Academic Rank

Professor

Professional Qualifications

MD, University of Ottawa
FRCPC, Radiation Oncology
MPHE, University of Illinois

Appointments

Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto
Vice Chair Academic Affairs, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto
Academic Director, Medical Radiation Sciences Program, University of Toronto
Chair, Postgraduate Education Board of Examiners, University of Toronto
Director, Oncology Education, Princess Margaret Cancer Program
Director, Collaborative Health, Wellness and Cancer Survivorship Centre and ELLICSR research program
Medical Director, Breast Cancer Survivorship program
Staff Radiation Oncologist, Princess Margaret Hospital Cancer Program
Butterfield/Drew Chair in Breast Cancer Survivorship

Academic & Clinical Interests

• Program development and innovation in medication and patient education

Current Research Projects

• Establishing a comprehensive academic Cancer Survivorship program

The PMH Survivorship program provides on-going care across the age spectrum and is being rolled out to all cancer sites. This clinical program is both consultative and risk based and, based on clinical practice guidelines, anticipatory guidance in self-management is initiated at the start of treatment (NCCN, 2008). The clinical program is comprised of four core elements:

1) Survivorship consult: A structured intervention designed to engage survivors through a process of guided self reflection, exploring their cancer experience, setting goals and developing an action plan.

2) Self-management support: psychosocial interventions and educational sessions to address survivors diverse needs for information, education and support

3) Self-care clinics: standardized strategies to teach patients how to prevent or reduce the impact of long-term post treatment effects on physical and emotional health

4) ehealth initiatives: development and implementation of Informatics platforms – Infowell (patient portal to access test results) Caring Voices (social networking platform) with the purpose of activating and engaging patients in their own care, and providing psychosocial support.

Our goal is that all care that takes place within the PMH Survivorship Program be provided within the context of clinical research. Clinical program elements are evaluated for quality and feasibility. Efficacy to be assessed in several domains including: physical and psychological outcomes, disability, QoL, and behaviour change. Standardized longitudinal data is being collected.

The ELLICSR Research Program is conceptualized into three core areas:

1) Individual Survivors: our focus is on generating new information about survivor self-managed care and to translate this into alternative models of survivorship after-care using both live and virtual survivorship community of practice education and support strategies. Benefits to emotional and physical health as well as the economic “health” of the health care system are to be assessed.

2) Groups of Survivors: within this platform our research includes evaluating the relative impact of specific psychosocial, educational and behavioral interventions delivered by individuals with varying levels of professional and non-professional expertise on quality of life, physical and psychosocial outcomes, access, cost-effectiveness and sustainability. The optimal nature, timing and sequencing of these interventions, as well as the most appropriate platforms and formats for delivering and sustaining online organizational support will be determined.

3) Communities of Survivors: we are developing collaborative relationships among health care providers and survivors to study and enhance quality of survivors’ care utilizing innovative means to identify large groups of geographically diverse survivors who can participate in studies relevant to survivorship. We are also working to collect and amalgamate patient data drawn from multiple sources (laboratory, clinical, administrative) across numerous institutions to study outcomes of interest to survivors (biomedical, social and psychological) and relate these outcomes to treatment parameters to develop predictive models;

Selected Publications

See current publications list at PubMed.
Wiljer D, Bogomilsky S, Catton P, Murray C, Stewart J, Minden M, Jones E, Brierley J. Getting results for hematology patients through access to the electronic health record. Canadian Oncology Nursing Journal. 16(3): 154-158, 2006.

Wiljer D, Urowitz S, Chafranskaia A, Durkee L, Quartey N, Catton P. From Clinical Care to Online Communities, Exploring New Models for Survivorship Care in Lymphedema. In Proceedings of the 4th International conference on e-Learning International Conference on e-Learning Toronto, ON 16-17 July 2009, pp. 493-500.

Urowitz S, Wiljer D, Catton P. Younger women with breast cancer staying connected through Caring Voices. Network News: Essential News for Canadians Affected by Breast Cancer. Winter/Spring 2008 12(1):26-28.

Wiljer D, Bogomilsky S, Catton P, Murray C, Stewart J, Minden M. Getting Results: Providing malignant hematology patients access to their electronic health record to promote patient-centered care. Canadian Oncology Nursing Journal 16(3): 154-158. Fall 2006.

Szumacher E, Catton P, Jones G, Bradley R, Kwan J. Cherryman F. Palmer C, Nyhof-Young J. Helping Learners in Difficulty – The Incidence and Effectiveness of Remedial Programs of the Medical Radiation Sciences Program at University of Toronto and the Michener Institute for Applied Sciences. Annals, Academy of Medicine, Singapore September 36(9):725-34.

Jones J, Nyhof-Young J, Moric J, Jusko Friedman A, Wells W, Catton P. Identifying motivations and barriers to patient participation in clinical trials. Journal of Cancer Education. 21(4) 237-242 (C-PA), 2007.

Harnett N, Palmer C, Bolderston A, Catton P. The scholarly therapist part one: Charting the territory. Journal of Radiotherapy in Practice, June 2008. Vol. 7:2; pgs. 99–104.

Bolderston A, Harnett N, Palmer C, Wenz, J, Catton P. The scholarly therapist part two: Developing an academic practice – The Princess Margaret Hospital Experience. Journal of Radiotherapy in Practice, June 2008. Vol. 7:2; pgs. 105–111.

Kwan J, Childs R, Cherryman F, Palmer C, Catton P. Admission criteria and student success in a Medical Radiation Sciences Program. Journal of Allied Health, Fall 2009, Volume 38, Number 3.

Wiljer D, Urowitz S, Apatu, Leonard K, Quartey N, Catton P. Understanding the support needs of patients accessing test results online. Journal of Health Information Management. 2009

Wiljer D, Urowitz S, Frasca E, Nyhof-Young J, Secord S, Walton, T, Catton P. The role of a clinician-led reflective interview on improving self-efficacy in breast cancer patients. Journal of Cancer Education. 2009

Jones JM, Cheng T, Jackman M, Walton T, Rodin G, Catton P. Predictors of distress in women completing adjuvant treatment for early breast cancer. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology 2009 .