The Jen Johnston Prize for Research Excellence
The Jen Johnston Prize will recognize excellence in trainee research with the aim of encouraging trainees to establish careers in cancer research. The award will be offered annually and will recognize a published paper with a trainee as co- or sole first author. Applications from trainees from all levels and cancer research disciplines will be considered. The Jen Johnston Prize is currently valued at $1,500. The recipient will be invited to give a platform presentation highlighting the published research at a BHCRI-organized event. The award will alternate each year between discovery/fundamental, applied health (including population, psychosocial and behavioural) and clinical research. Information on the recipient and the recipient’s research will be publicized on BHCRI’s website and social media platforms. Information on the award will also be sent to the recipient’s home institution.
This competition is open to all current CRTP trainees or CRTP Alumni (within the last three years, from the deadline date). The trainee can be at any level of training including MSc, PhD, postdoctoral fellow or resident.
- 2025 – Discovery/Fundamental research
- 2026 – Applied Health (including population, psychosocial and behavioural)
- 2027 – Clinical research (for this award, clinical research is defined as “research in which people, data or tissue sample from people are studied to understand health and disease”)
Nominations for the 2025 prize will open spring 2025. Please download the application.
“This was taken at a sci-fi convention the year before Jen died (Jen is on the left!). Jen was one of the makeup artists for the event. This picture captures Jen’s spirit and unwavering sense of fun” – Gerry and Judy Johnston
2024 Jen Johnston Award:
Strength in Motion: The Healing Power of Exercise in Cancer Treatment
By: Hailey Stack, Department of Pharmacology, Dalhousie University
Trainee in BHCRI’s Cancer Research Training Program (CRTP)
The Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute’s Jen Johnston Prize for Research Excellence aims to recognize outstanding trainee research while encouraging the pursuance of careers in cancer research. This prize is awarded annually to acknowledge a recently published paper with a past or present CRTP trainee serving as a sole or co-first author. It was established in 2022 from memorial donations honouring Jen Johnston, the daughter of BHCRI’s former scientific director Dr. Gerry Johnston, who unfortunately lost her life to advanced-stage breast cancer in 2021. This year the Prize is awarded to Dr. Stefan Heinze for his postdoctoral research in the implementation of exercise oncology in Nova Scotia Health’s Cancer Care Program.
Two in five Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer over their lifetime. Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming, and amidst the shock and uncertainty, it’s understandable that exercise may not be top of mind. However, the field of exercise oncology has been rapidly growing, showing benefits including reduced disease and treatment-related side effects like depression, anxiety, muscle weakness and cancer-related pain, as well as a reduced risk of disease recurrence and cancer mortality.
The important role of exercise in cancer treatment has been the focus of Dr. Stefan Heinze’s research. This year’s Jen Johnston Prize for Research Excellence 2024 recipient, Dr. Heinze received both his MSc in Kinesiology and PhD in Pharmacology at Dalhousie University. Following his PhD, Heinze completed a CIHR Postdoctoral Health System Impact Fellowship, embedding the academic training of researchers within Nova Scotia’s healthcare systems to facilitate positive change. Heinze’s position was split between Nova Scotia Health’s Cancer Care Program and Dalhousie University’s Physical Activity and Cancer (PAC) Lab, supervised by Dr. Helmut Hollenhorst and Dr. Scott Grandy. “Working with Stefan has been an amazing experience,” Dr. Grandy, Heinze’s postdoctoral supervisor expresses. Dr. Grandy commends the work Heinze completed during his postdoctoral fellowship, stating, “The work that Stefan has done with this project has moved exercise oncology into Nova Scotia’s Health System.”
Activating cancer communities through an exercise strategy for survivors: an effectiveness-implementation trial
Heinze is being recognized for the work completed during his postdoctoral fellowship which focused on exercise oncology and its implementation into a standard of care in Nova Scotia. His published work is centred around an effectiveness-implementation trial, called Activating Cancer Communities through an Exercise Strategy for Survivors (ACCESS), used to provide exercise programing and strategies, while investigating barriers for those living with or beyond cancer. This involved a 12-week supervised exercise program, designed to fit each individual participant’s health and fitness needs. Individuals would exercise either in the PAC Lab, located in the QEII Health Sciences Centre, with a community partner site, or through virtual care. “We found that the ACCESS program was effective at improving not only physical fitness but also very importantly, it helped reduce cancer-related fatigue, improve overall wellbeing and sleep, as well as reducing negative emotional states,” says Heinze. “I designed an action framework describing the provision of exercise oncology which was endorsed by the senior leadership council of the Cancer Care program,” a crucial step in the implementation process. Given that there is no exercise oncology program embedded within supportive cancer care in Nova Scotia, Heinze states, “This was a big step for us to advance our health system and provide valuable exercise oncology services that make meaningful differences.”
