About | Dense Breasts Canada | Awareness and Advocacy.

Qui nous sommes

Dense Breasts Canada (DBC) is a non-profit organization, founded in 2016. DBC is made up of breast cancer survivors, dedicated individuals and healthcare professionals committed to: raising awareness about the risks associated with dense breasts and advocating for optimal breast cancer screening.

NOS OBJECTIFS : SENSIBILISATION ET DÉFENSE DE VOS DROITS

To increase awareness among women and health care professionals of the risks associated with dense breasts and the importance of annual screening at 40.

To convince health authorities to report breast density to women and provide supplemental screening to women with dense breasts.

To convince the federal government to include breast cancer screening experts in creating breast screening guidelines for Canadian women.

POURQUOI NOUS SOUHAITONS APPORTER DES CHANGEMENTS

Over 3 million women in Canada, over age of 40, have dense breasts. DBC wants to educate women about the importance of knowing and understanding their breast density so they can be proactive in reducing their risk and can also have informed discussions with their healthcare providers.

Why breast density matters: Dense breasts pose two risks: 1. Women with dense breasts have a higher chance of developing breast cancer. 2. Dense tissue can mask cancer. Women with dense breasts can benefit from additional screening to decrease the number of missed or delayed cancer diagnoses.

Why optimal screening matters: Early detection of breast cancer provides the best chance for survival. Five year survival at Stage 1 is 99.8 percent and at Stage 4 it is 23%. Early detection also can mean a better chance to avoid chemotherapy, mastectomy and axillary dissection. Optimal screening includes annual screening starting at age 40 and continuing past age 74 and additional screening for women with dense breasts.

Notre équipe

Jennie Dale

JENNIE DALE
Cofondatrice, la directrice exécutive

Jennie is the Executive Director of Dense Breasts Canada (DBC). She lives in Ontario. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2014. Inspired by the successful advocacy efforts of American organizations, "areyoudense.org" and "densebreast-info.org," Jennie co-founded DBC with Michelle Di Tomaso in 2016 and has teamed up with breast cancer survivors nationwide to raise awareness of the risks of dense breasts and to advocate for optimal breast screening. Together, they have successfully advocated for changes in policy in all Canadian provinces.

Currently, six provinces notify all women of their breast density and three provinces have committed to notification in 2023. The work continues until all Canadian women are informed of their breast density and provided supplemental screening. Provincially, the advocacy has expanded to include advocating that all women be allowed to self-refer for a mammogram starting at age 40.

Jennie is also involved with leading breast cancer experts in advocating on a federal level and meets with MPs to advocate for necessary revisions to the current Canadian Task Force breast cancer screening guidelines, which put women's lives at risk.

She completed a comparison of provincial breast cancer screening practices and is working with the DBC team to ensure all Canadian women can access the screening they need. She is a firm believer that your postal code should not determine whether breast cancer is detected early.

In 2021, Jennie was named a top 5 finalist in Charity Village's awards in the category of Most Outstanding Impact by a Volunteer.

Michelle Di Tomaso

MICHELLE DI TOMASO
Cofondatrice

Michelle est cofondatrice de Seins Denses Canada. En août 2014, elle a reçu un diagnostic de cancer du sein triple positif, stade 2B. Au cours des deux années qui ont suivi, elle a subi deux opérations, des traitements de chimiothérapie (AC, Taxol et Herceptin) et de radiothérapie, une mastectomie bilatérale et trois chirurgies de reconstruction mammaire ratées. Elle a été hospitalisée pendant 25 jours.

Michelle a été informée que son diagnostic de cancer avait été retardé de trois ans, parce qu’elle avait des seins denses. Si le cancer avait été dépisté plus tôt, le traitement aurait probablement été limité à la chirurgie.

Michelle is from British Columbia, the first Canadian province where advocacy resulted in density notification to all women, in 2018. In 2019, Michelle continued to advocate successfully to ensure that women in British Columbia with dense breasts had the ability to access screening ultrasound, now paid for by MSP.

After three years of successful advocacy, the DBC team's efforts have resulted in all provinces making policy change, to varying degrees. Six provinces tell all women their breast density and five provinces/territories tell women in the highest category. Michelle is passionate about seeing breast density notification for all women in Canada included in the mammogram results letter.

