Muna Al-Khaifi, Lead of Breast Cancer Survivorship Program and GP oncologist, Skin Cancer Clinic at Sunnybrook, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“With the rising number of cancer survivors, many cancer centres are now primarily focused on patients in active treatment. As a result, the responsibility for survivorship care has shifted to primary care – a setting that offers continuity, accessibility, and care closer to home.
However, medical education has not yet caught up with this shift. Cancer survivorship remains underrepresented in training curricula, leaving many future physicians underprepared to manage follow-up care, late effects, and the long-term needs of survivors. In fact, a study found that only 9% of medical students felt ready to provide survivorship care (Esplin et al., J Cancer Educ. 2020).
I’ve had the honor of integrating a Cancer Survivorship Curriculum into the Family Medicine Residency Program at Sunnybrook, which was very well received by residents. The program includes online modules, dedicated teaching sessions, and guided discussions with patient partners sharing their lived experiences.
I’m now working to expand this initiative to other Family Medicine sites across Toronto, both in academic and community settings – ensuring that the next generation of physicians is equipped to care for cancer survivors with the knowledge, confidence, and compassion they deserve.
If you’d like to learn more about the format of the program or if your site is interested in integrating a similar curriculum, please feel free to reach out.”
More posts featuring Muna Al-Khaifi on OncoDaily.