As a person who has experienced a loved one being affected by cancer, Heinze has seen firsthand the positive impacts that engaging with physical activity and exercise can have on one’s cancer journey. For Heinze, this was “inspiring to me and reflected a broader message that exercise oncology gives agency to people with a disease that can be all-consuming. The social connections and positive emotions that come from participating in exercise oncology are important on so many levels of health and wellbeing.”
“When an opportunity arose from Dr. Scott Grandy to complete a fellowship promoting exercise oncology following the end of my PhD, I jumped at the chance,” Heinze states, speaking about his postdoctoral fellowship opportunity.
Dr. Grandy notes, “I reached out to Stefan because I thought this was an amazing opportunity for him; it really aligned with his goals. I have known him for a long time, he has a real passion fo science, research, and exercise.”
Heinze’s postdoctoral fellowship offered the synergy to work between academic and clinical science settings, allowing for its application and implementation into cancer care protocols. “This was a way for me to help make a difference for people like my father, helping individuals that need support to engage with physical activity and exercise, who may not have that opportunity otherwise.”
Following his fellowship, Heinze has since enrolled in Dalhousie University’s Medical School, where he is currently a first-year medical student. “I aspire to be a clinician scientist, and help people maintain or regain independence after being affected by chronic diseases like cancer,” he says. “Becoming a physician is an important step for me to help give back to society, using my passion for health to make a positive impact.” While studying in his first-year at medical school, Heinze is staying connected in a volunteer capacity to the exercise oncology work he began in his Health System Fellowship with the PAC Lab.
“I am incredibly grateful for the chance to work with the PAC lab and its directors, Dr. Melanie Keats and Dr. Scott Grandy, who really helped pioneer the implementation of exercise oncology in Nova Scotia,” says Heinze. “I am likewise thankful for the support and guidance of multiple people from the Cancer Care Program, especially Dr. Helmut Hollenhorst and Judy Purcell, who were invaluable resources to my work.” “Stefan’s work to develop an action framework to guide the implementation of exercise oncology programming into cancer care in Nova Scotia is truly ground-breaking,” said Dr. Helmut Hollenhorst, Senior Medical Director, Nova Scotia Cancer Care Program. “Developed in collaboration with Cancer Care Program leaders, cancer researchers, patient family advisors and others, the framework was applauded and endorsed by our provincial Cancer Care Council as a roadmap to move exercise oncology into cancer care operations in a systematic and sustainable way. I am so very pleased Dr. Heinze’s work is being recognized in this way.” For his part, Dr. Grandy believes that the Jen Johnston Prize for Research Excellence is an amazing recognition for the outstanding research Heinze has conducted during his postdoctoral fellowship, promoting this research in the BHCRI community, exemplifying the difference that Heinze has made.
Heinze expresses immense gratitude to the BHCRI for their support throughout his postdoctoral fellowship. BHCRI offers a place for researchers and clinicians to connect and collaborate, with many trainee opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows through the cancer research training program (CRTP). “It was a delight to be involved with the Cancer Research Training Program, providing me with the opportunity to expand my knowledge of cancer research while helping give back to the cancer research community by acting as a mentor,” he says. He adds that it is an incredible honour to receive the 2024 Jen Johnston Award, as it allows him to share the story of the ACCESS program while channeling the values Jen embodied and push for improvements in how our health system can better support people affected by cancer.
“Long before Jen’s cancer diagnosis, she showed herself to be a remarkably optimistic person who believed that any goal was possible. When Jen was dealing with breast cancer her optimism did not desert her; she still talked about every aspect of life with great humour and optimism, that could only be described as relentless,”, says Jen’s parents Gerry and Judy. “Jen’s optimism, perseverance, and sense of purpose are attributes that every researcher also needs to adopt. Jen would be proud to have her name attached to the research conducted by those awarded the Jen Johnston Prize; celebrating all the dedicated individuals conducting cancer research.”
