BC Cancer Agency and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute have identified distinct pathways for five subtypes of ovarian cancer, showing they are completely different diseases.

Ovarian cancer has always been a difficult disease to diagnose and treat. The symptoms in early stages are often vague, leading to late stage diagnosis and poor outcomes. Treatment has also remained homogeneous, using a combination of platinum and taxane based chemotherapy, even though physicians and researchers have suspected different subtypes exist and respond to treatment in different ways.

Many scientists have been focusing their efforts on developing biomarkers for early detection and prognostication as a means to better diagnose the disease and increase survival, but this study shows that approach has been flawed because while biomarkers of different ovarian cancer subtypes vary, previous studies lumped subtypes together as one disease. The biomarker identification of separate ovarian cancer subtypes means a distinct path is now available for researchers to follow.

For a full copy of the press release, please visit: www.bccancer.bc.ca/ABCCA/NewsCentre/2008/ovcarecarcinomas.htm  

For a copy of the paper, please visit: http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.0050232

Advancing Strategic Direction #2
Establish the knowledge generation and application model within the provincial cancer control platform.

BCCA Leaders go back to school to imPROVE

With imPROVE, the employees that best know the work are integral to finding how to make a process better. Throughout the Agency, employees are putting their knowledge to work by participating in Rapid Process Improvement Workshops. The Agency’s leadership is also dedicated to the imPROVE process, and recently,
four BCCA leaders –


Fraser Valley set to  imPROVE charts

You’ve read about imPROVE in these pages before: the ‘Work Smart’ program that seeks to improve the quality and safety of the patient experience.

Staff at the BC Cancer Agency’s Fraser Valley Centre, led by Dr. Lee Ann Martin, are working on an imPROVE project reviewing all aspects of patient charts – a crucial element in providing excellent patient care.

The ‘No Print to Chart’ pilot study, conducted at the Fraser Valley Centre this Fall over a period of two weeks, was just one piece in that larger puzzle. Staff across all disciplines, from health information services to pharmacists and physicians, participated to answer the key question “How would patient care be affected if we stopped printing records already available on the CAIS electronic patient chart?"

Physicians used wireless tablets (small portable laptops) to conveniently access patient information while managing patient care in clinics. After the two-week pilot staff evaluated the electronic chart-tracking system with positive results.

The feedback from the pilot is the first step  towards finding better ways of managing the essential patient information held on charts, and ensuring that it’s always available to clinical staff when it’s needed.  We'll bring you more updates as the project progresses.
Colin Alden, technical manager, Functional Cancer Imaging; Fiona Bees, chief nursing officer and associate vice-president, Cancer Care; John French, director of Clinical Operations, Radiation Therapy and Surgical Oncology; and Kelly Uyeno, director, Business & Strategic Initiatives – went “back to school” as the first phase of a new PHSA imPROVE / Lean certification program. The leaders learned about the theories and principles of imPROVE, and their application.

When asked why imPROVE is important for BCCA, Colin Alden said “We work hard, but may not have the necessary training or education to recognize the inefficiencies that affect our duties, or feel like we do not have the ability to change those that we do recognize. imPROVE helps train us to identify waste and collectively empowers us with the necessary tools to eliminate it.”

imPROVE is based on the Lean principles of the Toyota production system, something people may at first have difficulty relating to health care. After reviewing the materials and hearing about how other health care organizations have successfully applied this methodology, Kelly notes that “It isn’t about manufacturing a product, but the importance of having good processes in place in order to improve efficiency. In our case, that means effective and efficient patient care processes.”

Fiona notes that in addition to the increased efficiency, imPROVE has the added benefit of promoting and enabling teamwork, a critical aspect of providing quality care. “The process demonstrates how vital every person – from nurse to cleaner – is to delivering quality patient care, and how they all function together as a single unit to provide it.”

John is able to witness imPROVE in action first-hand, as imPROVE efforts are currently focused on the surgical oncology value stream. “Overall, I appreciate the holistic approach that imPROVE takes to improving our processes. In health care, we are facing challenges, and we need to do the utmost to ensure our processes are efficient,” he says. “imPROVE provides a mechanism to do that.”

After completing the theoretical aspect of their training, the leaders will put their knowledge into practice by first participating in, and then co-leading and leading a Rapid Process Improvement Workshop. If you would like to learn more about imPROVE, or participate in an event, visit the imPROVE section on POD or contact Brendan Abbott at babbott@phsa.ca

Advancing Strategic Direction #1
To sustain and advance the BC Cancer Agency's system of cancer control.

