ISSUE NO. 23 | MARCH 2023 THE DIVISION OF MEDICAL ONCOLOGY & HEMATOLOGY
NEWSLETTER
MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF
Welcome to Our New Staff
Greetings members of the
Division of Medical Oncology and Dr. Long Viet Nguyen joined DMOH as a Medical
Hematology. Oncologist Clinician Scientist supporting the Breast
Disease Site at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.
I would like to welcome you Prior to this he was an Honorary Clinical Fellow in
to our March 2023 issue! I am Medical Oncology at the Cambridge University Hospitals
pleased to highlight our many NHS Foundation Trust, a Clinical Research Associate at
milestones and achievements in the University of Cambridge and an ESMO & ASCO Post-
the past month. In the next few doctoral Research Fellow in the Caldas lab at the CRUK
pages, you will read about: Cambridge Institute. He completed his Postgraduate
Medical Education in Internal Medicine and Medical
• New staff
Oncology at the University of Toronto and his Doctor
• Meet the Wellness Team of Medicine/Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Experimental Medicine
at the University of British Columbia. Outside of academia, he enjoys swimming,
• Outstanding awards & skiing, and traveling around Europe. His favourite trip recently was to Malta where
accomplishments he swam in the Blue Lagoon off the island of Comino.
• Research Achievements
Meet the Wellness Team
• Staff spotlights
• Upcoming events DMOH has a Wellness Team that meets every 1-2 months and is chaired by Dr.
Please feel free to share this Michelle Nadler, DMOH Wellness Team Lead. Members of this team include
newsletter with colleagues. We James Austin, Christina Gulesserian, Alex Volenik, Ron Burkes, Jessica
also welcome your feedback, Danquash, Anca Prica, Santhosh Thyagu, Sabrina Stajer, Abhenil Mittal,
content, and suggestions for Zelyn Lee, and Abigail Forbes. If you would like to join this committee or have
future issues. any wellness resources to share, please email [email protected].
Happy reading,
Amit Oza
Michelle Nadler James Austin Christina Alex Volenik
Gulesserian
Ron Burkes Jessica Danquash Anca Prica Santhosh Thyagu
Sabrina Stajer Abhenil Mittal Zelyn Lee Abigail Forbes
DMOH Newsletter PAGE 1
STAFF ACHIEVEMENTS
Congratulations to Dr. Steven
Chan for receiving the 2022
Canadian Hematology Society
Early Career Award. In this
article, he talks about his scien-
Best Advice DMOH Staff tific discoveries and what moti-
vates him to continue doing
Have Received cancer research. For details click
here.
You can also find the story
promoted on social media channels: LinkedIn, Insta-
Dr. Ivan Pasic gram, and Twitter.
Always say the truth.
Marisona Almazan
Live it Up! You only live
once. Nothing is IMPOS-
SIBLE…The word itself
says "I’M POSSIBLE".
(quote from Audrey Congratulations to Drs. Helena Dhamko, Eitan
Hepburn). Amir and Neesha Dhani for making it to the top
doctors 2023 list published in the North Toronto
Post. A total of 360 physicians in 44 specialties were
Erika Giovannetti chosen by their peers.
Seek out situations and
opportunities that intimi-
date you.
Evelina Tomas
Do what makes you Physician
happy!
Health Program
The PHP welcomes self-referrals
Thuvaragah from medical students, residents,
Somaskantha physicians and veterinarians in
Do not live your life to Ontario who may have concerns
about their health and well-
satisfy the desires of
others. Live your life the being. Their confidential services
way that makes you the are here to assist those experi-
most happy and satisfied. encing distress, substance use or
mental health issues that can have
personal or professional impact.
Call the confidential PHP
number toll free at 1-800-851-
6606 from 8:45 am to 5:00 PM.
Email: [email protected]
DMOH Newsletter | March 2023 PAGE 2
STAFF ACHIEVEMENTS
Staff Shoutout
Feedback from a patient’s family: “Please let Dr. Bhella know that Baycrest just notified
me that [patient] passed away peacefully this morning. His family and I are very grateful
for the excellent care Dr. Bhella and all of you gave him. I am sure I have no idea all that
was done for him but what I experienced was compassionate, responsive and expert care
from Dr. Bhella, you and every team member I interacted with, even as our health care
system is strained beyond the breaking point….Up until the last week or so [the patient]
had an excellent quality of life thanks to Dr. Bhella and her team’s excellent care”.
