We are pleased to start Season II of our podcast series!
In this episode, Andrea Edwards joined Sevtap to share her story with cancer as a single mom.
Her resilience and advocacy shine. Listen to Andrea:
On behalf of the Public Interest Group on Cancer Research, thank you Andrea.
Today we honour those who are impacted by cancer globally, including my very courageous sister in Turkiye.
Here are some of my messages for today:
– Newfoundland and Labrador has the 2nd leading cancer rate among the Canadian provinces
– Lung, breast, colorectal & prostate cancers make around 50% of cancer cases
– There are many other cancers affecting us, which are equally important and impactful
TO ALL CURRENT PATIENTS and FAMILIES out there AFFECTED BY CANCER:
– We see and hear you
– Impact of cancer on you and your loved ones are significant
– These include emotional, social, financial, and other impact
– We are determined to advocate on your behalf, and do research, teaching, training, and service
– There is a growing number of advocates in NL, that gets national attention now
– Please check the services offered by the Provincial Cancer Care Program in NL: https://cancercare.easternhealth.ca/
– Better days ahead
THESE ARE WHAT I WANNA SAY TO FUTURE CANCER PATIENTS AND FAMILIES:
– Should we let cancer rule our lives?
– Are there things to do to prevent it? For example, thru addressing smoking, alcohol consumption, sedentary life style, diet & other exposures (including some infections)
– Screening and early detection can save lives
– Anything unusual? please see your healthcare provider, regardless of your age
– Please advocate for yourself and others
AND THESE ARE WHAT I WANNA SAY TO GOVERNMENTS AND HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS:
– address the social determinants of health
– solve the primary care access issues
– address the financial cost of cancer and other needs of affected families and individuals
– information campaigns on cancer are critical, especially in this age of misinformation and disinformation
– Invest in people and healthier population, so that we can be a stronger country, economy, society, and more
– MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE, NOT ON A WEBSITE 
I am also grateful for:
#NewfoundlandAndLabrador #Advocacy #Cancer #Awareness #WorldCancerDay
Better days ahead
Sevtap Savas, PhD. Feb 4, 2025, St. John’s
The World Cancer Day is an opportunity for all us to remember, acknowledge, and honor those who are affected by cancer in and out of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The World Cancer Day will be celebrated on February 4th, 2025.
Late December, I submitted two requests within NL:
1 – Proclamation request with City of St. John’s,
2 – Building Lightening Request with the Confederation Building
I am pasting them here in download-able format in the hope that if any of you is interested in doing similar things but do not know how to start, they can give you an idea.
For proclamations with your city, please contact your city hall or do a google search. For St. John’s, see here: https://www.stjohns.ca/en/city-hall/proclamations-and-protocol-requests.aspx
The Confederation building lightening request form can be found here: https://www.gov.nl.ca/exec/files/3A-Confederation-Building-Lighting-Application-1-1.pdf
Better days ahead.
City of St. John’s proclamation request:
I have sent the letter below to The Honorable John Hogan, The Minister of Health and Community Services, Newfoundland and Labrador, asking to meet with him to advocate on behalf of NL citizens affected by cancer.
Considering the impact of cancer on individuals, families, and communities in NL, it is crucial that we improve cancer care and the ways we look after our citizens affected by cancer in the province.
Better days ahead.
Sevtap Savas, PhD.
St. John’s, NL
We – the Public Interest Group on Cancer Research – are pleased to note our achievements for the year of 2024 in our Newsletter!
We thank everyone who interacted with us and supported our work – May 2025 bring you the best days ever!
I have had the pleasure of sending a letter to the Honorable Dr. Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, to advocate on behalf of the individuals, families, and communities affected by cancer.
The most recent report by the Canadian Cancer Society on the financial impact of cancer, as well as the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the governments of Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador gave me the idea of this advocacy letter.
You can download, revise, and use this letter to reach out to your elected officials.
Better days ahead.
Sevtap Savas, PhD. December 16, 2024
UPDATE (JUNE 16, 2026): This study is now completed. Thank you for your interest.
Dear folks
Our team is conducting a new study focusing on social experiences and stigma associated with pediatric cancers in Newfoundland and Labrador.
You can find more information about this study in this document:
If you are interested in participating in this study, please contact the study team:
Dr. Sevtap Savas is the scientist leading this project. She will be happy to talk to you about this study and answer any of your questions. She can be reached at 709 864 6507, pedcancer@mun.ca, or savas@mun.ca.
Rasel Siddique is the graduate student, who will be conducting the interviews. He can be reached at 709-864 6659 or pedcancer@mun.ca.
Thank you
Posters updated on Feb 13, 2025
We were humbled by the success of the public event held on Nov 23rd.
This hybrid event focused on the Workplace Experiences and Rights of Cancer Patients in Newfoundland and Labrador.
We had a very engaging dialogue, formed new connections, and heard from a variety of people about workplace and cancer experiences.
You can find the key take-away points of this event here: https://www.saltwire.com/newfoundland-labrador/opinion/letter-lessons-from-public-event-on-workplace-experiences-and-rights-of-cancer-patients-in-nl-101009604/
You can also access the pre-recorded talks by:
Carey Majid, KC. Executive Director of NL Human Rights Commission:
Sevtap Savas, PhD. Cancer scientist and advocate:
We thank the event organizers (Krista King, Sevtap Savas), all speakers and participants, event funder (Office of Public Engagement – Memorial University) and supporter (NLSUPPORT).
We are pleased to announce that registration for the following event is now open!
It is a free, public event.
All is welcome.
Registration is required to participate: https://www.med.mun.ca/oped/programs/4779. Please create an account first if you do not have it.
Both in-person and virtual participation options are available
Location: Virtual (link to be sent upon registration) OR Faculty of Medicine, New Medical Education Building (also called “glass building”), 1st floor, Room 1M102
Event organized by Krista King at Faculty of Medicine, in collaboration with the NL Human Rights Commission.
Free Parking: Lot 30 (outside of medical school) and parking garage (level 2) from 9 am-2 PM
Speakers include those with lived experience, researchers, and the executive director of the NL Human Right Commission. Please see the current schedule below.
See you there!
We are excited to share with you our new scholarly (peer reviewed) article just published in Journal of Psychosocial Oncology Research and Practice!
In this manuscript, we worked on understanding public engagement needs and opportunities when it comes to cancer in Newfoundland and Labrador. We also developed recommendations for both our group and external stakeholders.
For example, we collated information about which topics on cancer are relevant, or an interest to public members. We developed plans to diversify our collaborations and improve the public outreach activities in the province. We followed some of these plans as well.
This project was co-led by a public member, John King and a scientist, Sevtap Savas.
We invite you to take a look – it is free to read: https://journals.lww.com/jporp/fulltext/2024/10000/toward_a_public_outreach_and_community_engagement.5.aspx
We thank our Group members, public members who shared their thoughts with us, our funder (Office of Public Engagement) and supporters (NLSUPPORT) at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
On behalf of the Public Interest Group on Cancer Research, Sevtap Savas, St. John’s.
Image created by AI.