ACCESS And Hope Air Announce Strategic Partnership To Support Access To Pediatric Clinical Trials Across Canada
Posted on: May 21, 2025
Toronto, ON – May 21, 2025 – ACCESS and Hope Air are thrilled to announce a new partnership agreement that will significantly expand the reach and impact of the STEP-1 program. This national initiative is designed to alleviate the financial burden on patients and families, enabling equitable and easier access to academic early-phase pediatric cancer clinical trials across Canada.
Launched in March 2024 through the support of the Garron Family Cancer Centre, STEP-1 began as a pilot program led by Dr. Sarah Cohen-Gogo, pediatric oncologist with support from Nathalie Costie, project manager at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto. The program’s early success underscored the urgent need to eliminate geographic and financial obstacles that prevent many families from accessing early-phase oncology trials. With the support of ACCESS through financial support from Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), the pilot program will now be expanding nationally to include two additional clinical trial sites; BC Children’s Hospital and CHU Sainte-Justine.
“At ACCESS, our mission is to ensure that every Canadian childhood cancer patient who needs access to an innovative therapy not available at their home institution can do so,” said Dr. Jim Whitlock, ACCESS Co-Chair and Head of the Division of Haematology/Oncology at SickKids. “Our partnership with Hope Air is critical to achieving that mission – breaking down logistical and financial barriers that have too often stood in the way of accessing clinical trials.”
Hope Air, Canada’s leading national charity providing free travel and accommodations to those in need of financial aid, will help coordinate travel services for STEP-1 patients through this partnership. “Strategic partnerships such as this are essential to reducing systemic inequities in healthcare,” said Mark Rubinstein, Chief Hope Officer, Hope Air. “This national collaborative program ensures that neither distance nor financial hardship prevents a child from receiving the best possible cancer care.”
“Having experienced the fears and financial stress as the parent of a childhood cancer survivor, I’m thrilled to see this partnership come to fruition,” said Norman Cook, STEP-1 Project Co-Lead, ACCESS Research Theme Co-Lead and a Person With Lived Experience. “When my daughter participated in a clinical trial in the U.S., all of our travel and accommodation needs were covered. I want families in Canada to have that same peace of mind—so they can focus entirely on their child’s care, not the costs.”
Equity, diversity, and inclusion are central to both ACCESS’ and Hope Air’s work. Working together, along with the STEP-1 team and the three pediatric cancer centres involved, we are committed to ensuring that all children with cancer in Canada—regardless of geography, background, or income—have access to the best pediatric cancer research and care.
Media Contacts:
ACCESS
Fatyma Khan
Senior Advisor, Communications
+1 437 999 6370
fatyma.khan@sickkids.ca
Hope Air
Jodi Lumsden
Director, Marketing and Engagement
647-688-5634
jlumsden@hopeair.ca
About ACCESS
ACCESS is a pan-Canadian pediatric cancer network advancing childhood cancer experience, science and survivorship. Our network of researchers, healthcare providers, partner organisations, and Persons With Lived Experience believe in equitable access to scientific advances, diagnostic tools, innovative therapies, and supportive care to better health outcomes and quality of life for children with cancer and their families. Visit accessforkidscancer.ca for more information. ACCESS is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
About Hope Air
Founded in 1986, Hope Air is Canada’s national charity that provides free travel and accommodations to patients living in remote, rural and underserved communities, who must travel long distances to reach specialized medical care. Hope Air is a unique and essential part of our Canadian healthcare system and, since inception, has arranged more than 235,000 travel arrangements for over 25,000 Canadians in over 640 communities. Visit hopeair.ca for more information.