Professor Maheu's research focuses on two specific areas: 1) group therapy to address the fear of cancer recurrence; and 2) cancer and return to work.
Along with Sophie Lebel from the University of Ottawa, Prof. Maheu developed and tested the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Therapy (FORT) program. Consisting of six structured two-hour sessions in a group format led by trained healthcare professionals, this post-treatment program provides practical tools and strategies to help cancer survivors deal with their anxiety and concerns around the fear of cancer recurrence. Last fall, FORT was offered for the first time at the McGill University Health Centre and is now being offered nationwide through a partnership with Wellspring Cancer Support.
A significant number of Canadians experience difficulties returning to work after cancer treatment, impacting their financial wellbeing and their quality of life. Along with BC Cancer’s vocational rehabilitation counsellor Maureen Parkinson, Prof. Maheu created a website called Cancer and Work (www.cancerandwork.ca). Featuring over 500 pages of content including online tools, webinars, and testimonial videos, this evidence-based site has averaged 850 visits per week. In 2025, they launched a pilot project called iCanWork - a 10-step program to help combat the side effects of post-cancer treatment, like fatigue, “chemo brain,” and anxiety, that can negatively impact the return to work. Half of the cancer survivors who followed the program were able to fully return to work within three months as compared to the control group where only one-third returned to work. Prof. Maheu is preparing a larger trial and hopes to scale iCanWork across Canada.
Most rewarding part of her work
"The opportunity to work with interdisciplinary teams, supervise master's and doctoral students, and contribute to the advancement of nursing science is very rewarding. It is incredibly gratifying to know that our interventions are improving the quality of life of cancer survivors and their loved ones."
Selected recent publications
Maheu, C., Parkinson, M., Johnson, K., Tok, W-L., Dolgoy, N., Dupuis, S-P., Singh, M. Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of iCanWork: Theory-Guided Return-to-Work Intervention for Individuals Touched by Cancer. Current Oncology, Vol. 32, Issue 5.
Maheu, C., Tock, W-L., Fisher, P., Galica, J., Singh, M., Centeno, M., Hébert, M., Moran, C., Pietruczuk, P., Dinkel, A., Zwaal, C., Thewes, B., Estapé, T. Systematic Review of Fear of Cancer Recurrence Patient-Reported Outcome Measures: Evaluating Methodological Quality and Measurement Properties Using the COSMIN Checklist. 10.3390/healthcare13172165