Contributing Authors
Lynda Balneaves, RN, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the College of Nursing, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba. Previously, she held academic positions at the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia. Her research program has focused on the use of complementary therapies in the context of cancer and the development and evaluation of knowledge translation and decision-support interventions for individuals living with cancer and for oncology health professionals. Since 2007, she has been the principal investigator of the Complementary Medicine Education and Outcomes (CAMEO) Research Program, which is one of the first knowledge translation and decision support programs focused on cancer and complementary therapies in Canada. She has held leadership roles in the Society for Integrative Oncology and the International Society for Complementary Medicine Research.
Judith Caldwell was the founder of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation British Columbia/Yukon Chapter. Motivated by her own breast cancer diagnosis, Ms Caldwell became a strong advocate in the fight against breast cancer. She chaired the Advocacy and Education committees of the CBCF and has spoken out internationally on breast cancer survivorship, education, and the necessity for enhanced and ongoing research support. In 1996 she was a founding paddler with Abreast in a Boat, the internationally competitive dragon boat team powered by breast cancer survivors. Her leadership has been recognized with the Women of Distinction, Community Achievement, and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Awards.
Susan Harris, PT, PhD, is a Professor Emerita in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of British Columbia and is an original member of Abreast in a Boat, the world’s first dragon boat team comprised entirely of women living with breast cancer. Dr Harris’s research has examined safe levels of exercise for women living with breast cancer as well as communication between cancer survivors and their health care team. She is lead author of the Canadian clinical practice guideline for management of breast cancer-related lymphedema and is the lead author/co-author of three articles in the American Cancer Society’s 2012 supplement: A Prospective Surveillance Model for Rehabilitation for Women with Breast Cancer. With over 150 peer-reviewed publications in leading Canadian and American medical journals, her research has led to the enhancement of quality of life for women living with breast cancer.
Shirley Dawn Salkeld is an artist and writer and a twice-over breast cancer survivor. Ms Salkeld’s art has been featured on the cover of Transition, a Canadian Mental Health Association publication, where she has also published “Sonnet for a Woman.” Ms Salkeld has produced botanical drawings for the British Columbia Ministry of Forests and her line drawings have been published in various plant guides.
Michael Speca, PsyD, R Psych, is an Adjunct Associate Professor in Psychosocial Oncology in the Department of Oncology at the University of Calgary and a Clinical Psychologist at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre’s Division of Psychosocial Oncology in Calgary, Alberta. He counsels cancer patients and their families and facilitates a range of group support programs including the Centre’s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program, cognitive-behavioural therapy groups for insomnia and supportive-expressive therapy groups for patients with breast cancer. His research and publications have examined the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for reducing distress and improving the quality of life of patients and their families.
Claire Temple-Oberle, MD, is a Professor of Oncology and Surgery with a specialty in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. After completing her MD at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, she pursued a Fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas in Reconstructive Microsurgery and then a Fellowship in Cutaneous Surgical Oncology at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary, Alberta. She completed a Master’s in Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts. She is currently pursuing a Masters of Medical Education through the University of Dundee in Scotland.
Cheri Van Patten, MSc, RDN, is a Registered Dietitian and Researcher with a Master’s of Science in Nutrition. She has provided nutritional counseling for cancer survivors and their families and conducted practice-based research through the BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver Centre since the early 1990s. Her areas of interest and scientific publications include diet, body weight, obesity, exercise, and the use of complementary therapies and their association with quality of life, cancer recurrence, and survival. She is a member of the College of Dietitians of British Columbia and an accredited member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.