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Become a Patient Family Advisor on this Project

Thank you for your interest to join this project as a Patient Family Advisor, sometimes also referred to as patient partners.

To learn more about becoming a Patient Family Advisor with this project, you can read this document: Patient Family Advisor Position Description

Our health care system learns from your experience. 

Official Project Title: Patient care navigation for people living with prolonged incurable cancer.

Project description: The Nova Scotia Health Cancer Care Program is working on a project focused on people who are living with prolonged, chronic, or advanced, incurable cancer while receiving treatments (often targeted treatments). These patients face unique barriers to care/gaps in care associated with living with an incurable disease, but due to their prolonged survival, they also face issues that may traditionally be related to survivorship.

We are looking to partner with people with lived experience of prolonged incurable cancer to be a patient partner on this project. The role of the patient partner as part of the project team is to ensure that patient-identified priorities are sufficiently considered and addressed in the process of the project.

This is a paid position compensated with an annual honorarium of $400.

The project is slated to start Autumn 2024 and the first phase of the project will take about one year. The requested level of involvement in the project entails participation in team meetings, reviewing feedback  and helping us identify priorities. (total time commitment approx. 1-2 hours a month).


Nova Scotia Health has made a commitment to involve patients and families in this project.

You can fill in this form to express your interest to join the project team.

No special knowledge or skills are needed. The ideal person is someone who can use their experience as a patient or family/caregiver to help shape the care we provide.

You might like this role if:

  • You can talk about your experience to help us make improvements.
  • You can share honest points of view in a respectful way.
  • You are interested to work with a team made of health care providers, researchers and patients and families.
  • You have time to attend virtual/online meetings once a month.

Those selected will need to:

  • Be a person with personal or family/caregiver experience with a prolonged or incurable cancer.
  • Be 18 years of age or older.
  • Sign a confidentiality agreement with Nova Scotia Health.
  • Declare any potential conflicts of interest.
  • Be able to commit to attend meetings typically during business hours.

Once you fill out the form below, someone will reach out to you about next steps!

Please Note:  Current NS Health employees, Hospital Foundation members, Community Health Board members, and elected officials are not eligible to apply. NS Health is committed to being a workforce that is free of discrimination, values diversity and is representative, at all job levels, of the people we serve. Those selected to become a Patient Family Advisor on the committee will be paid an annual honorarium. 

Please contact Dr. Julia Kaal if you would like to learn more and/or are interested in being part of the project.


Julia Kaal, PhD

Embedded Scientist

Cancer Care Program

Nova Scotia Health

Phone: (902) 483-4261

Email: julia.kaal@nshealth.ca

KJuliaKaal@dal.ca

Pronouns: she/her


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5.  

How would you describe your experience with the cancer system in Nova Scotia?

* required
8.  

Your personal knowledge and experience with the cancer system is valuable to help us make patient centred improvements. 

You may be involved in conversations of a sensitive nature that remind you of your experience. You may be asked to share your experience so health providers can understand a patient’s point of view. 

Do you believe you are ready to reflect on and share your experience in a broad manner to improve cancer care for all Nova Scotians?

9.  

Have you volunteered as a Patient Family Advisor in the past?

10.  

Many Cancer Care Program meetings are Monday-Friday during business hours. 

Most are held virtually (Zoom or Teams) with occasional in person meetings. 

Are you able to attend meetings during these times?  


* required
11.  

We wish to have diverse representation from across the province to understand the needs of all Nova Scotians. Does your experience represent a diverse or underrepresented community? You do not have to self-identify.

12.  

How did you hear about this Patient Family Advisor opportunity?