Accreditation: who’s who

In the last few issues, we’ve introduced the processes and Required Organizational Practices (ROPs) that are part of Accreditation. In this issue, we’ll introduce you to some of the individuals who are leading Accreditation.

Sue Fuller-Blamey, the new director, Quality, Safety & Accreditation for the BC Cancer Agency, replacing Rosmin Esmail who left the organization in June, will play a critical role in preparing for the on-site Accreditation visit (May 31 to June 4, 2009) in the months ahead.

Sue is a registered nurse with a Masters in Business Administration Degree specializing in Finance and Strategic Planning from the Rotman School of Business, University of Toronto and a Baccalaureate Degree in the Science of Nursing from UBC.

Sue has a breadth of management experience and has worked most recently as Manager, imPROVE Integration supporting BC Women's Hospital and Mental Health & Addictions Services. She is one workshop away from full Lean Certification and is a certified Quality Improvement Leader and Facilitator.

Sue will work closely with the Agency Executive, Regional Leadership Teams, Program Leaders, Professional Practice Leaders and staff in coordinating Accreditation, further developing the Agency's Quality Program, and facilitating the implementation of imPROVE.

“It's an exciting and busy time to be joining the BC Cancer Agency,” says Sue. “As a registered nurse, previous Program Manager and imPROVE leader, I look forward to learning about BC Cancer Agency processes and working with staff on new initiatives so they can provide the best patient/family experience possible.”

Providing support to Sue is Kris Gustavson, PHSA director of Accreditation and Patient-Client Satisfaction. Many of you may have already met Kris as she has been guiding the accreditation process in the absence of a director, Safety & Accreditation at the Agency.

Questions about Accreditation: please contact Sue at sue.fuller-blamey@bccancer.bc.ca

Agency Teams and Leads
Cancer Population 
    Karim Karmali

Effective Organization 
    Karim Karmali, Executive
    Fiona Bees, Quality Council 
    Dr. Ivo Olivotto, Medical Advisory Council

Cancer Care and Oncology Services (Provincial) 
    Dr. Susan O’Reilly

Cancer Care and Oncology Services (regional centres) 
    Vancouver Centre 
    Karim Karmali 

    Vancouver Island Centre 
    Anne Burgess 

    Centre for the Southern Interior 
    Sandra Broughton 

    Fraser Valley and Abbotsford Centres 
    Mary Flaherty

Infection Prevention and Control, and Quality Council 
    Fiona Bees/Dr. Kerry Savage

Medical Management 
    Elena Serrano, Nursing Practice 
    Susan Walisser, Pharmacy 
    Dr. Charles Blanke, Systemic Therapy

In the next few issues, we’ll introduce you to the Accreditation surveyors who will be visiting the Agency and regional centres, May 31 to June 4, 2009.

Advancing Strategic Direction #1
To sustain and advance the BC Cancer Agency's system of cancer control.

A final goodbye:
President’s message

Year-end messages typically have a formula. You look at the performance and accomplishments of the organization over the past year and look forward to initiatives for a new one.

This year, I have been reflecting not just on the past year – which has had many significant milestones, including the opening of the Agency’s fifth new cancer centre in Abbotsford, and planning for a new centre in Prince George – but collectively on my years as president of the BC Cancer Agency.

As most of you are aware by now, I will be leaving the Agency, after 12 very full and rewarding years, at the end of December.

Looking back at my previous messages, they have been remarkable in the scope and number of activities initiated each year in our quest to establish critical platforms for advancing cancer control in the province. The establishment of a Tumour Tissue Repository, the Genetic Pathology Evaluation Centre and CTAG, a provincial PET facility, a Health Economics Unit, and an Investigational New Drug Program are all examples in recent years of how we are addressing clinical and research challenges.

We have also successfully transformed ourselves from a treatment-focused enterprise to a population-based cancer control system. Above and beyond providing compassionate care, we are asking ourselves the critical questions to reduce the burden of cancer: how do we maintain a healthy population, so people can avoid getting ill; and when they do, what’s the best way to manage illness; and how can we provide the best quality of life for survivors? These questions recognize the fundamental role of research and knowledge generation to improve cancer care and outcomes and they have become integral to our operations.

Our ability to demonstrate the value of our population-based approach has resulted in an impressive increase in total research grants and increased the profile of the Agency nationally and internationally. Many of our staff have taken notable appointments with the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, and collaborated with countries either establishing or reinvigorating their cancer control strategies. There is a world-wide recognition that what we have accomplished together in British Columbia is worth replicating in other jurisdictions.

