Ovarian Cancer Advocate
“I feel as if I just survived a raging fire that wiped out an entire village. I feel a sense of duty to be the voice of the women who didn’t get the chance to be heard. In a world with self-driving cars and AI in our pockets, it is high time for a change!”
An engineer, coach, change management advisor and mother of two boys, Alvina is more than the high-grade ovarian cancer diagnosis she received last March, just 2 weeks after her 36th birthday.
With no diagnostic test for this "silent killer," Alvina attributes her Stage 1 diagnosis to luck, intuition, and a proactive medical team.
Ever since her diagnosis, she got deeply involved in patient advocacy and research to assign purpose to this nonsensical life event. Shocked by the stagnant survival rates of ovarian cancer, which have remained unchanged for nearly 50 years, Alvina is determined to be loud about eradicating this “silent killer”.
In her own words, “I feel as if I just survived a raging fire that wiped out an entire village. I feel a sense of duty to be the voice of the women who didn’t get the chance to be heard. In a world with self-driving cars and AI in our
pockets, it is high time for a change!”
My Blog
My Patient Advocacy Work
As an ovarian cancer survivor, I feel a sense of duty to speak for those who can't.
Health eMatters Conference Attendee
Continuing Education
https://healthematters.ca/conference/
Telling Our Year End Campaign Story
Philanthropy
Alvina's Story
OCC National Symposium
Speaking Engagement
Sexuality and intimacy: what if we talked about it! With Zoé Vourantoni, clinical sexologist and psychotherapist and turquoise sister Alvina
OCC National Symposium
Speaking Engagement
The mysteries of menopause, explained. Presented by: Dr. Michelle Jacobson, Medical Oncologist and menopause specialist with Mount Sinai Hospital; Teal Sisters: Alvina Nadeem and Lynda Bungay
OCC Quebec Campaign
OCC Communications
Podcast
Media Feature
An American podcast called Engineer Your Success:
Podcast
Media Feature
An Australian podcast called The Hormone Hub by Kylie Pinwill: https://kyliepinwill.com/2023/09/01/the-silent-killer-overcoming-ovarian-cancer/
CCOCR - Trainee Day
Panelist
Communicating with Mixed Audiences
WTA1000 Tour
Networking
Women's Tennis Association tour with Eva Villalba from Quebec Cancer Coalition
CIHR Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research
Patient Advisor/Consultant
Focus Group Member - Ovarian cancer perspective
Patient Advisor/Consultant
Public Policy & Healthcare 101 for patient partners
Methionine Restriction Study
Patient Advisor/Consultant
Clean Energy – A Planetary View of Ovarian Cancer
New Frontiers Transformation Grant
Embedded Patient Partner/Advocate (Research Team)
Overcome treatment failure to transform care for metastic cancer patients.
OCC-CRS - Bridging the Gap Grant Competition Project #1
Embedded Patient Partner/Advocate (Research Team)
OCC-CRS - Bridging the Gap Grant Competition Project #2
Embedded Patient Partner/Advocate (Research Team)
Systemic Impletmentation of HRD Testing
Patient Survey on Therapy-Based Cancer Colouring Book
Patient Advisor/Consultant
The Ottawa Health Research Institute's Cancer Research Program Trainee Committee is developing a colouring book about cancer immunotherapy as an informative tool for patients.
Quebec Cancer Coalition's Cancer and Work Symposium Planning Committee
Patient Advisor/Consultant
Quebec Cancer Coalition's Cancer and Work Symposium (June 2024)