Spotlight on Nursing Leader Dr. Lindsay Jibb: Pediatric Oncology Research Trailblazer
Dr. Lindsay Jibb’s work is grounded in real-world challenges witnessed firsthand at the bedside. Currently, she leads research in several key areas: improving pain outcomes for children with cancer, supporting parents managing their child’s care at home, and addressing the psychosocial needs of children with cancer and their families. At the core of it all is a strong commitment to patient- and family-centred research.
Every study includes patients, survivors, or family members as research partners — not just as participants.
“It’s not even an option anymore to exclude those voices,” says Dr. Jibb. “They are integral to generating meaningful questions, ensuring the research is practical, and helping us share results in ways that matter.” This dedication to patient-and-family-centred research is now being integrated into my own doctoral work, which looks at parent perspectives of decision-making about enrollment in clinical trials.
For Dr. Jibb, research has always been a central passion — one that has evolved into a dynamic and impactful career at SickKids and the University of Toronto, where she’s leading transformative work in pediatric oncology nursing.
Dr. Jibb’s path to research began as she completed her undergraduate degree in biology, which gave her early exposure to research through a thesis project. That experience sparked a love for scientific inquiry, leading to the pursuit of her master’s degree in biochemistry though her heart always remained in healthcare. When she later entered nursing school, she knew she wanted to blend her clinical training with her research background.
“I always knew I would involve research somehow,” she explains. “It was a chance to take all the learning we do as nurses — clinical, theoretical, and practical — and use it to directly improve care for patients and families.”
When Dr. Jibb was offered the opportunity to pursue her doctoral degree with Dr. Jennifer Stinson, she jumped, and has been leading innovative pediatric oncology nursing research since.
Unlike her earlier experiences in lab-based science, Dr. Jibb found nursing research to be deeply collaborative and community-oriented.
“As a PhD student, I felt so supported by the nurses, managers, and colleagues on the unit. It felt like we were all working together, and that sense of shared purpose really stuck with me.” As an educator and mentor, Dr. Jibb is passionate about building a pipeline for future nurse researchers. She is an incredible role model, actively demonstrating how nurses can take their bedside experience and employ it in a scientist role to improve experience and outcomes for patients.
“I always say, ‘my door is open,’” she laughs. “If you’re a nurse interested in research, I’ll review your CV, talk about school, or help you find a way in.” Looking ahead, Dr. Jibb is excited about the growing recognition of nursing research in Canada. “It’s an exciting time. Organizations like POGO are investing in this work, and the next generation of nurse researchers is full of energy and fresh ideas.”
For Dr. Jibb, the reward from her research is clear. “When a patient or parent comes back and says, ‘thank you,’ to know that the work we’re doing matters to those people that we’re doing it for makes it all worth it.”
This story was written for the fall 2025 issue of The RePORTer, POGO’s Nursing Newsletter by: Rachel Hamilton, RN, MN, PhD(s), PhD Student and RN – 8A Inpatient Haematology/Oncology at SickKids
Nominated by Rachel, Dr. Jibb is the winner of the 2025 POGO Nursing Leadership Award. Rachel considers it a privilege to work under Dr. Jibb’s mentorship. From their first meeting, Dr. Jibb’s passion for research and dedication to improving patient care stood out. Her warmth, intelligence, and commitment to nurturing emerging nurse researchers create an exceptional training environment. Bridging clinical practice and scientific inquiry, Dr. Jibb serves as a role model for students like Rachel. This spotlight draws from Rachel’s interview with Dr. Jibb, highlighting her inspiring journey, impactful research, and contributions to pediatric oncology nursing. Her story is both motivating and enlightening, offering a glimpse into the dedication and passion required to transform patient care through nursing research.
Homeward Bound: Building Pediatric Palliative Care Capacity in Northern Ontario
For many years, our team at the POGO Satellite Clinic in Sudbury, located at Northeast Cancer Centre, Health Sciences North (Health Sciences North), has recognized a significant gap in the number of healthcare providers with experience, knowledge, competency and confidence in caring for children with life-limiting illnesses, who are medically fragile or have complex care needs. As a result, many Northern Ontario families do not feel confident bringing their children home from children’s hospitals when they are receiving palliative or end-of-life care, due to limited expertise and support closer to home. This gap has placed a physical, emotional and financial burden on families who must remain far from their communities for extended periods. It also adds pressure to the pediatric palliative care facilities in Ottawa and Toronto.
We’ve long known that as oncology nurses and physicians, we have the skills and experience to care for medically fragile children who live nearby. However, children living in more remote Northern communities often lack access to the same level of care and support.
