CV: Dr. Toni Barnes
Bio basics: An associate scientist in the cancer program and
discipline of clinical epidemiology
at SRI. Calgary-born, attended
Queen’s University for an undergraduate degree in biochemistry;
returned to Alberta for medical
school at the University of Calgary;
then completed residency in radiation oncology at the University of
Alberta. Completed fellowship in
palliative care at M. D. Anderson
Cancer Center at the University
of Texas, in Houston, and then
moved to Toronto for a staff job as
a radiation oncologist at the Odette
Cancer Center. Research specialty
is palliative radiotherapy.
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
A radiation oncologist—like my parents. Both of them [now retired] worked at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary.
What is your proudest achievement?
Professionally, I would have to say getting into medical school
and [publishing] my first paper in the Journal of Clinical Oncology
(in 2000).
What part of being a scientist do you enjoy the most?
Being able to do work in a field that interests me, alongside
colleagues with similar interests who are supportive of my work.
What, in your research recently, has surprised you?
That sometimes asking seemingly basic questions can yield
surprising and useful information. For example, the last study I
did looked at patients’ perception of family physician involvement
in their cancer care. That only 43% felt their family physician was
involved surprised me. And these results were pretty much identical to two previous studies—one conducted almost 20 years ago.
Patients still do not realize that their family physicians can play
an important role in their cancer care, and this in spite of interim
research that shows that family physician involvement after a
patient’s cancer diagnosis is associated with higher quality-of-life
scores, and lower rates of emergency room visits and hospital
deaths at the end of life.
At the end of it all, what would you like to have accomplished?
Apart from research, what I value most is providing excellent
clinical care to patients, especially those at the end-of-life.
If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Nothing at all.
In a perfect world, what?
Every day is sale day at Holt Renfrew.