In the years to come, I believe the Agency’s ability to pursue strategic relationships and to work across institutions and geographical boundaries, will capitalize on the best of science and medicine to improve patient outcomes. No doubt there will be challenges, but given our staff’s commitment and performance in building an outstanding cancer control system so far, I have confidence those challenges can be overcome.

In the years to come, I believe the Agency’s ability to pursue strategic relationships and to work across institutions and geographical boundaries, will capitalize on the best of science and medicine to improve patient outcomes. What of my future? In my remaining career years, I hope to pursue opportunities in global initiatives in cancer control. However, my commitment to the vision and mission of the BC Cancer Agency remains firm, and our paths may cross in the future. I will continue my appointments with the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC) as vice-chair of the CPAC Board and chair of the CPAC advisory council on cancer control, and as a member of the International Steering Committee of the International Cancer Control Congress. And, Vancouver will continue to be my home.

Over the past several weeks, I have had an opportunity to visit the regional centres and say a personal goodbye to many of you. Thank you for your warm welcome, kind words and well-wishes. I hope that you and your family enjoy a most wonderful holiday season. I wish you the very best for the New Year and the future, and I look forward to our next "hello – how are you?”

Dr. Simon Sutcliffe
President
BC Cancer Agency 

Annual Cancer Conference 2008

The BC Cancer Agency‘s 2008 Annual Cancer Conference wrapped up on November 22, living up to its reputation as the Agency’s premier professional development, learning and networking event. The three-day conference was attended by more than 1,000 delegates from across B.C. and Canada and as far as the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Ghana, Libya, and Nigeria.

The conference, with the theme of  Survivorship: creating it, managing it, is an opportunity to bring together Agency staff, researchers, scientists, clinicians and community partners, as well as organizations from around the world, to share new knowledge in care, treatment and research within our provincial system of cancer control.

The BC Cancer Agency’s 2008 Community Care Award was awarded to Sindi Hawkins, MLA for Kelowna-Mission and Deputy Speaker for the B.C. Legislature, for her unwavering commitment to supporting cancer patients. Despite a busy career and her own battle with acute myeloid leukemia, Hawkins has worked tirelessly to support cancer care and research in B.C., having raised millions of dollars towards research at the BC Cancer Agency. In addition, Dr. Winston Bishop, director, Chemotherapy and chief of the Department of Medicine, Prince George Regional Hospital, received the prestigious BCMA Terry Fox award and Griffith Malachi, graduate student, was awarded the Lloyd Skarsgard Research Excellence Prize.

Another highlight of the conference was the keynote presentation by Dr. Marla Shapiro, who delivered a powerful presentation on cancer survivorship from professional and personal perspectives.

To wrap things up, on Saturday, close to 200 people attended this year’s Community Cancer Forum, held in conjunction with the conference.

Poster Award Recipients
About 170 poster presentations were submitted for the scientific program this year. Congratulations to the following award recipients:

Basic Science Research
Jennifer Campbell
Ainsley Clement
Juan Hou
Arusha Oloumi
Kelsie Thu
Katey Townsend

Epidemiology and Population Research
Maria Lorenzi
Kimberly Burrus
Ajit Auluck
Andrea Lo

Population Research Translation
Jeffrey Lam
Hequn Wang

A special thank you to the poster judges: Chris Bajdik, Kevin Bennewith, Angie Brooks-Wilson, Carolyn Brown, Cathie Garnis, Stephen Herst, Pierre Lane, Calum MacAulay, Sylvia Ng, and Miriam Rosin.

The Ride to Conquer Cancer challenge - put the pedal to your mettle

Why should you sign up to ride in the BC Cancer Foundation’s new cycling event, The Ride to Conquer Cancer? Dr. Clay Smith, Senior Scientist in the Agency’s Terry Fox Lab and head of the Leukemia/BMT program of B.C. has three great reasons:

“Research groups can put together a team and raise funds that will specifically benefit their project. Secondly, this is an opportunity for us as healthcare workers to get together and do something inspirational and amazing,
Ride Details:
What: 200-plus km, over two days, one way, from Vancouver to Seattle
When: June 20th to 21st
Proceeds: Research at BC Cancer Agency
How to register: www.conquercancer.ca or contact Sarah Richards at 604-675-8245 or srichards2@bccancer.bc.ca. especially during the tough economic times we’re experiencing. Thirdly, for some of us, it’s going to be a great excuse to get to the gym or to get on a bike and get in shape!”

