Advisory group renewal 2010/11

The Partnership’s advisory groups are a collaborative network of volunteer experts and members of the public established to advise the Partnership in each of its cancer control priority areas: prevention, screening, research, surveillance, the cancer journey, quality and standards, and cancer guidelines.

Members are selected through a formal recruitment, application and renewal process and include health practitioners and administrators, epidemiologists, researchers, patients and families from across Canada.  The selection process involves an open call for individuals, which is posted on the Partnership’s website, followed by a review period of applicants and then selection of new members.   The renewal process also includes a call for organizational representatives that are recruited from our partner organizations such as the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Cancer Action Network and the Public Health Agency of Canada.  Candidates are considered on the basis of geography, expertise, patient participation, community/populations and appropriate partnerships. Ideally, each person will serve on only one Advisory Group.

The 2011/2012 application process for individual expert members begins with online postings on December 1, 2010 and will close January 17, 2011. Final decisions on approved members and new member training will take place in spring 2011.  New members will be fully engaged by April 1, 2011. For more information on Advisory Groups or the selection process, please contact info@partnershipagainstcancer.ca.

• call for applications
• application process
• expectations
• list of opportunities

Deadline: Applications due Monday January 17, 2011.

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Call for applications for members

The Partnership is committed to enhancing public and stakeholder engagement and is therefore, pleased to invite applications for individual members and organizational representatives on its Advisory Groups.

Composition

As a result of this process, the Partnership seeks to complement and enrich existing expertise, experience, diversity and perspectives of the Advisory Groups. Geographic dispersion will be considered in identifying members and the voice of the patient will be incorporated on each Advisory Group.

Application process

If you are interested in becoming a member of an Advisory Group, the Partnership invites you to submit an application package no later than Monday, January 17, 2011.

Please send your application package, including:

1. Completed application form
2. Resumé or curriculum vitae

by email to Mellisa.Seagull@partnershipagainstcancer.ca no later than January 17, 2011.

Expectations of Advisory Group members

Members will be expected to attend all important Advisory Group activities and help inform direction based on experiences, with the aim for implementation of goals. Successful candidates will be expected to attend all meetings of their respective Advisory Group, which are held in cities across Canada. No remuneration is given for these positions, however, travel and expenses will be reimbursed according to policies and guidelines established by the Partnership. Members will be expected to self-identify any conflicts of interest that exist in advance of any discussion or final decisions. Time-frames for the members’ term of appointment will be determined.
Each Advisory Group member should exhibit the following characteristics:

• Excellent communicator, both written and verbal. Although the working language of Partnership Advisory Groups is English, the ability to communicate in both official languages is valued.
• Ability to collaborate with diverse individuals, in a group setting.
• Capacity to promote organizational priorities, while at the same time, being able to identify areas for collaboration and furthering common goals.
• Action and results oriented with a focus on specific project goals and objectives.
• Ability to articulate the perspective of their personal experience (in the case of an individual expert) and/or the perspective of their organization (in the case of an organizational representative).

Individual experts

Responsibilities and expectations

Each individual expert member will help inform Advisory Group activities and be any of the following:

• Viewed as a “Leader/Expert” in their field and/or;
• An individual with distinct and specialized knowledge and/or;
• A member of a distinct community or population, including the general public.

Individual expert members may also have the expertise, depth of knowledge and ability to provide one of the following perspectives:

• Articulate the perspective of a diverse Canadian population including cultural, racial or ethnic communities.
• Describe personal or first-hand knowledge and/or experiences of the cancer control continuum.
• Understand issues facing health care, health care policy and/or the current cancer control system.

Organizational representatives

Duties and responsibilities

This type of member is an appointee and representative of a partner organization. The representative members will be expected to attend all important Advisory Group activities and be authorized to speak on behalf of their organization to help inform Advisory Group direction, with the aim for collaboration of goals. As such, the individual is expected to communicate back to their organization the results (eg. decisions, discussion, etc.) of each meeting to continue the dialogue and momentum.

Appointments

All nominations will be received by the Chair and Director of each Advisory Group and the Partnership’s Senior Management Team.  Members are appointed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer.

Duration of term

New members’ terms will begin April 1, 2011 and will end March 31, 2012.

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List of opportunities and descriptions of advisory groups 

Screening portfolio

The Screening Advisory Group has a mandate to provide expert deliberation and recommendations for action on cancer screening that are

1. directed towards cancer site-specific issues – complementing the efforts of other Partnership Advisory Groups and Divisions, as well as national committees; and are
2. addressing broader cancer screening issues.

