Lynn GauthierPh.D.

Dr. Gauthier is Assistant Professor of Palliative Care in the Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine at Laval University. She is also a regular researcher in the oncology axis of the CHU of Quebec-Laval University Research Centre, as well as in the Michel-Sarrazin Research Team in Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care (ERMOS). She is also co-director of the Axis 1 of the Quebec Research Network in Palliative and End-of-Life Care (RQSPAL) and a regular member of the Quebec Pain Research Network. She completed her PhD at the School of Kinesiology and Health Sciences at York University in Toronto in 2013 and her postdoctoral at the Princess Margaret Cancer Center in 2016. Her research goals are at the intersection of pain and aging. Her main objective is to improve the assessment and management of pain during adulthood, particularly in the elderly population. Dr. Gauthier aims to deepen our understanding of pain, its management, as well as to identify ways to improve it in order to reduce patients’ suffering.

The overall impact of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathies

Women using taxane-based chemotherapy to treat breast cancer may experience persistent side effects from these treatments, such as chemically-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). These symptoms include weakness, pain, numbness, altered sensitivity, tingling, or burning sensations in the hands and feet. These symptoms can cause temperature-related injuries, balance problems, falls, and a deterioration in the quality of life. Unfortunately, our knowledge of CIPN and the best way to measure it are limited. As part of her research projects, Dr. Gauthier is interested in examining the psychometric properties of measures used to evaluate chemically-induced peripheral neuropathy, in order to improve our understanding of the development, trajectory, biopsychosocial risk factors, and impacts of CIPN by age. Additionally, by comparing the validity of existing measures used in evaluating acute and chronic CIPNs, it will be possible to better determine which of the measures has the best validity and should serve as basis for the development of a new measure, if necessary.