Two other Agency teams have already formed and registered – The Serious Adverse Events, led by Dr. Kim Chi and The Linear Accelerators, led by Dr. Tom Pickles.

They’re inviting everyone from the BC Cancer Agency family to join them or to start a team of their own.

A message from Pat Jacobsen,
BC Cancer Foundation Interim CEO

From all of us on the Board and staff of the BC Cancer Foundation – we wish you a Happy Holiday season and a healthy and prosperous New Year!

I hope you will be able to celebrate with friends and family in the coming weeks and also have the opportunity to reflect on all that you and your colleagues have accomplished throughout the year to improve the lives of cancer patients and their loved ones, and their communities, here in B.C.

We look forward to working with you and continuing our support of the Agency’s vital work in the New Year.

Pat Jacobsen
Interim CEO
BC Cancer Foundation

Note: Pat Jacobsen has stepped down as Chair of the BC Cancer Foundation Board to take on the role of Interim CEO until the new Foundation CEO is recruited. The Board has elected John Jennings, previously Board Vice-chair, to the position of Board Chair.

Contact the BC Cancer Foundation:
Provincial Office:
604.877.6040
infobccf@bccancer.bc.ca  

Abbotsford:
Liz Harris
604.851.4736
lharris3@bccancer.bc.ca  

Fraser Valley:
Kate Ludlam
604.707.5900 ext. 4960
kludlam@bccancer.bc.ca  

Southern Interior:
Cynthia Waldek-Peters
250.712.3910
cwaldekpeters@bccancer.bc.ca  

Vancouver Island:
Laura Walsh
250.519.5554
lwalsh@bccancer.bc.ca  

Vancouver:
Sharon Kennedy
604.877.6040
skennedy@bccancer.bc.ca  

Advancing Strategic Direction #4
To ensure we have the resources to achieve maximal organizational effectiveness.

Newsmakers

Dr. Marianne Sadar, senior scientist at the BC Cancer Agency, is the 2008 recipient of the prestigious Terry Fox Young Investigator Award for her research in prostate cancer.

Sponsored by the Terry Fox Foundation and awarded by the National Cancer Institute of Canada, the Terry Fox Young Investigator Award is given annually to a promising young investigator doing outstanding basic laboratory work. The prize comes with $1,000 for the recipient and $20,000 for their research.

“When I was notified about the award, I was very moved,” says Marianne. “Terry Fox was a heroic young man who inspired a nation. He believed that with research we can find cures for cancers. It is a great honour to receive an award based on his legacy.” For the full story, please see: www.bccancer.bc.ca/ABCCA/NewsCentre/2008/sadaraward.htm  


Dr. Dawn Waterhouse, Department of Advanced Therapeutics, working with Drs. Marcel Bally, Christian Kollmansberger and Karen Gelmon, received $722,000 from the Terry Fox Research Institute (TFRI) for early clinical development of Irinophore C™ (a proprietary anti-tumour product). This project seeks to determine in a Phase I clinical trial whether Irinophore C™ is safe and well tolerated in patients with advanced cancers, particularly colon cancer patients, and whether it compares favourably to the currently marketed drug irinotecan (Camptosar®). Dawn also received $250,000 for the project through the CIHR Proof of Principle program.

Dawn's project is the first funded project stemming from a call for proposals issued by the TFRI in B.C. The mission of the TFRI is to support translational research, so today's best science becomes tomorrow's affordable medicine.

Dr. Marcel Bally, Head, Advanced Therapeutics, BC Cancer Agency was named a fellow of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) for his outstanding contributions to the pharmaceutical sciences. Marcel’s work is focused on defining novel methods for co-formulation of two or more agents into a single pharmaceutical preparation as well as the preclinical development of drug combinations for use in treating aggressive cancers.

The AAPS is a professional, scientific society of more than 13,500 members employed in academia, industry, government and other research institutes worldwide.

Dr. Karen Gelmon gave the inaugural address for the Maria Ricci Memorial Lectureship in Medical Oncology this November at the Cancer Research Institute, Queen's University. The title of Dr. Gelmon's talk was The Hit and Miss of Targeted Therapy for Breast Cancer.

The Maria Ricci Memorial Lectureship in Medical Oncology was established in 2007 with funding provided by GlaxoSmithKline Inc. The proceeds of this endowment are used to support a lectureship at the NCIC Clinical Trials Group in the area of medical oncology.