LtoR: Judy Johnston, Scott Grandy, Stefan Heinze, Gerry Johnston (photo credit: Danny Abriel, Dalhousie Marketing and Communications)
2023 Jen Johnston Award:
Dalhousie Alumna recipient of Research Excellence Award for her research on fear of cancer recurrence in survivors of childhood cancer
Kathleen Varty, CRTP Trainee, University of New Brunswick
In Canada alone, more than 800 children under the age of 15 are diagnosed with cancer each year. Thanks to advances in cancer research, more than 80% survive. Many of these young survivors face the fear that their cancer may recur – a fear that can cause psychological distress, heightened vigilance toward bodily symptoms, and increased utilization of outpatient and emergency services.
The Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute’s Jen Johnston Prize for Research Excellence aims to recognize outstanding trainee research and encourage trainees to pursue careers in cancer research. This annual award acknowledges a published paper with a trainee as either the co-first author or sole first author. The award was established in 2022 from memorial donations honouring Jen Johnston, daughter of BHCRI’s former Scientific Director, Dr. Gerry Johnston. Jen tragically lost her life to advanced breast cancer in 2021.
This year’s recipient is Dr. Perri Tutelman, a PhD graduate from Dalhousie University’s psychology department. Currently, Perri is a postdoctoral fellow in psychosocial oncology at the University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services. Dr. Christine Chambers, Perri’s PhD supervisor, commends Perri for bringing numerous attributes to the team, including perseverance, genuine concern for children, and a willingness to embrace new approaches.
Advancing our understanding of survivorship issues in a pediatric population
Perri is being awarded for a component of her PhD research, which focused on pain and the fear of cancer recurrence in children. Her published work centres around the development and validation of a questionnaire that assesses fear of cancer recurrence in survivors of childhood cancer and their parents. “Fear of cancer recurrence likely affects childhood cancer survivors and their parents too, but there has been little research in these populations.”, says Perri. She goes on to explain, “One of the main reasons for the lack of research on fear of cancer recurrence in child survivors is that no questionnaires have been developed to accurately measure fear of cancer recurrence in this unique age group. The goals of this project were to develop two questionnaires: one to measure fear of cancer recurrence in survivors of childhood cancer between the ages of 8-18 years, and another to measure fear of cancer recurrence in parents of childhood cancer survivors.” Christine Chambers, Perri’s PhD supervisor states, “Perri’s research on pain in childhood cancer survivors plays a vital role in advancing our understanding of survivorship issues and informs evidence-based practices aimed at improving the well-being and quality of life of children after cancer treatment.”
Perri has always possessed a keen interest in working with children, particularly those facing medical conditions. Growing up in Vancouver, she volunteered at Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, the first freestanding children’s hospice in North America. Through this experience, Perri developed a profound appreciation for assisting children and families navigating incredibly challenging circumstances due to life-limiting or life-threatening illnesses. Perri reflected saying, “From that experience I knew that I wanted to dedicate my life to both helping support kids and their families going through cancer, but also on a larger scale by contributing to research that would advance their care.”
At the beginning of her PhD journey, Perri sought to explore the connection between pain and the fear children face of cancer recurrence. While fear of cancer recurrence is an established construct with validated measurement tools for adults, Perri acknowledges the complexities of adapting these measures to children. She notes, “For children who have gone through cancer there are many developmental factors that come into play that effect the child’s understanding of their experience.”
As a clinician and researcher, Perri places great importance on ensuring her work yields tangible outcomes beyond publication, ultimately enhancing the lives of patients and their families. She remarks, ” Psychologists hear of fear of recurrence all the time. This is a huge issue that we hear patients talk about, but up until now we had no way to quantify it in children and see how they are doing and measure their symptoms.”
Patients and patient partners both play a critical role in Perri’s research. Maya Stern and Julia MacLeod, two patient partners, are co-authors of the study. Perri emphasizes their integral contributions at all stages of the research, stating, “It is important to acknowledge their valuable input.” “To me, being a part of Perri’s research brought a sense of realism to the work. Being able to ask, ‘what does this mean to me as a patient?’ brought new context/considerations to the data and findings at every stage of the research.”, says Julia.