Dr. Paula Gordon

Paula B. Gordon, OBC, MD, FRCPC, FSBI

Conseillère médicale

Dre Paula Gordon est professeure clinique au département de radiologie de l’Université de la Colombie-Britannique. Elle est directrice du Sadie Diamond Breast Program du BC Women’s Hospital.

Durant les années 80, ses recherches sur les biopsies mammaires sous guidage échographique ont permis à cette technologie de devenir la norme de soins au travers le monde. Cette intervention a permis possible le diagnostic exact des masses au sein qui exigeaient antérieurement une intervention et a permis aux femmes d’éviter la chirurgie pour les anomalies non cancéreuses.

During her career, Dr. Gordon has published dozens of articles in peer-reviewed journals. Her research in 1995 was the first to show that ultrasound could find cancers missed on mammograms. This has led to a paradigm change in the management of screening women with dense breasts that began in the USA in 2009, but is now spreading to Canada, the UK, Asia, Australia and Europe.

She was a member of BC Women’s Health Centre’s Expert Task Force for a Breast Assessment & Diagnostic Partnership Pilot Program in 1996, and worked there until 2020, serving as Medical Director of the Sadie Diamond Breast Program from 2007 to 2019. During that time, she secured funding from The Diamond Foundation and the Provincial Health Services Authority to obtain the first tomosynthesis technology (3D mammography) in BC and to establish the Vancouver Breast Imaging Fellowship, to train the future leaders in breast imaging. She arranged for trainees to rotate through BC Women’s Health Care Centre, BC Cancer, and the office of Dr. Linda Warren & Associates to ensure exposure to multiple experts. Due to the reputation of the program she has also trained self-funded fellows from other provinces, the USA and the Middle East.

Avec l’acquisition de la tomosynthèse, Dre Gordon a permis à la ville de Vancouver de figurer parmi l’un des premiers sites canadiens à se joindre au TMIST : the tomosynthesis mammographic imaging screening trial (essai sur le dépistage du cancer du sein par imagerie de tomosynthèse mammaire), un essai multicentrique financé par la FDA. Ceci lui a permis de donner des centaines d’heures bénévoles en participant à la planification et à la préparation du procès en tant que site principal canadien.

Dre Gordon est très appréciée pour son mentorat d’étudiants en médecine, des résidents en radiologie et des boursiers en imagerie du sein, ainsi que pour l’enseignement qu’elle offre à ses patients individuels et au public. Elle est une éducatrice populaire lors d’ateliers pratiques à la société de radiologie d’Amérique du Nord, où les radiologues apprennent à effectuer des biopsies à l’aiguille et d’autres interventions avec échoguidage, et ce, chaque année depuis leur introduction en 1993.

Conférencière, modératrice et membre de comité très recherchée, elle a été invitée à présenter durant des centaines d’exposés à l’échelle locale, nationale et internationale, et a également participe à des groupes scientifiques au travers l’Amérique du Nord.

Elle agit à titre de bénévole et de rélectrice de plusieurs revues médicales, ainsi que de conseillère bénévole pour Seins Denses Canada, un groupe de défense des droits des patients et à un site Web éducatif : Dense Breast Info (infos sur les seins denses).

Avec ses collègues de partout au Canada, elle a été membres fondateurs de la Société canadienne de l’imagerie mammaire.

Dre Gordon a joué le rôle de bénévole et de présidente pour des dizaines de comités :

· Membre, Lower Mainland Innovation and Integration Fund Committee for Breast Health
· Présidente, Early Detection Committee, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation 2020 Project
· Présidente, Early Detection Committee of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, BC/Yukon Division,
· Membre, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation Breast Cancer Prevention and Risk Assessment Clinic Advisory Board
· Présidente, Academic Committee of the Screening Mammography Program of British Columbia,
· Coprésidente, Workforce Committee of the Provincial Breast Health Strategy et membre des Steering, Clinical Pathway and Prevention Committees of the Provincial Breast Health Strategy
· Membre, Provincial Radiology Expert Committee et rélectrice pour le Canadian Association of Radiology Mammography Accreditation program
· Rélectrice des directives des pratiques cliniques pour le American College of Radiology
· Rélectrice des directives des pratiques cliniques pour la Canadian Association of Radiologists
· Membre, UBC Radiology Advisory Committee

En plus de consacrer tout son temps à l’amélioration de la santé des seins, elle est également administratrice du conseil Canucks for Kids Fund depuis 2006.

