Dr. Samantha Mayo appointed RBC Financial Group Chair in Oncology Nursing Research

16 October 2019

Bloomberg Nursing Assistant Professor Dr. Samantha Mayo has been appointed to the RBC Financial Group Chair in Oncology Nursing Research, effective September 1, 2019. This Chair is supported jointly through affiliations with the University Health Network, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Mayo received her Honours Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto, after which she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Nursing and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the University of Toronto.  She started her nursing career working in the Bone Marrow Transplant program at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. She went on to contribute to the development of clinical practice guidelines at the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO), and has since taken on a number of roles at the University Health Network, contributing to clinical and research projects aimed at enhancing care for cancer patients.

Dr. Mayo’s research centers on optimizing the long-term health of cancer survivors by understanding patterns and predictors of late and long-term effects, investigating biological mechanisms and designing interventions to mitigate the negative impacts of these effects.  To date, her work has focused primarily on understanding how cancer-related cognitive impairment (“chemobrain”) affects individuals treated for blood cancers.

Her work has been supported by the Canadian Blood and Marrow Transplant Group, Sigma Theta Tau International/Canadian Nurses Foundation, Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology, the Oncology Nursing Foundation, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.  She has been the recipient of the Research Career Development Award from the Oncology Nursing Foundation and the New Tenure Stream Faculty Contribution Award from the Council of Ontario University Programs in Nursing.

Dr. Mayo’s goals as Chairholder include:

  • Establishing a multi-pronged research program addressing the clinical population of survivors of hematological malignancies, for whom the long-term physical and psychosocial needs have yet to be fully understood;
  • Developing and testing novel methods of mitigating long-term effects of treatment to optimize the quality of life for blood cancer survivors;
  • Enhancing cancer-nursing research by supporting novice nurse researchers, building relationships with clinical teams and translational researchers, and continuing a patient-centered outcomes research agenda.

Princess Margaret Nursing Research and Bloomberg Nursing have had a strong collaborative partnership and a rich tradition of excellence in research on oncology care, and Dr. Mayo’s expertise and leadership will enhance the national and international visibility of our research accomplishments, engage external partners, and attract trainees from around the world.