In my role as the Sudbury POGO Interlink Nurse until recently, the only one serving all of Northern Ontario—I’ve had the privilege of building relationships with healthcare providers across the region. While we’ve offered case-by-case support, I’ve always dreamed of creating a more formal and consistent way to strengthen pediatric palliative care across the North.
That dream became a reality with support from POGO staff and a Kindred Cares Grant from the Kindred Foundation. This funding allowed us to deliver pediatric palliative care education to providers in key Northern Ontario communities, including Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Timmins, and North Bay.
Before receiving the grant, I became a certified Pallium LEAP facilitator, which enabled me to share my knowledge and lived experience as a Northern provider familiar with the challenges of limited resources and services.
The education sessions funded by the Kindred Grant were delivered through two models:
- A 2-hour in-person community information session to share knowledge and foster open discussion.
- Two Pallium LEAP Pediatric courses, with funded spots for participants to engage deeply, share experiences, and learn collaboratively.
In total, 67 healthcare professionals from various disciplines participated in these sessions. Together, we explored challenges, brainstormed solutions, and shared both successes and setbacks in a supportive and inclusive environment.
As a result of this initiative, I have since established an online community of practice with providers across the North to help support sustained capacity building. Most importantly, this work has enabled more children and their families to return home for palliative and end-of-life care. There is still a lot work to be done, but I am optimistic about where we are headed.
This story was written for the fall 2025 issue of The RePORTer, POGO’s Nursing Newsletter by: Vicky Wilton, RN, POGO Interlink Nurse, Health Science North.
Reflections on Advances in Pediatric Oncology Survivorship and AfterCare
Eleanor Hendershot is an experienced pediatric oncology nurse at McMaster Children’s Hospital, whose career spans over 30 years, including roles at SickKids and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. She is deeply focused on survivorship and AfterCare and is a dedicated advocate for evidence-based compassionate follow-up care for childhood cancer survivors.
In reflecting on my last three decades working in pediatric oncology nursing, it’s evident that the field has undergone remarkable transformation. In particular, with my focus on AfterCare for the past 13 years, with experience across leading institutions, I’ve witnessed how advances in therapy, supportive care, and clinical research have significantly improved outcomes.
The majority of children are not only surviving cancer but also living long and productive lives. This progress has shifted attention toward survivorship, with increasing emphasis on the long-term health and well-being of pediatric cancer survivors.
Within survivorship care, the Children’s Oncology Group has developed evidence-based guidelines (www.survivorshipguidelines.org) to support routine screening for late effects of cancer and its treatment. These late effects are influenced by the type of disease and individual treatment exposures (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery), and may include second malignancies, organ dysfunction (cardiovascular, auditory, bony, renal, pulmonary, endocrine, neurocognitive, etc.), and psychosocial concerns. Importantly, late effects may emerge years or even decades after therapy ends, making survivorship care an essential component of comprehensive oncology practice.
One of the most significant recent advances in this field is the refinement of late-effects screening based on new evidence, research and expert consensus. A key example is the monitoring of cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart muscle) in survivors treated with anthracyclines (a type of chemotherapy used to treat certain types of cancer such as leukemia and lymphoma). Until recently, guidelines recommended lifelong echocardiograms for all survivors, regardless of cumulative anthracycline dose. New evidence, however, has demonstrated that survivors who received less than 100 mg/m² are not at increased risk of cardiomyopathy and therefore do not require lifelong routine echocardiographic surveillance.
Although this adjustment may appear modest, its impact is profound. Survivors of leukemia, the largest survivor population, typically receive low cumulative anthracycline doses. For these patients and their families, lifelong counselling and repeated cardiac screening created unnecessary anxiety and reinforced the sense of living under ongoing medical surveillance. From a cost-benefit perspective, routine echocardiography in low-risk patients carried significant cost and resource implications without measurable benefit.
As part of the updated guidelines, ongoing heart monitoring is no longer required, allowing leukemia survivors, in some instances, to be discharged from follow-up care once they are ten years post-therapy and have reached the age of 18 or if they are a teenager when diagnosed until both criteria are met.
The benefits of this targeted approach extend well beyond medical outcomes. By reducing unnecessary tests and clinic visits, survivors and families gain greater peace of mind and some relief from the intensity of lifelong surveillance, while healthcare systems benefit from more efficient use of resources. Just as importantly, minimizing disruptions to education, employment, and social development allows survivors to move forward in their lives with greater confidence. This balance—protecting long-term health while recognizing that not all survivors carry the same risks—has become central to modern, individualized survivorship care.
