Investing in the transformation of cancer care and services in Quebec
MONTREAL and SAN DIEGO, June 13, 2022 – Patient partners are at the heart of the four research projects selected for the 2nd edition of the “Priorité patient” competition organized by Oncopole – the cancer division of the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS). This competition provides financial support for research projects aimed at improving the care and services for people living with cancer in Quebec.
The announcement comes during the BIO International Convention, which takes place from June 13 to 16 in San Diego, and is attended by representatives from Oncopole, FRQS cancer division, the Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation (MEI), the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS), and Merck Canada. The four teams will each receive $200,000 over two years from Oncopole, thanks to the financial support of the MEI and its founding partner, Merck Canada.
Recipients of Oncopole’s “Priorité patient” Competition:
PAROLE-Onco +: Peer companions to improve the experience of patients living with cancer
Virtual reality and hypnosis to support patients with multiple myeloma
A competition to transform cancer care and services
Thanks to a public-private partnership between the Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation and Merck Canada, Oncopole is able to support, through the “Priorité Patient” competition, these four projects that will enable research teams to contribute to the transformation of cancer care and services.
“The research teams were able to draw on the life experiences of people affected by cancer to design and carry out their projects, and we also benefitted from the expertise of our patient partners during the evaluation of the projects to ensure their relevance to the target population,” says Carole Jabet, Director of Oncopole and Scientific Director of the FRQS.
“We are pleased to extend our congratulations to the recipients of the second edition of the Priorité patient competition. As a founding member of Oncopole, Merck Canada is extremely proud to continue year after year to support research projects that serve to improve the experience of care and services, as well as the quality of life, for people living with cancer and their families. We are deeply invested in advancing research, as well as in partnerships that address patient unmet needs. This project speaks directly to our commitment to our mission and shared vision: to save and improve lives,” concludes Jennifer Chan, Executive Director, Policy and External Affairs, Merck Canada Inc.