Research

Major Research Streams

Our research program is dedicated to improving outcomes across the breast cancer care continuum through patient-centered, equity-focused investigation. We lead studies in financial toxicity, healthcare disparities, high-risk populations, and surgical outcomes to uncover gaps, inform clinical decisions, and promote equitable access to care. Grounded in both quantitative and qualitative methods, our work aims to drive evidence-based change in breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment within Canada’s universal healthcare system and beyond.

We have several ongoing projects covering 4 major research streams:

Breast Cancer-Related Financial Toxicity 

  1. Financial toxicity in breast cancer patients publicly funded healthcare systems vs. the U.S.: a scoping review

  2. Financial toxicity in early-stage breast cancer patients: understanding its impact on patient experience and addressing a gap in access to care within the Canadian universal healthcare system

  3. The longitudinal evolution of financial toxicity through the early-stage breast cancer treatment pathway: a mixed-methods study

Healthcare Disparities/Equity Research 

  1. Time to breast cancer diagnosis in Canadian refugees and asylum claimants: a retrospective cohort study

High-Risk Breast Cancer Populations

  1. Chemotherapy receipt and 21-gene recurrence score in BRCA1/2-associated breast cancer

  2. Awareness, candidacy, and factors associated with uptake of endocrine prevention therapy in patients referred to a high-risk breast screening clinic

  3. Surgical decision making in genetically high-risk women considering bilateral prophylactic mastectomy: quantifying short- and long-term risks of supplemental surgeries

Breast Surgical Outcomes

  1. Significance of intramammary nodal metastases in breast cancer management

  2. Management of the axilla in women with early-stage, node-negative breast cancer undergoing mastectomy: a retrospective cohort study

  3. Predictors of nodal metastases in early-stage HER2+ breast cancer: deciding on treatment approach with neoadjuvant chemotherapy vs. upfront surgery in clinically node negative patients

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