In reflecting on the evolution of pediatric oncology nursing and survivorship care, it’s clear that our field has made tremendous strides—not only in improving survival rates but also in refining how we support survivors long-term. The shift toward individualized care, such as updated cardiac screening guidelines, has reduced unnecessary interventions and empowered survivors to live with greater confidence.
Since 2001, POGO has been a cornerstone in supporting survivors of childhood cancer through its AfterCare Clinic Program network. Today, eight POGO AfterCare Clinics across Ontario serve more than 5,000 survivors, helping ensure that children, adolescents and young adult survivors of childhood cancer receive the essential follow-up care they need to lead healthy, fulfilling lives.
This contribution to “Reflective Practice Corner” was written for the fall 2025 issue of the RePORTer by Eleanor Hendershot, MN, BScN, RN, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, McMaster Children’s Hospital.
Reflective Practice Corner, a standing section in The RePORTer—POGO’s Nursing Newsletter—features reflections from nurses across the province, offering insight into their experiences. It also invites readers to pause and consider the questions posed.
Delivering Nursing Education in Thunder Bay, Ontario: A Perspective of Learning and Connection
As pediatric oncology nurses working across Ontario, we share a deep commitment to advancing care for children with cancer. Representing three distinct institutions, we bring together a blend of clinical expertise, Satellite clinic experience, and case management insight. In March 2025, we had the opportunity to travel to Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) to deliver nursing education, including the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses (APHON) Pediatric Chemotherapy and Biotherapy Provider course, in preparation for the launch of the POGO Satellite Clinic and POGO Interlink program.
The teaching experience itself was rewarding on many levels. As instructors, it was a chance not only to teach but also to learn from one another. Each of us brought unique perspectives: Kirsty shared a wealth of clinical expertise and knowledge of Satellite care; Kyt contributed deep insights from his extensive background across nearly every pediatric oncology nursing role; and Diana represented one of Thunder Bay’s main referring centres. Observing each other’s teaching styles highlighted both the common ground we share and the distinct approaches that shape our practice.
In addition to the Chemotherapy/Biotherapy course, we delivered two full days of targeted education, to four enthusiastic clinic nurses, on key pediatric oncology topics, including bone marrow suppression, treatment side effect management, fever/neutropenia and sepsis, supportive care, and oncologic emergencies. Some of these topics were identified by the Thunder Bay team (Amy Halvorsen, Manager of Pediatrics, and Nicole Zuefle, POGO Interlink Nurse and Satellite Nurse Coordinator) as areas where additional education was needed. Hands-on learning in central venous line care, port accessing, and closed-system transfer device use provided valuable practical experience. The strong attendance from nurses, physicians, and learners reflected the Thunder Bay team’s dedication and commitment to advancing care.
The trip also offered perspective. Experiencing the distance firsthand underscored the challenges families face when traveling for treatment. The POGO Satellite Clinic at TBRHSC will help ease that burden, allowing children and families to receive care closer to home. This reinforced an important truth: across the province, dedicated pediatric oncology nurses provide specialized care every day. Each individual effort contributes to something greater — a shared commitment to supporting children and families facing cancer.
It was a privilege to meet the TBRHSC nurses and welcome them officially to the POGO family. Their enthusiasm, expertise, and pride in their space were inspiring. Having connected with them in person, it feels especially meaningful when we now send patients their way.
Outside of work, we had time to explore Thunder Bay together. We visited the Terry Fox monument, Kakabeka Falls (“the Falls of the North”), the Sleeping Giant, and enjoyed local cuisine. Weather delays stretched our trip by an extra day — yet another reminder of how travel challenges can impact families seeking treatment. And, from the moment we arrived, it was clear that the local Indigenous culture was thoughtfully woven into the hospital environment. Parking lots were named after animals of spiritual significance, and we learned about the hospital’s Spiritual Care Team, which offers patients and families traditional practices such as smudging. This integration of culture into care was both meaningful and inspiring to see.
The TBRHSC nurses sent us off with a sweet farewell: a box of their famous Persian doughnuts. It was the perfect ending to a trip filled with learning, connection, and shared purpose.
This story was written for the fall 2025 issue of The RePORTer, POGO’s Nursing Newsletter by: Diana Masse, RN, Nurse Case Manager Children’s Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre, Kirsty Morelli, NP, Satellite Nurse Coordinator, Scarborough Health Network, Kaniska Young-Tai (Kyt), RN, Satellite Nurse Coordinator SickKids
