Hello Everyone,
My name is Bella and I am a grad student at Dalhousie University in a Master's of Health and Human Performance. I am extremely passionate about patient centered research, female reproductive health, and how cancer care is experienced by folks especially within gynecological oncology. My specific thesis is looking at co-designing a pre-treatment (otherwise known as prehabilitation program) for low-grade endometrial cancer patients. The idea behind this is, through exercise and nutritional programming before treatment course, we can better prepare patients to withstand treatment, "bounce back" when they are recovering from surgery, and be supported into survivorship. Essentially optimizing how we approach standard of care and how patients experience care when they are in it. I am looking for folks for the first phase of my study, which is an interview with myself regarding experiences and opinions towards exercise and nutrition counselling in a pre-treatment setting. Our conversation will act as a building blocks to creating a program that could be used in a hospital setting. Interviews can be done in person (if you reside in NS), over zoom, or on the phone! Attached is the poster for the project. I have also attached a trifold brochure that you would have received if you were in person and happened to be at a the Cancer Centre in Halifax. If you have any questions or are interested about the study, please do not hesitate to reach out (email is the easiest!).
Thank you for having me here and for sharing your stories. This is a fantastic community initiative and forum. I hope to hear from you soon.
Best,
Bella Pagotto