About Us

"Bringing the right people together."

Mission and Vision


Mission: Craig’s Cause Pancreatic Cancer Society is a national charity dedicated to both increasing survival and improving the quality of life for every Canadian diagnosed with pancreatic cancer through awareness raising, education, support and research.

Vision: “A world where surviving pancreatic cancer is expected”.

History

In June 2006, Craig Schurman Condon, started to feel unwell, experiencing acid reflux, white stool, dark urine and yellowish skin. Concerned, he visited his physician. His physician suspected Hepatitis A. When this came back negative, his physician was stumped. This is where Craig’s pancreatic cancer journey began. 

In July 2006, Craig was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. By September, he had passed away, at the age of 63, eight weeks from diagnosis.

In 2007, ‘Craig’s Cause’ was established as a non profit organization, in his memory. The goal was to create awareness and to fund research. In 2012 ‘Craig’s Cause Pancreatic Cancer Society’ was rebranded and received its national charitable business number. 

Since its inception, this grassroots organization has grown into a national charity recognized for our national awareness campaigns and events, our education and support programs and for our support of a diversified research portfolio. 

We are proud of our collaboration with international, national and provincial boards, health care organizations, facilities and professionals, and a variety of other cancer organizations and research institutes. These partnerships and fundraising efforts have raised over $2,000,000 in research funding alone. 

Lastly, Craig’s Cause Pancreatic Cancer Society has distinguished itself from so many other charitable organizations by maintaining our mission to donate 100% of all charitable donations to awareness, education, patient support and research programs.

Board of Directors

As the governing body of Craig’s Cause Pancreatic Cancer Society, the Board of Directors is responsible for ensuring that the Society operates in accordance with its by-laws and the Not-For-Profit Corporations Act and its regulations, the articles and any unanimous member agreement.  

The Board’s activities are determined by the powers, duties and responsibilities delegated to it by the organization’s bylaws and strategic operating plan.  

Lesley Mounce MacInnis

Board Director

Dr. Jeff Bonang

Board Director - Treasurer

Jayne Sierens

Board Director - Research Coordinator

Dr. Ravi Ramjeesingh

Board Director - Medical Advisor

Colleen Dafoe

Board Director - Secretary

Lorraine Duclos

Board Member

Clara MacKay

Board Director Chair

Open Positions

Interested in helping us beat Pancreatic Cancer? Work with us!

No open positions at this time

Medical Advisory Committee

Craig's Cause Pancreatic Cancer Society's Medical Advisory Committee has professionals from several healthcare disciplines, providing us with a variety of informed perspectives.

Their critical contributions support many of our programs within our Pillars: Public Awareness, Patient Support, Healthcare Education, and Research.

Dr. Ravi Ramjeesingh

Medical Oncology Advisor

Dr. Ramjeesingh, moved to Halifax in 2015, having originally completed his MD/Ph.D in Toronto before completing residency and medical oncology training in Kingston, ON. Dr. Ramjeesingh has focused his clinical practice on the treatment of breast cancer and hepatopancreobiliary (HPB) tumors which includes pancreatic cancer. His research activities and interests are in the fields of Health service delivery, and translational research in Oncology. He has a passion for oncology
education of residents and medical students, having become a faulty member foroncologyeducation.com.

He has been awarded the Department of Medicine Research Excellent award in 2017 and the DOM Excellence in Medical Education award in 2018. Why for Pancreatic Cancer Involvement: Nova Scotia has historically had some of the poorest outcomes for survival of pancreatic cancer. When he moved to Nova Scotia, no one could answer his questions about why survival was so poor when compared to other provinces. He began to notice gaps in the process of diagnosing and treating pancreatic cancer and felt the need to take up this cause; to improve where he can for pancreatic cancer patients in the province.

Dr. Ravi Ramjeesingh

Medical Oncology Advisor

Dr. Bruce Colwell

Medical Oncologist Advisor

Dr. Colwell is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Dalhousie University. He has been involved in clinical research that has led to several publications including the New England Journal of Medicine.  He is a member of the GI, Breast and sarcoma tumor site groups. He is Chair of the Gastrointestinal Tumor Site Group. He is President of the Canadian Association of Medical Oncology Committee, (CAMO).  He is a member of NSHA Drugs and Therapeutics Committee and chair the Oncology Therapeutics Subcommittee for that same group.  He has an interest in Biosimilars, GI, and breast cancers, and resident education.

Dr. Bruce Colwell

Medical Oncologist Advisor

Melanie McIvor

Pharmacy Advisor

Melanie was a graduate of the Dalhousie Pharmacy Program in 2015 and she recently completed her Hospital Pharmacy Residency through Dalhousie College of Pharmacy at The Moncton Hospital.

Melanie is a dedicated individual with a passion for excellent patient care. She enjoys educating patients on their medication, promoting patient education.

Melanie McIvor

Pharmacy Advisor

Dr. Robin Urquhart

Researcher Advisor

Dr. Urquhart’s primary research interests relate to understanding and optimizing the movement of evidence-based innovations into clinical practice as well as the interface between evidence-based medicine and policy.

Robin uses multiple methods in her research, including linked administrative health data, systematic reviews, and case study and qualitative methods.

