Winner of the 2023 PIP Grant Competition
Participants and supporters of the 2023 PIP are pleased to announce that Dr. Nawal Amhis is the winner of the 2023 PIP grant competition, a one-year grant of $15,000, for her project, “Remodeling of the pancreatic tumour microenvironment with oncolytic virotherapy.” Dr. Amhis is a medical resident in general surgery who is completing a master’s degree in immunology with Dr. Lee-Hwa Tai at the Université de Sherbrooke. She will collect patient tumour samples and develop a pancreatic organoid model to test an oncolytic virotherapy. Mrs. Julie Carignan, a patient partner, has been an essential part of this project since its inception, helping to advise on consent forms used to obtain patient samples. Mrs. Carignan will also play an important role in knowledge translation. Dr. Amhis will report her findings to the PIP participants and CCRA members in one year’s time.
Dr. Amhis will be officially acknowledged at the 2023 Canadian Cancer Research Conference (CCRC). She is featured in this video with Ms. Ruth Ackerman, member of the 2023 PIP Working Committee.

Effective January 1, 2020, Dr. Don Desserud begins his term as the Patient/Family Representative on the CCRA Advisory Board. Dr. Desserud participated in the 2019 Patient Involvement in Cancer Research Project (PIP) and is a survivor of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.
Dr. Desserud is a Political Science professo...
CCRA members congratulate Elisabeth Baugh on her pending retirement as CEO of Ovarian Cancer Canada. Elisabeth has been at the helm of the organization since its founding. Under Elisabeth’s leadership, Ovarian Cancer Canada has grown its national presence and her commitment to women living with ovarian cancer and passion for ad...