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Patient Representative: Patrick Sullivan

Supporting the CCTG Data Safety Monitoring Committee

Resides in Vancouver, BC | CCTG Patient Representative since 2018

"From my perspective, clinical trials are richer and will only be successful if we integrate the patient voice in the development of clinical trials. We have moved beyond a time when we did things to patients to a time when we are doing things for patients and CCTG is a part of this evolution."

Patrick is a passionate childhood cancer advocate and the President and a founder of the Team Finn Foundation. He became an advocate after one of his twin sons, Finn, was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma in 2007 hearing the word incurable for the first time in May 2008.

By profession, Patrick is a securities and corporate-commercial litigator with Whitelaw Twining in Vancouver, British Columbia.  He is the proud father of three remarkable children, Baird, Sarah and Finn, he continues to desperately miss Finn’s hand and would do almost anything for the simple pleasure of holding his hand again. His desire is to make a difference in cancer research to pay an un-payable debt to his son and to change the stories for other Finn’s.

"From my perspective, cancer clinical trials are critical to the advancement of cancer research. Without them, we are just doing interesting science without impacting the real lives of patients. Based on my interaction with scientists and scientific teams, I believe we are at a golden age of cancer research. I also am of the view that our burgeoning knowledge of cancer research is now getting to a place where it is ready to advance to the clinic."