A new era of PYNK: Reflecting on its success and the road ahead
In 2004, Dr. Ellen Warner attended a conference that opened her eyes to the unique needs of young women diagnosed with breast cancer. As a result, Dr. Warner created and became the inaugural director of PYNK: Young Women with Breast Cancer (PYNK) at Sunnybrook’s Odette Cancer Centre, a first of its kind program in Canada to support the physical, mental, research and educational needs of women under 40 with breast cancer.
Twenty years later, Dr. Warner is retiring after a dedicated career. Following in her footsteps, Dr. Jennifer Leigh, a medical oncologist who has devoted her career thus far to caring for patients with breast cancer stepped into the role of director of the PYNK program as of September 1, 2025.
When Dr. Leigh began her residency at the University of Ottawa, she became aware of the lack of programs designed specifically for young adults with cancer. Passionate about the need for support for young women, she began a fellowship in Mount Sinai Hospital’s PYNK program, which launched simultaneously at the Juravinski Cancer Centre at Hamilton Health Sciences in 2022.
“Precision oncology and care for young people with cancer, is an area that still needs more support and research,” says Dr. Leigh. “We’ve made tremendous strides under Dr. Warner’s leadership and I’m truly looking forward to what’s to come, including expanding access to this specialized care and leading research.”
In the past two decades, the team of medical oncologists, physician assistants, social workers and other clinicians from the PYNK program at Sunnybrook have cared for over 350 patients, and that works continues.
As Dr. Leigh looks ahead, she is hoping to build on the important work that was led by Dr. Warner to expand the program, so that more woman across Ontario can have access to this care in their communities, and to conduct more research. Specifically, Dr. Leigh and her team are looking to uncover the causes for why young women get breast cancer in the first place and the effectiveness and side effects of treatments in this population.
In addition, Dr. Leigh envisions expanding the PYNK program to better support the health needs of breast cancer patients both during and after treatment—particularly in the area of sexual health, an often-overlooked side-effect from breast cancer treatments.
“The impacts of breast cancer on sexual health are an underrecognized need,” says Dr. Leigh. “Changes in desire, pain and difficulty with arousal can all result from the hormonal effects of treatment. With the right support, much can be done to help survivors both during treatment and beyond.”