Words of Wisdom
from the Weekly DMOH
Admin Huddle
When people feel
World's Best Hospitals safe enough to raise
Congratulations, TeamUHN – Toronto General (TG) has their hands and say
been named one of the world’s top five hospitals for
a fourth straight year. The acknowledgment comes in "I made a mistake"
a new global ranking from Newsweek magazine and
global data firm Statista, which ranked Toronto General
fifth. TG is the only Canadian hospital listed in the top or "I need some
tier and, as a source of great pride, the top publicly
funded hospital in the world. This prestigious recogni-
tion is only possible because of the hard work and dedi- help." the leader has
cation of TeamUHN members who live our mission to
build A Healthier World each day. Learn more about created an environ-
this recognition from UHN News.
ment where people
feel safe to be them-
selves.
DMOH Newsletter | March 2023 PAGE 3
STAFF ACHIEVEMENTS
Notable Research Achievements
Congratulations to Dr. Neesha Dhani, Dr. Stephanie
Lheureux, Dr. Amit Oza, Valarie Bowering, Ainhoa Congratulations to Drs. Jesús Fuentes-Antrás, Sofia
Madariaga, Swati Garg, Angela Rodriguez, Lucy Chan, Genta, Abi Vijenthira, and Lillian Siu for their paper
and Smitha Udagani for their paper “Clinical outcome “Antibody–drug conjugates: in search of partners of
and biomarker assessments of a multi-centre phase II choice” published in Trends in Cancer.
trial assessing niraparib with or without dostarlimab in
recurrent endometrial carcinoma” published in Nature
Communications.
Congratulations to Dr. Lawson Eng, Dr. Geoffrey Liu,
Dr. Philip Bedard, Dr. Monika Krzyzanowska, and
Melanie Powis for their paper “Impact of Antibiotic Expo-
sure Before Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Treatment on
Overall Survival in Older Adults With Cancer: A Population-
Based Study” published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
This was among the most talked-about JCO articles with 155
mentions on Twitter.
DMOH Newsletter | March 2023 PAGE 4
STAFF ACHIEVEMENTS
Harnessing MSLN-CAR T Cells for Ovarian Cancer
Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell therapy is a treatment in which the immune system’s T cells
are genetically modified to increase their capacity to attack tumour cells. In the study published in
the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, CAR T cell therapy directed towards ovarian tumour was
shown to be an effective treatment in mice with ovarian cancer. This study will hopefully will pave the
way for a clinical trial using CAR T cell treatment in patients with advanced ovarian cancer.
CAR T cell therapy is a relatively new type of immunotherapy. Patient’s immune cells (known as T
cells) are collected from the blood and modified in the laboratory where a new gene that encodes
for a synthetic receptor called a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) is introduced into the T cells. CAR
receptors, expressed on the surface of T cells, redirect T cells to molecules present on the surface of
tumour cells. When CAR T cells are infused into patients, CAR T cells can then specifically target, bind
and attack cancer cells like guided missiles.
CAR T cell therapy is currently available for patients with blood cancer, but CAR T cell therapy has so far proved largely ineffec-
tive against solid tumours due to the solid tumor environment that is unfavorable for the immune system.
Despite many improvements, the prognosis for women with ovarian cancer is still poor and new treatments are urgently
needed. The aim of this study was to assess in a preclinical model if CAR T cells targeting mesothelin could treat mice with
ovarian cancer. The mesothelin molecule is present on the cell surface of many ovarian tumours.
In this study, three different types of CAR T cells, all targeting mesothelin positive tumor cells, were tested and compared. All
three types of CAR T cells significantly prolonged the lives of mice with ovarian cancer compared to mice in the control group.
Treatment with M1xx CAR T cells proved the most efficacious. Mice that were injected with M1xx CAR T cells saw a reduction
in tumour size and lived longer than mice treated with the other CAR T cells. In several mice, there were no tumor cells left
detected and the effect lasted over three months after the treatment started. This is evidence that immunotherapy involving
CAR T cells targeting the mesothelin protein is a promising treatment for ovarian cancer.
Publication
Tuned activation of MSLN-CAR T cells induces superior anti-tumor responses in ovarian cancer models. Esther Schoutrop,
Thomas Poiret, Ibrahim El Serafi, Ying Zhao, Rui He, Alina Moter, Johan Henriksson, Moustapha Hassan, Isabelle Magalhaes,
Jonas Mattsson. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer 2023;11:e005691. doi:10.1136/ jitc-2022-005691.
DMOH Newsletter DMOH Communications Contributors
ISSUE NO. 23 | MARCH 2023 Team & Content Advisors Amit Oza
Christina Gulesserian Cameron Sharpe
produced by the Division of Medical Michelle Williams Keith Stewart
Oncology and Hematology at the James Austin Jeffrey Ho
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Schenell Rosario Jennifer Ryan
Jonas Mattsson
Please forward submissions and comments to Michelle Nadler
[email protected] Natasha Leighl
Nina Vakharia
DMOH Newsletter | March 2023 PAGE 5
INFECTION PREVENTION & CONTROL REMINDERS
Did You Wash Your Hands?