The goal of this Advisory Group is to maximize the positive impacts of cancer screening in Canada, in terms of reduced mortality, reduced morbidity and improved quality of life, while minimizing potential limitations.

The Screening Advisory Group is looking for an individual expert member that can provide the perspective of organized cancer screening programs.

Cancer Guidelines portfolio

The mandate of the Cancer Guidelines Advisory Group is to champion the optimal use of evidence for cancer control in Canada. This is accomplished by working with our partners in evidence development, adaptation and implementation across the country. Our approach to achieving our mandate within the challenging Canadian healthcare context is through capacity enhancement to attain more equitable distribution of skills related to evidence-informed decision making and practice, and the development and nurturing of sustainable pan-Canadian platforms for action.

The work of the Cancer Guidelines Advisory Group is overseen by organizational representatives from partner agencies and by individual experts related to our project foci. This group is not accepting new individual expert members at this time. However, it is looking for organizational representatives and is working with partner organizations to fill those members’ roles.

Cancer Journey portfolio

The goal of the Cancer Journey Advisory Group is to provide leadership to change the focus of cancer care so that patients’ and families’ needs are better served. Its aim is to increase the quality of life for those living with and after being diagnosed with cancer and to decrease the burden of suffering through the cancer experience. Our vision is a comprehensive, coordinated, person-focused cancer system that responds to the full range of needs of all Canadians and their families through all stages of the cancer experience.

The Cancer Journey Advisory group is not accepting new individual expert members at this time. However, it is looking for organizational representatives and is working with partner organizations to fill those members’ roles.

Research portfolio

Members of the Research Advisory Group of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer come from the Canadian Cancer Research Alliance (CCRA) and patient and family organizations. CCRA is composed of most of Canada’s largest cancer research funders as well as other key stakeholders from government and volunteer organizations. The Research Advisory Group is taking action through:

• The Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project. This long term population study is looking into the causes of cancer and chronic diseases. It will provide excellent data in the near future and leave a legacy for future research worldwide.
• A translational research initiative in collaboration with the Terry Fox Research Institute. The first project is looking into early detection of lung cancer.
• A pan-Canadian Cancer Research Strategy. This strategy is being developed now. It will build on partnerships that already exist, integrate knowledge, and create new and better ways for research groups to work together.
• The Canadian Cancer Research Survey. Each year, the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and the Canadian Cancer Research Alliance publish a report on cancer research funding based on this survey. The survey examines funding provided by governments and volunteer groups for cancer research in Canada and collects data not available from other sources.

The Research Advisory group is not accepting new individual expert members at this time. However, it is looking for organizational representatives and is working with partner organizations to fill those members’ roles.

Surveillance Advisory portfolio

The Surveillance Advisory Group has a mandate to establish an enhanced national cancer surveillance system that improves cancer control by leading the coordinated planning, development and implementation of Canadian cancer surveillance initiatives in information collection, analysis, communication and application of results. The vision of the Surveillance Advisory Group is to coordinate the development of a high quality cancer surveillance system in Canada that brings together cancer epidemiological data and cancer control information from the provinces and territories to facilitate effective planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of Canadian cancer control efforts.

The Surveillance Advisory group is not accepting new individual expert members at this time. However, it is looking for organizational representatives and is working with partner organizations to fill those members’ roles.

Primary Prevention portfolio

The goal of the Primary Prevention Advisory Group is to provide advice on the development, implementation and evaluation of a targeted action plan to advance cancer and chronic disease prevention research, practice and policy in Canada. In addition, subcommittees of the Advisory Group focused on knowledge exchange, policy and evaluation will further advise on the research to action agenda for comprehensive primary prevention.

The Primary Prevention Advisory Group has filled their membership and is not accepting new members at this time.

Quality Initiatives and System Performance portfolio

The Advisory Group for Quality Initiatives and System Performance for Cancer Control in Canada has a mandate to provide advice on the efforts to advance the system performance and quality initiatives coordinated by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. The goal of this Advisory Group is to provide input on the policy direction for the System Performance and Quality Initiative portfolio and to provide advice on the development, validation, implementation and evaluation of a targeted Action Plan to build on initial efforts in system performance and reporting, and in the development of a systematic program of quality initiatives that will enhance the cancer control health system for Canada.

The Quality Initiatives and System Performance Advisory Group has filled their membership and is not accepting new members at this time.