Education
An in-person, educational day bringing together wellness experts, researchers, & survivors for learning, connection & inspiration
Event Details
Join Ovarian Cancer Canada for Bridging Science & Survivorship: Patient Day 2026 on May 29, 2026 at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia in conjunction with the Canadian Conference on Ovarian Cancer Research. This is a full day event created especially for people living with ovarian cancer and their loved ones – bringing together wellness experts, researchers, and survivors for learning, connection, and inspiration.
Designed to connect science with lived experience, Patient Day ensures the voices and wisdom of those most impacted help shape the future of ovarian cancer research. Participants are then invited to join Canada’s leading ovarian cancer researchers for the full scientific program.
All of this for only $65 registration fee! This fee assists in covering costs related to venue and equipment rentals, meals, and speaker engagement. The program begins on Friday May 29 at 9:30am and finishes with a welcome reception and poster session.
NEW in 2026: For the first time, patients attending Bridging Science and Survivorship: Patient Day 2026 are also invited to join the full Canadian Conference on Ovarian Cancer Research through June 1.To do this, be sure to select the ‘Full Conference (including Bridging Science and Survivorship)’ option. The registration fee for the full conference is $250.
Accommodations: If you are looking to stay at the University of British Columbia, please visit the online booking portal (click here) for information on how to book. Be sure to book your accommodations early!
This event is hosted by Ovarian Cancer Canada.
Agenda
FRIDAY MAY 29th
*Subject to change
9:00 a.m.
Continental breakfast
9:30 a.m.
Welcome
Stephanie Gosselin, Director Programs with Ovarian Cancer Canada
9:35 a.m.
Live podcast experience
Speaker: Coming soon
10:15 a.m.
Managing menopausal symptoms and improving health outcomes after cancer treatment
Speaker: Dr. Lesa Dawson, Gynecologic Oncologist
Join us for a supportive and informative session that will explore menopause, sexual health, and overall well-being after treatment. Participants will learn about common physical changes, practical ways to manage symptoms, and available treatment options. Guidance will also be provided on communicating with partners and care providers.
10:45 a.m.
Health break
10:55 a.m.
Barriers to sexual intimacy and practical solutions from a pelvic health physio perspective
Speaker: Angie Travlos, Registered Physiotherapist, Bloom Physiotherapy and Pelvic Health
In this session you will learn about some of the psychosocial changes and physical body changes that can impact sexual intimacy. You will also learn some of the various strategies and solutions to the issues and concerns that can occur which are related to a cancer diagnosis and treatment.
11:20 a.m.
Supporting care through food and nutrition
Speaker: Joyce Chow, Registered Dietician with Inspire Health
This session focuses on realistic, flexible approaches to eating well — emphasizing nourishment, symptom management, and giving yourself grace. We’ll discuss ways to adapt nutrition to fit your body’s unique needs and explore alternatives to common dietary recommendations that might not work for you right now.
12:00 p.m.
Stories & Science: A lunch connecting patients and research trainees
1:15 p.m.
Sharing your story
Speaker: Golda Arthur
When journalist and podcast producer Golda Arthur’s mother was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer, their private family experience became the foundation of the award-winning podcast Overlooked. But Teresa Arthur’s journey from silence to public storytelling was neither simple nor straightforward. In this session, Golda reflects on what she learned as both a daughter and a journalist: about processing grief through narrative and reclaiming agency through voice. She will also share practical techniques for first-person audio storytelling, so you too can tell your own story in your own voice.
2:15 p.m.
Health break
2:30 p.m.
Off the charts: The story behind the medical record
Speaker: Paula Holmes-Rodman
Medical charts hold vital information—but they rarely tell the whole truth. In this session, Dr. Paula Holmes-Rodman introduces narrative medicine and invites patients and caregivers to explore “parallel charting” as a way to tell the rest of the story: lived experience, backstories and backstage moments, cultural context, caregiving realities, and the voices that don’t always make it into the record. Drawing from her experience supporting her sister through ovarian cancer, and from her advocacy work developing The Self-Advocacy Guide for Cancer Patients on the Autism Spectrum, Paula demonstrates how writing can move from personal expression to meaningful instigation—making the invisible visible and advancing equity, disability justice, and self-advocacy. Participants will leave with a practical writing exercise and a renewed sense of how telling their stories can shift conversations, influence care, and claim their rightful place at the center of the chart.
3:30 p.m.
Conclusion
Share your thoughts about today’s event. Closing remarks.
5:00 p.m.
Welcome reception & poster session
The Welcome Reception & Poster Session is the perfect opportunity to mix and mingle with ovarian cancer researchers and research trainees while making new connections. Be sure to visit and exchange with the poster presenters.
Speaker Biographies - more coming soon!
Joyce Chow is a registered dietitian for InspireHealth Supportive Cancer Care in Vancouver. During the week, you will find Joyce teaching nutrition workshop and cooking class, seeing patients for 1 on 1 consultation. She believes that healthy foods taste good, and everyone can add more variety into their diet to achieve balance and find enjoyment in eating. She has worked as a dietitian for over 20 years in both administrative and clinical roles. Outside of work, Joyce enjoys gardening, foraging mushroom, and baking.
Dr. Lesa Dawson is a Gynecologic Oncologist with over 20 years of experience in treating women diagnosed with or at risk of gynecologic cancer. She is the Director of the Gynecologic Cancer Prevention and Survivorship Clinic at Vancouver General Hospital and a clinical associate professor at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Dawson trained in Medicine and Obstetrics at Memorial University in Newfoundland, followed by a fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Calgary. Her research focuses on cancer survivorship, hereditary cancer predisposition, and women’s health equity.
Golda Arthur is an award-winning podcaster, audio producer, and journalist based in New York City. Her skillful approach to creating innovative and engaging audio stories at the very highest quality is informed by her decades of experience in radio and podcasting.
Paula Holmes-Rodman, PhD is a narrative medicine scholar, cancer advocate, and health humanities educator whose work bridges story, equity, and clinical care. She holds a PhD in anthropology and an Advanced Certificate in Narrative-Based Medicine from the University of Toronto. Paula teaches and develops programs that help patients and clinicians use narrative practices to strengthen communication, deepen reflection, and humanize cancer care.
A recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal and the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition Impact Award, Paula is co-creator of the Self-Advocacy Guide for Cancer Patients on the Autism Spectrum. Her work focuses on amplifying structurally underserved voices, particularly autistic and neurodivergent patients navigating complex cancer and palliative care systems.
Drawing from both scholarship and lived experience in ovarian cancer advocacy, Paula explores how patients can move their stories “off the charts” — beyond medical records and metrics — and into spaces of agency, meaning, and influence. Her approach invites individuals and care teams alike to recognize story not as an accessory to treatment, but as essential to equitable, person-centered cancer care.
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