In recognition of her contributions to the field of breast imaging, she was made a Fellow of the Society of Breast Imaging, a society of the American College of Radiology, and volunteered on their Board of Directors for six years.

Ses autres prix et distinctions incluent :

Officer, Order of Canada

• Prix du Canadian Heads of Academic Radiology Development

• Prix en Excellence du BC Children’s and Women’s Hospital

• Prix en éducation Killam de l’Université de la Colombie Britannique

• Médaille du jubilé de la Reine Elizabeth II

• Ordre de la Colombie Britannique

Honorary alumnus award from the UBC Medical Alumni Association.

• Prix du réseau du Women’s Executive Network nommer une des 100 femmes les plus influentes et pionnières au Canada

• Nommée une des meilleures spécialistes au Canada pour la détection et diagnostic du cancer par le Ministère de la condition féminine, a l’occasion de la journée international de la radiologie

• Meilleure Educatrice – UBC Radiology Residents

2022 Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Prix d’excellence – Specialist of the Year award, Region 1

UBC Radiology 2022 Clinical Faculty Award for Excellence in Research/Discovery/Innovation

A specialist renowned for outstanding patient care and advocacy in the community

TWITTER HANDLE @DrPaulaGordon

Marlie Oden

MARLIE ODEN
Présidente des communications

"Je suis reconnaissante que mon cancer ait été dépisté tôt, mais la mammographie n’avait détecté le cancer que dans un sein."

Mordue de la santé, Marlie fut étonnée d’apprendre, en 2016, qu’elle avait le cancer dans les deux seins. La mammographie n’avait dépisté le cancer que dans un seul sein. Elle se considère chanceuse que son médecin lui avait déjà mentionné vingt ans plus tôt, suite à une biopsie et une échographie, qu’elle avait les seins denses. Toutefois, il ne suffit pas de le savoir. Elle aurait dû passer une échographie à tous les ans, afin de détecter le cancer le plus tôt possible, mais le rhythme de sa vie était très rapide. En 1995, Marlie a fondé son entreprise, Bridge Communications. Avant cela, elle a travaillé chez McKim Advertising, à Vancouver, où elle était responsable du compte Tourism British Columbia avant d’être nommée vice-présidente et directrice des comptes. Marlie a été membre du conseil d’administration de Téléfilm Canada, du Arts Club Theatre, du festival international du film de Vancouver, de Vancouver TheatreSports, de Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival, du Fringe Festival, du BC Wine Institute, du BC Bortstal Association et du Stanley Theatre. Le 30 juillet 2013, elle a été nommée au conseil d’administration de Radio-Canada pour un mandat de cinq ans.

Membre active de sa communauté, Marlie s’est méritée le prix Jessie Richardson Patron of the Arts Award ainsi que le prix City of Vancouver Arts Award for Outstanding Board Member. En 2016, elle a été nommée par BC Business l’une des 35 femmes les plus influentes de la Colombie-Britannique. Elle a étudié à la faculté des arts de l’Université de l'Alberta. Marlie est diplômée du programme du Conseil canadien pour la diversité administrative, et elle est membre de l’Institut des administrateurs de sociétés. Elle est passionnée de la course à pied, et sa famille demeure sa plus grande joie. Son plus grand souhait est que toutes les femmes reçoivent les meilleurs traitements et conseils possibles sur le cancer du sein. Marlie est très reconnaissante du merveilleux traitement qu’elle a reçu du personnel de la BC Cancer Agency, et elle a hâte de travailler avec eux pour sensibiliser la population sur les seins denses.

Annie Slight

ANNIE SLIGHT
Director, Advocacy and Education, Quebec

Annie is the Director of Advocacy and Education in Quebec. She lives in Montreal. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2013 at age 42. After a normal mammogram, Annie discovered a lump six months later. As a breast cancer survivor, she feels strongly about giving back and advocating for women. She also is passionate about ensuring that women receive information about their breast density so that they can make informed healthcare decisions. Annie began working with DBC in 2018. For the past two years, Annie has been raising awareness through numerous interviews in the media, actively spreading the word on social media and speaking to women at events. She has been advocating intensively for policy change.

Quebec was the first province to make it mandatory to include breast density information in the mammogram report sent to the doctor. However, doctors are not relaying the density information to women and most women do not know to ask their doctor. The government has committed to providing the density category in a woman’s Health Booklet in 2021, but this is not enough. Annie continues to advocate so that all women in Quebec will be told their breast density in their mammogram results letter, as is being done in other provinces.

