BC Cancer Foundation - Spring 2015 - (Page 8)

The Future of Prostate Cancer Care ART new head The Future of Prostate Cancer Care How Dr. Kim Chi translates research into care F Dr. Kim Chi 8 PARTNeRS IN DISCOVeRY or Dr. Kim Chi, "multi-tasking" is a familiar term. As a medical oncologist at the BC Cancer Agency, Dr. Chi treats patients with genitourinary (GU) cancers, which includes the prostate, bladder, testis, kidney and adrenal gland. He is a leading expert in prostate cancer research, which means he devotes part of his workweek to studying cancer outcomes and biomarkers and conducting clinical trials. Throughout his 15-year career at the BC Cancer Agency and the Vancouver Prostate Centre, Dr. Chi has received international recognition for his contributions to this field. When he is not busy in the lab or the clinic, Dr. Chi teaches medical students, residents and fellows, and chairs the Agency's GU Tumour Group, a multidisciplinary group of doctors, pharmacists and other health professionals responsible for defining treatment guidelines and policies for treating GU cancers across the province. Dr. Chi also believes strongly in collaboration and works with several national and international groups to conduct clinical trials across Canada and around the world. "Cancer is a huge problem," he says, "but at the same time there are a lot of good ideas to work on and no one facility can do everything. It's very important for us to collaborate with other groups to test the best ideas faster." Even with his hectic schedule, Dr. Chi's motivation to continue this important work is strong: "What attracted me first and foremost to a career in oncology was the interaction with patients and their families. Being able to help someone make the best choices for themselves and deal with all the outcomes is very rewarding," says Dr. Chi. THE CLINICIAN RESEARCHER AWARD Though accustomed to fitting research time around his many other professional duties, Dr. Chi wished for more hours to focus exclusively on "translating discoveries into treatments that benefit people in the clinic and understand what makes prostate cancers sensitive or resistant to certain treatments." In 2013, a generous pledge of $1.5 million from the Tait family put Dr. Chi's wish within reach when the BC Cancer Foundation established the first-ever peer-reviewed Clinician Researcher Awards. The goal of the competition was to provide additional

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BC Cancer Foundation - Spring 2015

Contents
Opening Thoughts
Healthy Insights
Why I Give
Researcher Profile
The Future of Prostate Cancer Care
Game-Changing Cancer Research
The Protein Link to Cancer
Legacy Giving
Regional Roundup

BC Cancer Foundation - Spring 2015