Hey folks,
I made two presentations as part of the Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology (CAPO) annual conference – one about the Public Interest Group on Cancer Research and the other about the Atlantic Cancer Consortium Patient Advisory Committee.
We learnt and grew together – both of these presentations paint a picture of different experiences and learning – take a look
Sevtap Savas, PhD. St. John’s, June 15, 2026
The Public Interest Group on Cancer is proud to celebrate its 5th anniversary.
We have been active since May 2021, and undersigned impact public engagement and advocacy activities – take a look:
under construction
We are pleased to note that we – the Atlantic Cancer Consortium Patient Advisory Committee (ACC PAC) – have just published our 2nd scholarly paper!! 💓
In this paper, we describe our experience with organizing a Public Conference on Precision Medicine (March 15, 2025) for Atlantic Canadians, self-reflections, feedback received and lessons learnt for future public partnerships and conferences
Take a look!!
What an impressive track-record – The ACC PAC was formed in Jan 2024, and this is our second manuscript peer-reviewed and published freely available to global audience
Congrats everyone – hope more to come!
Dear folks,
We are pleased to share our group’s logo with you!
We loved how it shows togetherness and feeling of community that we have been experiencing and seeing around us.
Happy New Year!
©Public Interest Group on Cancer.
I am pleased to share with you my pre-recorded speech delivered as part of the Canadian Cancer Research Alliance conference (CCRC) held in Calgary, Canada between Nov 2-4, 2025.
Sadly I could not make it there in-person, but I am glad I had a prerecorded speech that could be played during the session.
You can access it here freely.
Better days ahead.
Sevtap Savas, Nov 5, 2025, St. John’s
I am excited to note that I will be receiving the Exceptional Leadership in Patient Involvement in Cancer Research Award by the Canadian Cancer Research Alliance (CCRA) in Nov 2025.
Congratulations to all awardees – what a great cohort of folks who are dedicated to make a difference at the cancer front!
I am so happy to bring this Award to Newfoundland and Labrador, and Atlantic Canada.
This prestigious and national award goes to you folks: Community in #NewfoundlandAndLabrador and in #AtlanticCanada, my collaborator colleagues and assistants, and our funders who transformed me into a public communicator and engager.
Over the last 6 years, together we have been working very hard to make a difference in the lives of people, families, and communities affected by cancer.
The Public Interest Group on Cancer Research has been particularly strong voice in Newfoundland and Labrador. It was formed and sustained by funding provided by the Office of Public Engagement in St. John’s, Memorial University of Newfoundland. Sadly, this wonderful unit, its excellent staff, and its funding do not exist anymore. This is just one example of how the budget cuts impact the community in NL – no one wins here.
The Atlantic Cancer Consortium Patient Advisory Committee is another successful partnership albeit being a young one (formed less than 2 years ago). I thank our funders/MOHCCN for making our work and committee a possibility.
NLSUPPORT has always been there to give us a hand – I cannot thank its wonderful staff.
Among all the units I am associated with at Memorial University, it has been my clinical colleagues at the Discipline of Oncology, who have fully supported and understood what I have been trying to do in my engagement work. Special thanks go to them.
I thank Quality of Care NL for nominating me for this award, and public partners, leaders, and colleagues supporting my nomination.
I always question where my heart and mind are. Nowadays they are with my family. My mom, Nimet Altunbas, died of cancer four years ago. My sister, Mehtap Savas, is a long term survivor of cancer. I would die for them.
I work very hard to make a difference in the lives of people affected (or will be affected) by cancer – I have no regret for working hard, failing, getting up, getting burnt out, and succeeding along the way. My only regret is that my family has not benefited and will not benefit from my hard work. From my young age on, they supported my ideals and not even once complained about me being away from them (since age 11). I proudly note that my sister Mehtap is my biggest supporter, as she understands the gap we have been addressing together with public partners in the lives of people affected by cancer.
Last, I am Turkish and I am an immigrant to Canada. This award is a testament to immigrants’ abilities and contributions to the society and academia in Canada. If there are other immigrant folks out there who would like to start public and patient engagement, please just go ahead – future is brighter.
My commitment to make things better for the next person and family affected by cancer is continuous. Please join me in supporting them in any way you can.
With gratitude
Sevtap Savas, PhD. Oct 21, 2025 St. John’s
————————————————–
In case you are wondering what we have been doing with public partners, here is a short summary
You can read my full award interview here: https://www.ccra-acrc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2025_Interview_SSavas_EN.pdf and listen to a snap shot of it in the YouTube video below.
We are excited to share our latest publication about our activities as the Public Interest Group on Cancer Research! 🙂
We invite you to take a look at our publication – see the link below.
https://www.mdpi.com/1718-7729/32/10/579
Our work since 2021 has shown that there is a need to reach out to public in our province. Specifically, there is a need to inform and empower folks about cancer.
In the last two years, we have been creating a guest blog and podcast series on cancer, lived experience, cancer care and research, and advocacy.
We are incredibly honored to have published our experience, perspectives, and lessons learnt in this publication. It also gave us a unique opportunity to advocate for better public and patient contributor compensations globally.
This project has been fueled by care and compassion that we feel towards the people affected by cancer.
Cancer affects 2 in 5 people in our province. Its effects extend to family, friends, workplaces, and communities.
While we thought (and still think) that it is the obligation of the government of NL and the NL Health Services to inform and empower our population, we wanted to do our part as dedicated advocates.
Our group has been advocating for better cancer care, risk reduction, treatment, support services, and a system that works for all.
Please join us by reading the blogs, listening to our podcast episodes, and advocating for a better future in NL and beyond.
Thank you.
Sevtap Savas, PhD. October 19, 2025. St. John’s
Thank you Government of Canada, Immigration and Citizenship for this wonderful opportunity & recognition.
If we can get together, there is nothing we cannot achieve. One day, we will eradicate this disease called cancer.
Thank you Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador & patient partners for adopting me, making me one of yours and giving me the conditions to become something I have never imagined of.
Better days ahead for all of us.
In this episode we have Dr. Melanie Seal, and oncologist with the NL Health System explaining the main treatment modalities in cancer and how different oncology professionals coordinate together to provide the best care to patients.
Take a look