The CATALIS Network Draws on the Expertise of 3 Patient Partners
The CATALIS Network is delighted to rely on the support of patient partners Casandra Poitras, Raymond Vles and Catherine Wilhelmy.
Catherine Wilhelmy has been a member of the Patient Advisory Committee since its inception, while Casandra Poitras and Raymond Vles are already involved in the Patient Advisory Committee and specific projects, alongside more than thirty patient organizations.
What Is the Patient Partnership?
The Patient Partnership is a civic collaboration whose purpose is to ensure that the patient’s voice is reflected in healthcare system guidelines and decisions. Patient partners are involved in various ways (scientific popularization, governance, setting research priorities) and work closely with public healthcare institutions, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, or government agencies. Thanks to their own patient experiences (i.e. all situations experienced by individuals with a medical condition), patient partners bring a unique perspective that contributes to the continuous improvement of health care and service offerings.
3 Patient Partners in the CATALIS Network
Since her late teens, Casandra Poitras has been experiencing difficult symptoms and has had to deal with misdiagnoses. Determined to get answers about her condition and use her story to improve the patient experience, Casandra has been serving as a patient partner for several years. During the 2015 federal election, she was the youngest candidate in Canadian history. She holds a BA in political science and is now completing her Master’s at the École nationale d’administration publique. Casandra leverages her interest in public policy and her experience as a patient by participating in Montréal InVivo’s work on rare diseases. Through her firm, Conseils Zèbres Politiques, she also seeks to contribute to professionalizing the patient partner role in Quebec.
“I’ve often heard that the patient partnership isn’t for young people. However, diseases can affect anyone, not just those in certain age groups. I want to show that we can participate in the patient partnership at any age, whether we are 17, 20, 60 or 80 years old.” – Casandra Poitras
Raymond Vles has had two types of cancer in his life, both successfully treated: thyroid cancer in his thirties and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) diagnosed in his mid-fifties. He has been retired since 2020 and is actively involved in the healthcare field, serving as chair of CLL Canada’s board and facilitator of the Quebec support group for people with CLL. He is also a patient partner with the Pôle Santé HEC university platform.
“The contribution of patient partners is, above all, to assert that a patient is a full-fledged person and not simply a disease to be treated. The patient’s whole life is affected by the disease, as is that of their family and loved ones.” – Raymond Vles
Since childhood, Catherine Wilhelmy has been keenly aware of what those living with a disease and their loved ones experience. Not only were several of her family members diagnosed with cancer but she also was diagnosed with cancer in 2018. The idea of a pilot project to improve cancer research’s trajectory resulted in her joining the patient research partnership. She is now a full-time patient partner. She is involved in the Quebec SPOR learning health (Unité de soutien au système de santé apprenant (SSA)), serves as co-chair of the Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke (CHUS)’s patient partner strategic committee, and is its research centre’s patient partnership manager.
“For me, being involved means regaining power over life’s difficulties and creating meaning where it is sometimes challenging to do so. It is also my way of doing my part to help take care of the system that took care of me and my loved ones.” – Catherine Wilhelmy