The ultimate aim of her work is to improve our ability to implement and sustain innovations that improve the organization, delivery, and outcomes of cancer care.

Dr. Robin Urquhart

Researcher Advisor

Dr. Jeanette Boudreau

Research Advisor

Dr. Boudreau investigates how human natural killer cell immunogenetics program immune responsiveness to cancer and infectious diseases. She uses bioinformatics, humanized in vivo models, cell-signal analysis, and highly-parametric flow cytometry to understand how genetic variation creates diversity in human immune potentials.

Her interdisciplinary and collaborative work aims to translate research findings into precision therapies.

Dr. Jeanette Boudreau

Research Advisor

Dr. Mark Walsh

HPB (Hepato-Pancreatico-Biliary) Surgeon

Dr. Mark Walsh is a surgeon in the General Surgery department at the QEII Health Sciences Centre. He is a Hepatobiliary / Pancreatic / Transplant Surgeon with a passion to treat and support patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Mark Walsh

HPB (Hepato-Pancreatico-Biliary) Surgeon

Adam Nelson

Medical Advisory Committee

Adam Nelson is a PhD. candidate in Dr. Brent Johnston’s lab at Dalhousie University. His research focuses on new combination therapies for pancreatic cancer using immunotherapy and oncolytic viruses, viruses that only target cancer cells. He hopes that his combination therapy will provide a safe and effective alternative therapy for patients suffering from pancreatic cancer.


Adam Nelson

Medical Advisory Committee

Jessica Nickerson

Medical Advisory Committee

Jessica is a PhD candidate in the Chemistry Department at Dalhousie University where her research focuses on optimizing front-end sample preparation strategies for proteome analysis by mass spectrometry. She was inspired to get involved with Craig’s Cause after participating in the 2019 Walk/Bike/Run awareness event. Jessica now helps facilitate monthly online Support4Caregivers meetings and is gaining involvement with the Clinical Trial Finder program. 

Jessica saw the untimely passing of her two uncles, Doug and Jim from pancreatic cancer, but never imagined it would hit any closer to home. In the Fall of 2018, her Dad was diagnosed with stage IV. She and her family were incredibly fortunate to share the following year together, but Greg lost his hard-fought battle in the Fall of 2019. All three of these patients were victims of the late diagnosis that is often associated with pancreatic cancer, which motivates Jessica to contribute to the awareness and supportive efforts of Craig’s Cause in hopes of improving the outcomes for pancreatic cancer patients in the future.



Jessica Nickerson

Medical Advisory Committee

Popi Kasvis

Medical Advisory Committee

Popi Kasvis is a Clinical Nutritionist/Dietitian at the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal,  working within the multidisciplinary Cancer Rehabilitation Program (CAREPRO).

Briefly, her clinical duties include:
1) assessing patients for the presence of malnutrition and muscle loss,
2) creating a nutritional treatment plan to optimize nutritional status, and
3) managing nutrition impact symptoms.

Popi received a PhD in the Department of Health, Kinesiology and Applied Physiology at Concordia University in Montreal. Her research is focused on the effect of early diet and exercise interventions on the health-related quality of life of patients with pancreatic cancer, undergoing both curative and palliative treatments. Popi has a keen interest in the use of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy as a way to improve the nutritional status and overall wellbeing of patients living with pancreatic cancer. 

Popi Kasvis

Medical Advisory Committee

Dr. Michael Moser

Medical Advisory Committee

Mike Moser is a hepatobiliary surgeon originally from Edmonton, who trained in London, Ontario, and now practices in Saskatoon.  

He has a keen clinical and research interest in the destruction of pancreas and liver cancers, a process known as ablation.  Although Dr. Moser enjoys the challenge of long and complex operations, he is very open to new, non-surgical ablation technologies such as MicroWave Ablation and NanoKnife that are less disruptive to patients than a major operation.

Dr. Michael Moser

Medical Advisory Committee

Employees

Our team at Craig's Cause Pancreatic Cancer Society is committed to improving pancreatic cancer patient outcomes and quality of life, working tirelessly to ensure our programs support this goal.

We believe in fostering an environment of collaboration and community which brings the right people together, forging new paths, to meet today's challenges. We serve our community with compassion and empathy, understanding that each pancreatic cancer experience is unique.

Stefanie Condon-Oldreive

Founder

Stefanie Condon-Oldreive presently resides in Porters Lake, Nova Scotia. She is an elementary school teacher with the Halifax Regional Municipality since 2001 and Founder and Executive Director of Craig’s Cause Pancreatic Cancer Society since 2006.

Stefanie has been nominated for the Teacher Excellence Award twice with HRSB and she has been recognized for her work with Craig’s Cause Pancreatic Cancer Society by “A Toast to the Work of Women,” The HalifaxRegional Municipality, by the Speaker of the House, the Honorable Mr. Kevin Murphy and The Maritime Philanthropic Awards. Lastly, she received a RICCOH coaching award for her work as coach of a novice skip team on the Eastern Shore.