Perri expresses immense gratitude to the BHCRI for their support throughout her PhD, which has propelled her into a career she feels passionate about. Her PhD experience was a collaborative effort, involving numerous contributors from her supervisor, and other BHCRI scientists including Dr. Conrad Fernandez and Dr. Robin Urquhart. It is also deeply meaningful for Perri to receive the Jen Johnston award as it allows her to continue her work with adolescents and young adults, carrying on Jen’s legacy.
“Throughout Jen’s experience with cancer, she exhibited great optimism, resilience and an abiding appreciation for the skill and dedication of the many health professionals that provided care.”, says Jen’s parents Gerry and Judy. “Jen recognized the need for research into all aspects of cancer care and we know that Jen would be pleased and proud of both Perri and the research to which she is so passionately committed.”
The Jen Johnston Award
The Jen Johnston Award was established by in memoriam donations to BHCRI following Jen’s death. The award is to recognize excellence in research by a trainee (current or past) in BHCRI’s Cancer Research Training Program. The evaluation criteria for the award encompasses the excellence of the scientific work, potential impact on patient care, innovation, dissemination, outreach, and knowledge mobilization. The award will be formally presented at the annual BHCRI Workshop in October, where Perri will deliver a platform presentation highlighting the published research.
2022 Jen Johnston Award:
MC Wasson, The First Jen Johnston Prize Winner
— By Maria Laura Todesco, Public Relations student, Nova Scotia Community College
One in eight Canadian women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime. Every day, promising new research is adding to our understanding of this disease, leading to better diagnosis and treatments. So, when Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute (BHCRI) scientific director Dr. Gerry Johnston and his wife Judy lost their only daughter Jen to advanced breast cancer last year, they could think of no better way to honour Jen’s legacy than by asking family and friends to donate to BHCRI.
Months later, BHCRI created the Jen Johnston Prize for Research Excellence from memorial donations to honour and celebrate her life.
The inaugural winner of the Prize is Marie-Claire Wasson, a Dalhousie University graduate student in Pathology.
Wasson is a knowledgeable and kind person, appreciated by peers, colleagues and teachers. She enjoys being in contact with people and is motivated by understanding how cancer affects the whole family’s lives, not just researching it.
Wasson’s research focuses on discovering new treatments to improve the survival of triple-negative breast cancer patients. This involves researching new classes of molecules, termed long non-coding RNAs, that have been minimally studied but are proving to be potentially important in cancer treatment. In the future, drugs that inhibit these cancer-promoting molecules could be developed to stop the growth and spread of cancer.
“By looking at a greater option of molecules to target with therapies, we might find a better treatment for cancer,” Wasson said. “I really hope to highlight this class of molecules and show that they’re really important for breast cancer progression.”
The Jen Johnston Prize has special meaning for BHCRI. The entire BHCRI family knew Jen as a beloved and exceptional person whose three-year battle with advanced breast cancer did not deter her dedication to raising awareness and her commitment to ‘putting out a hand’ in raising funds for cancer research.
“Jen would say ‘thank you and keep going’ because she recognized the tremendous amount of effort that goes into cancer research,” said Dr. Gerry Johnston. “She was a ‘go-getter’. She was very joyful and optimistic, and she just didn’t let (cancer) get her down. You have to have that kind of personality and attitude, that’s critical, to do research in cancer treatment.”
This annual prize recognizes excellence in trainee research from all levels and cancer research disciplines to encourage trainees to establish careers in cancer research. The evaluation criteria include the excellence of the science, potential impact on the care of patients, innovation, and dissemination, outreach, and knowledge mobilization. The award is currently valued at $1,500 and will be presented at the annual BHCRI Workshop in May, where Wasson will give a platform presentation highlighting the published research.
Dr. Paola Marcato, her supervisor, believes Wasson’s work can impact the scientific community and is grateful to guide and mentor her. “She is self-motivated, driven, intuitive and creative,” said Dr. Marcato. “Prizes in honor of someone like Jen Johnston motivate students to keep going and working hard. The recognition of their work lets students know their work is valued.”
Wasson hopes to start medical school after the completion of her doctoral degree. Those who have watched her career, like Dr. Marcato, know that she has the ability to apply research, computer science and medicine to ask the right questions and take care of cancer patients, which will make her a better physician. According to Dr. Marcato, “MC is an amazing student and I’m excited to see the things she will do because this is just the beginning for her.”
Pictured below, MC with Judy and Gerry Johnston.
