Awarded in 2026: CQI Research Fund 2025 Competition
Five projects totaling $462,572 were awarded funding in the 2025 edition of the Rossy Cancer Network's CQI Research Fund competition.
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Caregiver Bereavement
Biomusic to Improve Caregiver Bereavement Outcomes: A Feasibility Study to Inform Development of a Randomized Controlled Trial
Sitting vigil with a loved one at the end of life can cause profound distress, especially when the patient is unresponsive or unable to communicate. This ambiguous loss can intensify grief and reduce caregivers鈥� well-being. Music can foster emotional connections and meaning when words fail. Biomusic is an innovative approach that converts a person鈥檚 physiological signals 鈥� skin sweat conductance, heart rate, and temperature - into real-time music, allowing caregivers to perceive their loved one鈥檚 presence and responsiveness. In this pilot study, 20 patient鈥揷aregiver dyads (40 total participants) receiving care in a palliative care will experience bedside Biomusic sessions using non-invasive sensors. Caregivers will report on distress, burden, and perceived connection, and physiological signals will be assessed to measure synchrony 鈥� a sign of connection. This study will assess feasibility and acceptability and provide preliminary evidence that this music therapy intervention may enhance caregiver鈥損atient connection, support coping, and inform a larger trial aimed at improving caregiver well-being at the end of life and through bereavement.
Dr. Justin Sanders (MUHC) will lead a team including co-investigators, Dr. Jean Zigby (JGH), Dr. Stefanie Blain-Moraes (海角社区 - Adjunct Professor), Dr. Jonathan Hudon (JGH), Dr. Samara Perez (MUHC) and Dr. Naomi Goloff (MUHC) and collaborators, Dr. St茅fanie Gingras (MUHC) and Samantha Borgal (music therapist, JGH).听
Family-reported Outcomes
Amplifying the Family Voice: Co-designing the implementation of a family-reported outcomes (FROs) screening program in cancer care
Caregivers play a vital role in supporting adults with cancer, helping with treatments, daily tasks, and emotional care. While rewarding, caregiving can be overwhelming, leaving many caregivers exhausted and unsure where to find help. Before appointments, patients often fill out short questionnaires about their symptoms to guide their care, known as patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). PROMs help reduce the intensity of patients鈥� symptoms. We want to offer caregivers similar support using FROMs. FROMs are short questionnaires that allow caregivers to share how they are feeling. This study brings together researchers, caregivers, clinicians, and managers to co-design how FROMs can fit into everyday clinic care, like what questions to ask and how often to screen. This work will mainly take place through a series of workshops. We will then test FROMs at SMHC and the MUHC to see if these are useful and easy to use. Our goal is to make caregiver well-being an essential part of cancer care, ensuring that those who care for others are cared for too.
Dr. Sylvie Lambert (SMHC) will lead a team including co-investigators Carla Baquiran (SMHC), Josephine Lemy (MUHC), Christine Bouchard (MUHC), Kimberley Thibodeau (MUHC) and Dr. Pasqualina Di Dio (MUHC).听
Patient Experience
Adaptation and Implementation of a French Measurement tool of Relationship Quality to Improve Patient Experience Across the Rossy Cancer Network
Many people living with cancer report that they do not feel heard and understood by their oncology providers. This can increase stress, affect emotional well-being, and make it harder for patients to follow treatment plans. Despite its importance, patients鈥� experience of the relationships with their healthcare providers is rarely measured in routine cancer care. This project will adapt and validate the Feeling Heard and Understood (FHU) Scale for use in Canadian cancer clinics. Developed in the U.S. to assess the quality of serious illness care, the FHU is a short 10 item questionnaire that asks patients about the quality of their relationship with clinicians (example of sample item: I felt this provider and team saw me as a person, and not just someone with a medical problem). We will create and test both French and English versions of the tool and examine how well it works for patients receiving cancer care in Canada. We will also explore how patients鈥� experiences of feeling heard may change over time and how these experiences relate to emotional well-being and symptom burden. This study will deliver the first validated French-language tool to measure patient鈥損rovider relationship quality in cancer care. The resulting bilingual tool will be easy to use, scalable, and ready to support
quality improvement efforts aimed at strengthening patient-centered cancer care across in Quebec.
Dr. Samara Perez (MUHC) will lead a team including co-investigators, Dr. Annie Leung (MUHC), Dr. Justin Sanders (MUHC), Dr. Ari Meguerditchian (SMHC) and Dr. Melissa Henry (JGH) as well as collaborators, Robina Berman (MUHC) and Katherine Ast (AAHPM).听
Breast Cancer
AMH-Breast: Validation of Anti-Mullerian Hormone Testing to Improve Adjuvant Treatment Decision-Making in HR Positive Breast Cancer
For many women with early-stage breast cancer, treatment decisions鈥攅specially whether to receive chemotherapy鈥攄epend on whether they are considered premenopausal or postmenopausal. At present, this determination is usually based on age or menstrual history, which can be unreliable, particularly for women in their late 40s and early 50s. As a result, some women may receive chemotherapy that is unlikely to benefit them, while others who could benefit may not be identified. A blood test called Anti-M眉llerian Hormone (AMH) may offer a more accurate way to assess whether the ovaries are still functioning. This study will evaluate how well AMH testing performs across Canadian hospitals and whether using this information helps doctors make more precise treatment decisions. We will also examine how quickly AMH test results are returned and whether this timing fits within routine cancer care.By improving how menopausal status is assessed, this research aims to support more personalized treatment decisions鈥攔educing unnecessary chemotherapy for some women while ensuring timely access to effective therapy for others. Ultimately, the goal is to improve the quality and safety of care for women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.
Dr. Kim Ma (JGH) and Dr. Jean-Fran莽ois Boileau (JGH) will lead a team including co-investigators, Dr. Jamil Asselah (MUHC) and Dr. Khashayar Esfahani (SMHC), and collaborators Dr. Ipshita Prakash (JGH) and Dr. David Blank (MUHC).
Cervical Cancer
Rapid Access for Cervical Cancer Elimination (RACE)
Cervical cancer is highly treatable when detected early, yet many women in Quebec experience long delays in screening and diagnosis, particularly those without a regular family doctor. Therefore, cancers are often diagnosed later, when treatment is more complex and outcomes are poorer. The Rapid Access for Cervical Cancer Elimination (RACE) program will pilot a nurse-led clinic that provides direct access to cervical cancer prevention and early颅 diagnosis services without requiring a primary care referral. Women will be able to self-refer for abnormal vaginal bleeding, overdue cervical screening, or cancer-related concerns. Trained nurses will assess patients, arrange appropriate investigations such as HPV testing, biopsies, and coordinate rapid referrals to gynecologists or gynecologic oncologists when needed. This project will be implemented at two Rossy Cancer Network hospitals and will evaluate access to care, timeliness, and detection of cervical precancer and cancer.
Dr. Reitan Ribeiro (MUHC) and Dr. Audrey Gilbert (SMHC) will lead a team including co-investigators, Dr. Fanny Hersson-Edery (JGH), Dr. Sonja Bodmer-Roy (SMHC) and Dr. Annie Leung (MUHC), and collaborators, Dr. Gabriel Levin (海角社区 Fellow), Thao Vu (Nurse, MUHC) and Joelle Malek (Nurse, MUHC).
Past Years
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
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