Dr. Manpreet Tiwana has a busy year in front of him as the first clinical research fellow in radiation oncology at the BC Cancer Agency Centre for the North.
The Indian-trained specialist hopes to get three research manuscripts published in addition to his clinic work in Prince George.
"Publication is a good thing for me personally as well as projecting the B.C. data out to the public," Tiwana said. "I think if I get three publications out of my fellowship, that would be great."
Tiwana is working under supervisor Dr. Rob Olson on a project looking at the the long-term effects of head and neck cancers. He said the large data set the pair are going through means the project can be broken up into different sections for publication. He's also doing research looking at the technological advancements in radiation treatment.
The fellowship is the first of its kind in the Northern Health region and gives a radiation oncologist specialist like Tiwana a chance for extra education. He spends half of his time working with Olson in the clinic, learning advanced treatment techniques, and half doing research.
Olson said the cancer centre benefits by being able to complete research projects quicker and by having another trained radiation oncologist to help with the busy patient load.
"It allows me to see more patients, because [Tiwana] helps out with the patients and does a lot of the behind the scenes work with the radiation planning," Olson said.
Many of the policies and procedures used in India for clinical treatment are based on North American guidelines and Tiwana has found it interesting to see how those same regulations are being applied here.
"I think we're following more evidence-based [techniques] out here," he said. "It's quite useful, when I go back I'll be able to apply that to the conditions [in India]."
Tiwana, who spent six years studying at the internationally-accredited Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai, India to become a radiation oncologist, said his goal was to get a research in position in North America to take advantage of the state-of-the-art equipment. By choosing the Prince George placement, he gets the added advantage of working in a brand new facility.
"The technology and research is the best in the world," he said. "As far as Canada is concerned, B.C. is doing quite well."
After seeing a posting on the BC Cancer Agency's website - and noticing that both he and Olson shared an interest in head and neck cancers - Tiwana decided to apply. He learned about Prince George online and knew what to expect, however his first introduction to snow was an eye-opener.
Although he was used to some sub-zero temperatures living in the sub-Himalayan region of India, Tiwana has a strategy for dealing with the cold northern B.C. winter.
"There's a controlled environment at both the work place and at home," he said, with a chuckle, noting he lives close to the cancer centre and he's glad he doesn't have to drive. "People told me to buy a good jacket and I did that."
In the new year Tiwana plans to bring his wife and two children - aged three and one - to Prince George to get a taste of Canadian life and hopes to try some local outdoor pursuits like cross-country skiing.
When he returns to India next fall, Tiwana hopes to be able to continue some of the research he started in Prince George. His goal is to become a site-specific oncologist, dealing with head and neck cancers.
The funding for the fellowship comes through the Northern Medical Program. Olson has already selected next year's fellow, a doctor from Ghana. The position is open to applicants from anywhere, and Olson said it's just a coincidence the first two fellows are international.
"We had Canadians apply as well as people internationally and the international applicants have been quite high calibre," he said.
