Medical student studying skin cancer at RVH

Elsa Salathiel, a third-year medical student at University College Dublin and recipient of this year’s Laura E. Crook Scholarship, returned to her hometown of Barrie to investigate wait times for melanoma surgery in rural versus urban areas and the impact of RVH’s innovative skin cancer biopsy clinic on early detection.

A dozen post-secondary students spent their summer researching patient care at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH).

Among them was Elsa Salathiel, a third-year medical school student studying at University College Dublin in Ireland.

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Salathiel returned to her hometown Barrie to explore how RVH’s unique skin cancer biopsy clinic might be improving patient care in rural and remote areas

Melanoma, a serious and increasingly prevalent skin cancer, requires early detection and treatment to improve survival. However, residents who live in rural and remote communities can often experience significant delays in accessing basic healthcare services.

Salathiel’s research focuses on whether rural and remote residents face longer wait times for melanoma surgery compared to those in urban areas, and whether RVH’s innovative regional skin cancer biopsy clinic has helped detect melanoma earlier among rural populations.

As the recipient of the 2024 Laura E. Crook Scholarship for Community Health Research, Salathiel’s work is helping to address health inequities.

“Community-based research is all about finding meaningful information that has the potential to inform better resources and care for patients,” said Dr. Laura Crook, the scholarship’s namesake and retired long-time family physician.

“Developing homegrown medical professionals and researchers, like Elsa, who can help to identify inequities that lead innovative care solutions is the icing on the cake. I can’t wait to see what her work uncovers,” Crook said.

In 2021, the Ontario Cancer Advisory Committee conducted a major review recommending that more hospitals across the province adopt programs like RVH’s to improve access to specialized skin cancer care.

RVH was recognized for its ability to provide timely skin cancer diagnoses and connecting patients to teams of specialists.

The study’s findings may offer critical insights into the effectiveness of RVH’s biopsy clinic in reducing delays and improving treatment outcomes for patients across Simcoe Muskoka.

“Receiving this scholarship and being recognized by such a well-known and respected physician like Dr. Crook is an honour,” says Elsa. “It has been inspiring to apply my passion for medicine by participating in research that will have immediate impact right here in my very own community.”

If successful, it could serve as a model for expanding specialized services to meet the unique needs of rural communities across the province. By validating the clinic's effectiveness, this research could help reduce healthcare disparities like ensuring rural patients receive the same timely, high-quality care as urban patients.

“It’s encouraging to see younger students so keenly interested in research,” said Dr. Renee Hanrahan, Chief of Surgery and RVH research supervisor. “This work is vital in helping us better understand how we can tailor healthcare interventions to improve access and outcomes for all patients, regardless of where they live.”

Applications for RVH’s 2025 Summer Student Research Program will open in January, continuing the hospital’s tradition of developing the next generation of clinical researchers.