At Craig’s Cause Pancreatic Cancer Society, Stefanie serves as the Founder and Director. She has “her hand in” all areas of the running of the organization and heads the Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Walk/Run/Bike in Nova Scotia. Stefanie is excited about the next three years at Craig's Cause Pancreatic Cancer Society. The unveiling of our new brand, the welcoming of new board members, the introduction to new programs and the formation of new partnerships demonstrates how a community can be brought together to help defeat pancreatic cancer.

“Losing my father to pancreatic cancer, so suddenly, was devastating. What was even more frustrating was the lack of information and awareness available to Canadians. After dad’s passing I promised myself that others would not feel the isolation that we did from support and knowledge about this disease.”

Stefanie Condon-Oldreive

Founder

Helen Wright

Director of Marketing & Communications

Helen came to Craig’s Cause Pancreatic Cancer Society in the fall of 2020 from the Arts Admin side of the non-profit world. Specializing in communications, events, marketing and operations, she has over twenty years experience doing whatever needs to be done to make the charity run smoothly.

Like many, before working for us, Helen knew very little about pancreatic cancer. Now, she is motivated to spread the word and make sure everyone knows of this disease. From risks & symptoms, to what to discuss with your doctor, to how you can help and everything in between.



Helen Wright

Director of Marketing & Communications

Jessica Nickerson

Healthcare Support Staff

Jessica is a PhD candidate in the Chemistry Department at Dalhousie University where her research focuses on optimizing front-end sample preparation strategies for proteome analysis by mass spectrometry. She was inspired to get involved with Craig’s Cause after participating in the 2019 Walk/Bike/Run awareness event. Jessica now helps facilitate monthly online Support4Caregivers meetings and is gaining involvement with the Clinical Trial Finder program. 

Jessica saw the untimely passing of her two uncles, Doug and Jim from pancreatic cancer, but never imagined it would hit any closer to home. In the Fall of 2018, her Dad was diagnosed with stage IV. She and her family were incredibly fortunate to share the following year together, but Greg lost his hard-fought battle in the Fall of 2019. All three of these patients were victims of the late diagnosis that is often associated with pancreatic cancer, which motivates Jessica to contribute to the awareness and supportive efforts of Craig’s Cause in hopes of improving the outcomes for pancreatic cancer patients in the future.



Jessica Nickerson

Healthcare Support Staff

Aidan Sampson

Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Aidan joined Craig’s Cause Pancreatic Cancer Society as a volunteer in 2019 helping with events, and returned full time in 2022. He is a fourth-year undergrad student at Saint Mary’s University studying computer science and business administration. Aidan has a passion for marketing and web development and is excited to help with as many aspects of the society as possible.

Aidan Sampson

Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Erin Ranger

Patient Support Manager

Erin joined Craig's Cause Pancreatic Cancer Society in the Fall of 2022 coming from the nursing world. She previously worked as a nurse in the operating room and has always enjoyed helping others and advocating for those in challenging situations.

Erin hopes to help those affected by pancreatic cancer and provide support to those in need through education, connection and awareness.

Erin Ranger

Patient Support Manager

Alisson Gonzales

Community & Development Coordinator

Alisson first joined Craig’s Cause Pancreatic Cancer Society in September 2022 for her second co-op position and is happy to be back to complete her last one. She is a fourth-year student at Dalhousie University in the Bachelor of Commerce program majoring in Marketing. Alisson is happy to have the opportunity to help others by working for such a great cause while also pursuing her passion for marketing at the same time. 


Alisson Gonzales

Community & Development Coordinator

Chloe Cyr

Patient Support Coordinator

Chloe graduated from Dalhousie University in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Medical Sciences. She completed her Honours project looking at the immunologic mechanisms of pancreatic cancer. In her Masters of degree, she will explore the relationship between pancreatic cancer and exercise.

Chloe lost her grandfather to pancreatic cancer in October 2018 and her aunt in December 2019. She joined Craig's Cause to increase awareness about pancreatic cancer and support those affected by this terrible disease.


Chloe Cyr

Patient Support Coordinator

Partners

Craig's Cause Pancreatic Cancer Society believes that by bringing the right people together, we will increase survival rates and improve the quality of life for all Canadians diagnosed.

Businesses and industry partners are key to us achieving these goals. Through unrestricted educational grants, corporate support and collaborations we will eventually defeat pancreatic cancer.

We appreciate your continued support!

Press

For all press inquiries contact

Stefanie Condon-Oldreive
Founder / Director
stefanie@craigscause.ca
902.222.4612

Helen Wright
Director of Marketing & Communications
helen@craigscause.ca
902.219.8443

For general inquires email info@craigscause.ca or call 1.877.212.9582

In the News

November 18th, 2022
Dr Mike Wahl hosts our founder Stefanie, survivor Connie Walsh, and board member Dr Ravi R. on his podcast, the Wahl Show for an episode highlighting pancreatic cancer awareness

October 4th, 2022
Craig's Cause Shines Light on Pancreatic Cancer in Red Deer

September 28th, 2022
Red Deer Pancreatic Cancer Research Fundraiser, Support Derailed by Hurricane Fiona - Red Deer Advocate

July 19th, 2022
National charity hopes to bridge gap in pancreatic cancer care with new accredited program