The board of a Queen’s-founded research network that aims to improve the care of seriously ill elderly patients in Canada will have a former Canadian senator and champion of palliative care at its helm.

Senator Sharon Carstairs will chair the proposed Technology evaluation in the Elderly Network (TECH VALUE NET) board upon her retirement this fall. Funding for the proposed network has been requested from the Networks Centres of Excellence program, which funds research partnerships between academia, industry, government, and not-for-profit organizations.

“Senator Carstairs is a tremendous addition to the board,” says Daren Heyland, scientific director of TECH VALUE NET, professor in the Department of Medicine at Queen’s and director of the Clinical evaluation Research Unit at Kingston General Hospital. “She’s been a passionate supporter of palliative end-of-life care for more than a decade, and she brings the experience of working to influence policy and health care decision makers to the table.”

Senator Carstairs was appointed to the Senate in 1994 to represent the province of Manitoba. She is the former leader of the government in the Senate, and also served as minister with special responsibility for palliative care, a cause she has long-championed.

"For the past 17 years I have spent most of my political career focusing on the needs of our aging population, particularly on the need for quality palliative care,” says Senator Carstairs. “Now, upon my retirement, I can focus on one of the most vulnerable groups – that of the frail elderly. It is an incredible opportunity to work with scientists across this country as they strive to find new ways to enhance the lives of these Canadians, who in healthier times have given so much to make our country what it is. "

Comprised of the Canadian Clinical Care Trials Group (CCCTG), the Canadian Researchers at the End of Life Network (CARENET) and the Nutrition and Rehabilitation Investigators Consortium (NUTRIC), TECH VALUE NET will bring together more than 40 researchers from across Canada to improve the care of seriously ill, elderly patients and their families through the development, evaluation and ethical implementation of a broad range of health care technologies.