
Dr. Jacqueline Bender has worked in the Cancer Rehabilitation and Survivorship Program in the Department of Supportive Care as a social and behavioural health scientist since 2013. She is also an Assistant Professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and the Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto (UofT).
Dr. Bender has an innovative program of applied research in digital health, cancer survivorship and implementation science. Her research focuses on designing, implementing and evaluating digital health innovations that improve the patient experience and health outcomes of people living with cancer and their families. Current projects include web and mobile phone based apps to support peer-led health system navigation, social media and online patient communities as a source of supportive care, and knowledge translation tools to support the sustainability of innovations in cancer care. Recently, one of her research papers was selected as one of the Best Articles in Medical Informatics in 2018.
Dr. Bender also has an active program of research in teaching and learning. She co-created the teaching practice “movement breaks” – a video series of 3-minute movement breaks led by certified physical activity instructors, and is evaluating their impact on student engagement and well-being in undergraduate classes at UofT.