Joan Bush

JOAN BUSH
Advisor

Joan Bush has served in a variety of capacities: as a Director of The McMichael Canadian Art Collection, a Director of Canada-Rwanda Board of Trade, member of the International Women's Forum (IWF) executive, and a board member of the Yee Hong Wellness Foundation, which supports culturally and linguistically appropriate care for over 15,000 seniors from different ethnic communities. She is also a member of the Women for Nature Initiative. She has also served two terms as a governor on the Board of Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. In 2012, Joan became a recipient of Queen’s Diamond Jubilee for her outstanding community service. As a Director of the Kiani Foundation, she has contributed extensively to the community through numerous charities including hospitals, scholarships, youth education, and women’s shelters. Joan is passionate about raising awareness of the risks of dense breasts and ensuring that women across Canada are informed of their density and the importance of additional screening. She understands the significance of dense breasts from her own personal experience when an additional cancer was masked by dense tissue and only seen on MRI.

Eevin-Leigh Schlamp

EEVIN-LEIGH SCHLAMP
Graphic Design

Eevin-Leigh is a contemporary artist who lives in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia. Her professional background is in Marketing, Advertising and Graphic Design. “In 2020, I set out in search of a place where my contributions would feel more meaningful,” and that summer she met the co-founders of Dense Breasts Canada, Jennie Dale and Michelle Di Tomaso. “When I first spoke with Jennie and Michelle I knew I had found a network of women who were passionately advocating to make better changes for women’s breast health across Canada. They rally with that same passion every day, relentlessly fighting for better breast density notification, and necessary revisions to the current Canadian Task Force breast cancer screening guidelines, which put Canadian women’s lives at risk.”

Dense Breasts Canada has made great progress in educating and advocating for women with dense breast tissue in Canada, and Eevin-Leigh continues advocating by volunteering her creativity as a designer for their social media pages. She designs social media content and assists with Marketing and Administration when needed, as well.

As a wife, and mom of two children, she knows that moms are always busy looking after their family, and more often than not, they don't make time for their own health. “I want my designs to inspire hope and courage for other Canadian moms out there to take the initiative and see their physicians to get a mammogram and find out their breast density.

Dr. Victoria Gay

Dr. Victoria Gay
Strategy Consultant

Dr. Victoria Gay is and Executive Consultant driving growth in organizations that are building a better world. Victoria has a PhD from University College London and 15 years’ experience in research, strategy and innovation, across multiple sectors. She has worked across in women’s health in both a research capacity and as the Senior Director of Strategy at BC Women’s Health Foundation. In her three years at BCWHF Victoria was instrumental in driving the BC Women's Health Foundation from a foundation that served BC Women's Hospital to a provincial foundation dedicated to improving women's health. She led the Research, Innovation, Education + Awareness portfolios and associated strategic partnerships, and was heavily involved in the Foundation's advocacy efforts to encourage transformational investments in women’s health research, policy and practice.

She volunteers with Dense Breasts Canada as both a passionate advocate for women’s health and an experienced non-profit consultant.

Nos Défenseurs

BC, AB, SK, MB

ON, QC

NB, NS, PEI, NL

Honourary Patron

Karen Goldenberg

Karen Goldenberg

Dense Breasts Canada announces Karen Goldenberg, CM, O.Ont Honourary Patron,

Dense Breasts Canada is delighted to name Karen Goldenberg Honourary
Patron. Karen has worked tirelessly throughout her life to improve lives in
both the health and social service sectors. Karen is a recipient of both
the Order of Ontario and Order of Canada. Known as a compassionate and
strategic thinker, Karen is a change maker who led JVS Toronto and founded
COTA. She has had numerous roles in the health sector. Her affiliation with
Dense Breasts Canada has been ongoing.

Karen is delighted to be an Honourary Patron of Dense Breasts Canada: “I am
acutely aware of the need for proper screening of all women 40 and up. But
what drew me to Dense Breasts Canada was the fact that so many women’s
cancers were going undetected simply because of dense breast tissue. DBC has
advocated successfully to ensure proper notification to women with dense
breasts. The next step will be making ultrasound available to those who
require it. I applaud this mission and am happy to be associated with it.”