Princess Margaret has been experiencing two concerning trends lately, and Infection Prevention and
Control wanted to highlight some key reminders.
Both C. difficile and VRE activity have been significantly increasing over the past two quarters.
Hand hygiene at Princess Margaret took a significant decline last quarter, with Princess Margaret being the
poorest performing UHN site when it comes to moment 1 of hand hygiene, which is disappointing given
the nature of our patient population. Physician compliance was notably down so we ask for your increased
attention to this matter. Please take a moment to refresh your understanding of the guidelines below.
1. Hand hygiene must be performed before interacting with the patient/patient environment.
• Even if you do not enter the room with intentions on physically touching the patient,
you MUST perform hand hygiene before entering the patient room as no one knows
what will actually be required once in the patient's presence.
2. Moment 2 of hand hygiene must be performed before performing aseptic procedures, such
as accessing/inserting a central line, inserting catheters etc.
3. Moment 3 of hand hygiene must be performed after any exposures to blood/bodily fluids
• Remember that if your hands are visibly soiled, you MUST use soap and water as
Alcohol-based hand rub will not remove organic material.
4. Moment 4 of hand hygiene must be performed after leaving the patient/their environment.
Whenever you leave a patient's room you must perform hand hygiene
5. You must perform hand hygiene immediately before donning and immediately after doffing
gloves. Gloves are NOT a replacement for hand hygiene.
Thank you for your time and for your continued dedication to patient safety. Please reach out to your Infec-
tion Control Practitioner should you have any questions.
Make Hand-
Washing A
Healthy Habit
DMOH Newsletter | March 2023 PAGE 6
STAFF SPOTLIGHTS
Meet DMOH's Hospitalists
Get to Know
Dr. Jeffrey Ho
Dr. Jeffrey Ho grew up in Toronto, the son of two loving parents, along with his brother. He went overseas
for medical school in Dublin, Ireland, followed by post-graduate training in internal medicine and infectious
diseases in Springfield, MA and Rochester, NY. He moved back to Toronto in the summer of 2020 in the
middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. After completing a 6-month hospital medicine fellowship at UHN/Mt.
Sinai, he started working part-time at Princess Margaret as a hospitalist in October 2021. He also work at
North York General Hospital in the Department of Medicine.
What do you like most about your job?
It is meaningful work to serve patients and their families in their time of need. I also love the collegial and
collaborative environment here at Princess Margaret. It’s a joy to work with the other hospitalists, oncologists,
specialists, nurses, unit managers, clerks, pharmacists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech
language pathologists, social workers, porters, patient flow coordinators. I think we make a great team! There
are so many new things to learn in the rapidly advancing field of oncology.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
Spending time with family and friends. Tennis, bicycling, reading, singing.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself.
STAFF SPOTLIGHTS
Get to Know
Dr. Nina Vakharia
Dr. Nina Vakharia is someone who sees life as an opportunity to help
others in need. She completed medical school in India and worked as an
Ophthalmologist in rural India, where she contributed to many projects to
help reduce the backlog of preventive blindness in India. After immigrating
to Canada, she completed the Family Medicine residency program at
McMaster University. Before getting into a residency program, she worked
as a physician assistant in the Hospitalist medicine department at Michael
Garron hospital as well as completed the Hospitalist Medicine Fellowship
program from UHN.
To help diverse patient populations with complex medical illnesses,
she started working as a Hospitalist in community hospitals (Brampton
Civic Hospital and Oakville Trafalgar Memorial hospital) as well as PMH.
Hospitalist work brings sense of satisfaction, where she can bring posi-
tive change in someone’s life during their illness.
What do you like most about your job?
The most important aspect of my job, which I value a lot is the opportunity of
providing comprehensive and compassionate patient-centered care. It is not possible without an excel-
lent team that is committed to patient advocacy and clinical excellence.
What’s a fun fact about you that others may not know?
I enjoy watching comedy movies and keep watching them again and again up to the point that I remember
all the dialogues of those movies. It keeps me happy and positive.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
My favourite activity is spending time with family and friends. I love reading literature, going out for a walk,
and listening to Indian music.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
One of my medical school professors told me once: “Practice medicine by
using the perfect blend of art and science”.
