Lynda Balneaves

When Lynda Balneaves set out to study complementary medicine and cancer patients, it was challenging to find flexible funding for research that doesn’t fit within the paradigm of conventional medicine and needs to take place as a comprehensive program in a clinical setting.

“We needed unrestricted funding and clinical connections that would allow us to create a platform to get our project off the ground,” said Balneaves, Associate Professor in the UBC School of Nursing. 

The Lotte and John Hecht Memorial Foundation, which is specifically interested in investigations of complementary medicine, provided Balneaves with a $1 million grant that enabled Balneaves to work directly with health care professionals and patients at the BC Cancer Agency.

As Principal Investigator of the Complementary Medicine Education and Outcomes (CAMEO) Program, Balneaves and her team are bringing evidence about complementary medicine in lay language to patients at the BC Cancer Agency, who are making important decisions about their treatment and care.

“The foundation funding shifted everything,” said Balneaves. “It increased the visibility and accelerated our research in the field by five to 10 years. It’s incredible.”

The CAMEO team also has the flexibility to respond to emerging needs, for example testing an iPhone application for looking up interactions between therapies.

“We can broaden our perspective,” said Balneaves. “The foundation funding allows us to be innovative.”