New Committee Brings Diverse Patient, Family, and Caregiver Voices to the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health  

On July 10, 2019, CADTH, the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, announced the members of its newly formed Patient and Community Advisory Committee.

We’re thrilled to let you know that David McMullen, a valued and long-standing member of our Myeloma Canada community, was appointed as one the 12 members of this important committee.

David is an extraordinary advocate and active member of our community. David was the recipient of Myeloma Canada’s 2018 Notable Volunteer Award for his outstanding engagement. In addition to his role as co-leader of the Toronto & District Multiple Myeloma Support Group, he is actively involved with both, the Halton-Peel and London Support Groups. In 2018, David was instrumental in planning and executing 3 Multiple Myeloma Marches in Ontario: Mississauga, Hamilton and Oshawa. David also volunteered alongside Myeloma Canada at the 2018 Family Medicine Forum as part of the Early Diagnosis Program, took part in the Awareness Day at Queen’s Park, and spoke on behalf of the patients at the 2018 Myeloma Canada Scientific Roundtable. In addition, David was a wonderful Master of Ceremony at the 2019 Myeloma Canada National Conference.

When hearing this important and exciting news, Martine Elias, our Executive Director said, “I am thrilled that we have a patient representative from our community sitting on this influential committee. Without a doubt, his credentials are what made him stand out! David’s role on the committee will help us better understand where CADTH is going and how the patient voice can be heard to better reflect our health care needs across the country.”

From all of us at Myeloma Canada, congratulations David! Your passion and commitment to the cause are truly an inspiration.

See the full press release here .

About CADTH

CADTH was created in 1989 by Canada’s federal, provincial, and territorial governments from the idea that Canada needs a coordinated approach to assessing health technologies. The result was an organization that harnesses Canadian expertise from every region and produces evidence-informed solutions that benefit patients in jurisdictions across the country. Evidence-informed solutions are those that combine clinical expertise, patient values, and the best research evidence into the decision-making process for patient care. This is then used to inform and improve public health policy and practice.

 

An independent, not-for-profit organization, CADTH provides health care decision makers with this objective evidence to help them make informed decisions about the optimal use of health technologies including:

In addition to evidence, they also provide advice, recommendations, and tools.

Over the years, CADTH has grown to be a key resource to the health care system. They have devoted substantial effort to involving patients in the drug review process and recognize that patients are the most important beneficiaries of their work. Full details are available in CADTH’s  Provide Input  section of their website ( www.cadth.ca ) Groups and individuals can also subscribe to our  CADTH E-Alert  and  pCODR Communication updates  to be notified about opportunities for input on drug reviews.