Doctoral students Carolyn Peddle and Chris Sellar have plenty to smile about! In June this year each was recognised by the National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC) with a prestigious research studentship award for the work they're doing in cancer and physical activity as part of their PhD programs.
It's a singular honour for the pair, both of whom are supervised by leading Canadian cancer scholar Dr. Kerry Courneya, a Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity and Cancer.
The awards, which are tenable for up to four years, are valued at $22,500 per year. Additionally, they provide up to $1500 per year for conference travel.
NCIC awards are among Canada's most prestigious and highly-prized. An award like this is definitely a feather in the cap - for more than just the students. "These are high profile awards that will bring significant distinction to our students, graduate program, faculty and university," says Courneya.
Both Peddle and Sellar are looking at research into cancers that have been studied little from an exercise perspective, and ones that affect both men and women.
Peddle, whose research interest is in lung cancer and physical activity has just completed her first doctoral study and is readying for the next. "For the first study we were looking at training patients (by means of tailored exercise programs) with lung cancer before they went for surgery," she explains. Now she's planning on using the data gathered from this study to launch a new study looking at how exercise might help patients who have undergone surgery or completed chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
"Patients with lung cancer are a large, growing and under-studied group," says Peddle. "We know that lung cancer patients suffer from large functional limitations. Many are very unfit and unable to actively engage in activities of daily living. I want to try and make people as healthy as I can - through exercise."
Peddle will be recruiting 40 participants into the study through clinics at the Cross Cancer Institute.
Sellar is completing his first study, which looks at changes in fitness in colon cancer patients over the course of their chemotherapy treatments. "The idea," he says, "is to take that information to design a rehabilitative exercise program for colon cancer patients when they've completed their treatments." Subject recruitment for this first study is close to completion, which will allow for the final design of the exercise intervention and accrual for the second study to begin in the near future.
"There is strong evidence on the primary prevention side," he says. "The less active you are and the more obese you are, the greater the chances of getting colon cancer, but there's evidence building that says the same after diagnosis - if a person is unfit and obese chances of survival may be poorer. My thought is that if we can get these people active after they've had their treatment, we may some day be able to improve their survival outcomes with exercise or physical activity interventions."
Peddle and Sellar, who are also funded by the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, are equally enthused about the national recognition of their work. "I hope to continue to work in the area of cancer research," adds Sellar, "so to be funded by the National Cancer Institute of Canada fits perfectly with my goals."
The NCIC, which awarded $66 million last year to cancer researchers, is regarded as the country's premier research organization dedicated to supporting outstanding cancer research and advancing cancer control. It is funded by the Canadian Cancer Society and the Terry Fox Foundation.
Links
- Dr. Courneya's Behavioural Medicine Fitness Laboratory - http://www.behaviouralmedlab.ualberta.ca/
- National Cancer Institute of Canada -