Since the beginning of the Ovarian Cancer Research (OvCaRe) program, the team has expanded; we have multiple new investigators, and have won national and international awards.
We have grown from a small group of researchers and disconnected research projects to a coherent team that is recognized internationally as a leader in the study of ovarian cancer. I believe our success stems from three things.
First, our team works because we want to work together and we share a vision of a world free from ovarian cancer.
Second, the environment we work in is superb. The BC Cancer Agency brings the cancer care and research community together. In addition, the proximity of Vancouver’s major surgical hospital, Vancouver General Hospital, brings together all of the pieces we need to succeed in our mission. And, both the BC Cancer Foundation and the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation agreed to work together to raise money for our team.
Last but not least, the patients themselves have been extremely generous and supportive of this research. I do not personally know how terrifying it must be to receive a diagnosis of cancer. If one day I do, however, I hope that I will react to the situation with the same generosity demonstrated by all the women who make the research of OvCaRe possible. By allowing us to archive their tumour samples and use material from their ovarian cancers, we can conduct the type of research needed to achieve our vision. Without their support and the support of BC Cancer Foundation donors, our team could not exist.