EVENTS & DEADLINES
EVENTS
Date: Friday, April 21, 2023
Temerty Faculty of Medicine, 8 AM - 9 AM ET
University of Toronto Oncologist, Sunnybrook Odette Cancer
Speaker: Yoo Joung-Ko (Staff Medical
Continuing Professional Development Centre/Medical Director, Unity Health
Oncology and Endoscopy Program)
Oncology Continuing Education Title: Colon Cancer: Thymidylate Synthase
Zoom Rounds and Beyond
ZOOM Link (free; pre-registration required)
BEST OF GU & GI CANCER CONFERENCE 2023 RE-ENVISIONING THE DELIVERY OF CANCER
CARE IN CANADA
Chaired by Dr. Scott Berry and Prof. Srikala Sridhar,
this exclusive international in-person and virtual Join Dr. Scott Berry and Dr. Sharlene Gill at this
flagship event will present a summary of the most in-person only unaccredited symposium that
significant treatment advances in Genitourinary and preludes the 2023 CAMO Annual Scientific Meeting.
Gastrointestinal malignancies presented at major Our expert panel take a practical approach with
international events in 2022 and 2023. a lens of EDI, (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion), and
speakers will explore Workforce Planning, Models of
Date: April 14, 2023 Care and Technology. The symposium will be held in
Downtown Toronto and will bring together a diverse
Registration Link panel to discuss The Future of Oncology in Canada.
Date: April 26, 2023
Registration Link
DMOH Newsletter | March 2023 PAGE 9
EVENTS & DEADLINES
HYBRID TORONTO INTERNATIONAL
SARCOMA SYMPOSIUM
We are happy to announce Toronto International
Sarcoma Symposium 2023 which will be held in
person at Arcadian Court on May 31 to June 1, 2023.
Please stay tuned for more details and email abha.
UHN is able to offer a time-limited free offering ($89 [email protected] or [email protected]
value) for up to 400 clinicians to enroll in VitalTalk for more details.
Mobile, an online CME-accredited course from one of
the most evidence-based communication programs Date: May 31 to June 1, 2023
worldwide. This course teaches a practical approach
to giving a medical update, addressing goals of care, Registration Link
and addresses how to avoid common communica-
tion pitfalls that clinicians experience daily in practice.
Sign up online and learn on your own time and at
your own pace, on your phone, tablet or computer.
Click here to learn more about the course and click
here to view the poster. Use promo code UHNMo-
bile23 for free access.
Please email [email protected] if you
have any questions.
CAMO ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC MEETING Let’s participate at the Princess Margaret Journey to
Conquer Cancer taking place on Sunday, June 18,
Date: April 27, 2023 at 7AM-5PM 2023. We would encourage everyone to register to
walk or run 1K, 3K, or 5K.
Location: 101 College Street, MaRS Centre (Audi-
torium) Registration is $35 but you can use the Promo Code
“UHNSAVE” to save $5. This is a great event for all
Registration Link ages, and kids under 12 can register for free.
Date: June 18, 2023
Registration Link
DMOH Newsletter | March 2023 PAGE 10
EVENTS & DEADLINES
SUPPORT TEAM MO IN T.O. AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR CANCER
RESEARCH ANNUAL MEETING
We have exciting U of T news to share!
In support of the World Wildlife Fund, the Univer- ADVANCING THE FRONTIERS OF CANCER
sity of Toronto, Division of Medical Oncology SCIENCE AND MEDICINE
Faculty, and Trainees from across the GTA are
lacing up to climb all 1,776 steps up to the top of the The AACR Annual Meeting is the focal point of the
C.N. Tower! This event will take place on Sunday, April cancer research community, where scientists, clini-
16, 2023. cians, other health care professionals, survivors,
patients, and advocates gather to share the latest
Please click here to support team MO in T.O. (or a advances in cancer science and medicine. From
specific team member)! population science and prevention; to cancer biology,
translational, and clinical studies; to survivorship and
If you would like to join our team, please contact advocacy; the AACR Annual Meeting highlights the
[email protected] work of the best minds in cancer research from insti-
tutions all over the world.
Date: April 16, 2023
Date: April 14-19, 2023
Registration Link
COMMUNITY BASED RESEARCH CANADA
COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
Community of practice meetings actively bring
together CBRCanada members from across Canada
and beyond to engage in meaningful discussions.
All involved in community-based research are
welcome, whether you are a researcher, peer-
researcher, student, project coordinator, adminis-
trator, director, or community leader. The group meets Next Community of Practice Meetings
the second Friday every other month. The meetings are April 14, 2023 at 12-1 PM ET
one hour, informal, and participatory.
Register for Community of Practice Sessions and sign up Topic: Research Ethics with Sensitive Topics
for CBR Canada Newsletter for updates. Missed a CBR May 12, 2023 at 12-1 PM ET
Canada webinar or want to watch it again? You can find
all past webinar recordings and an infographic summary Topic: BlackBox: A glimpse into co-creating student-
of the live discussions on the CBRCanada website. community placement agreements
DMOH Newsletter | March 2023 PAGE 11