A science student’s heartfelt research and volunteer journey

Alexandria Mansfield’s head and heart were 330 kilometres apart.

She was in her fourth year of Biochemistry at McMaster while her mother was in Kingston battling cancer.

It was a long and brutal year. Alexandria says she felt lost and overwhelmed as she balanced academics and volunteering while also supporting her mom through cancer treatment – an experience that most undergraduates don’t anticipate facing. “I didn’t know how to support her while staying focused on my responsibilities.”

She made it through with reassurance from her parents, the help of friends and support from her co-op advisor, Andreea Nicu. “Andreea has been so kind through it all.”

Alexandria had always done her part to honour her parents – her father’s also a cancer survivor – and help other families. She got involved with Relay for Life in her first year at McMaster. Two years later, she was co-chair and president of the annual fundraiser for cancer research. More than 400 students raised over $70,000 in the first in-person event since COVID. “Relay for Life challenges your understanding of cancer. It turns an overwhelming and isolating experience into one that connects us all in some way.”

While her mother recovered, Alexandria got to put her whole heart and head into her final co-op work term as a McMaster student. She worked as Clinical Research Assistant at the Cancer Rehabilitation and Survivorship Centre at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre / University Health Network.

Serving as the research coordinator for an implementation study of a Fear of Recurrence Therapy program was a key part of her job. The cognitive behavioural therapy program is designed to support cancer survivors living with increased fears of cancer recurrence.

Alexandria also co-led a quality improvement program, collaborating with experts at disease sites throughout Princess Margaret Hospital to help improve the quality of follow-up care from oncologists to community primary care providers.

Her work didn’t stop there – Alexandria contributed to an international study aimed at identifying the most effective ways of measuring quality of life outcomes for cancer survivors. She also helped implement a database designed to collect patient-reported outcomes from kidney cancer patients and survivors across Canada.

Alexandria says it was an incredible privilege to learn from both patients and healthcare providers at Princess Margaret. “They taught me so much about why it’s so important for everyone to feel supported throughout their entire journey.”

Along with making her parents proud, Alexandria earned high marks and a McMaster Science Co-op Student of the Year nomination from her supervisor Jennifer Jones. Jennifer said Alexandria was, without question, the best undergraduate student she had ever supervised. The judges agreed and Alexandria received the award for fifth year students.  Jennifer was at the ceremony to present the award to Alexandria.

Inspired by her parents along with the patients and staff at Princess Margaret, Alexandria is committed to making sure no one faces cancer alone.

“Cancer’s impact continues long after the treatment ends. It’s so important for not just the survivors, but also their families and loved ones, to receive support throughout the entire journey. I’m going to keep exploring ways to improve patient interactions with the healthcare system and create even more opportunities to access personalized care that’s as unique as they are.”