Dr. Savard is a regular researcher at CHU de Québec-Laval University Research Center, professor of psychology at Laval University, and researcher at the Laval University Cancer Research Center. She is member of the Équipe de recherche Michel-Sarrazin en oncologie psychosociale et soins palliatifs (ERMOS). She is also the co-chair of the Symptom Management and Optimization of Quality of Life axis of the Réseau de recherche en soins palliatifs et de fin de vie funded by the FRQS (2017-2021). She completed her Ph.D. in psychology at Laval University, and then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in psycho-oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center (Philadelphia).
Dr. Savard’s research focuses on the development, evaluation, and implementation of psychological interventions to help cancer patients to better cope with their illness. More specifically, her studies are centered on sleep disorders, depression, and fear of cancer recurrence, as well as on the efficacy of cognitive-behavioural therapy. She is also interested in the relationships between cancer-related psychological factors and some biological indicators such as immune functioning and infectious risk.
In 2010, she published Faire face au cancer avec la pensée réaliste (Flammarion Québec), a self-help book to provide cancer patients and their caregivers with effective strategies to cope with cancer. In 2016, Dr. Savard received the Award for Excellence in Research Mentoring from Laval University’s Faculty of Social Sciences, and she was elected fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association in 2015. In 2014, she was awarded the Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology Award for Education Excellence.
1401, 18e rue
G2.617
Québec, QC
Canada G1J 1Z4
Latest news
- Cinq chercheurs du CRCHU parmi les Virtuoses de la santé 2022 2022-06-24
- [ULaval Nouvelles] Qu’est-ce qui freine l’usage thérapeutique des champignons magiques en fin de vie? 2022-06-23
- Concours des FRQ : les étudiants et chercheurs du CRCHU de Québec-Université Laval récoltent plus de 6 M$ 2022-06-22
Quelle est la place des professionnels de santé dans l’adhésion aux programmes thérapeutiques en ligne de l’insomnie ? Éléments de réflexion issus de l’étude Sleep-4-All-1 et protocole de l’étude Sleep-4-All-2.0
Journal ArticlePsycho-Oncol, 16 (1), 2022.
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Effects of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia on subjective and objective measures of sleep and cognition
Journal ArticleSleep Med, 97 , 2022.
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Barriers and facilitators to implementing a stepped care cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia in cancer patients: a qualitative study
Journal ArticleSupport Care Cancer, 30 (8), 2022.
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Pilot randomized controlled trial of eHealth cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia among Spanish-speaking breast cancer survivors
Journal ArticleJ Behav Med, 45 (3), 2022.
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What is the prevalence of fear of cancer recurrence in cancer survivors and patients? A systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis
Journal ArticlePsychooncology, 31 (6), 2022.
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Anxiety symptoms and disorders in the first year after sustaining mild traumatic brain injury
Journal ArticleRehabil Psychol, 67 (1), 2022.
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Prevalent, incident, and persistent insomnia in a population-based cohort tested before (2018) and during the first-wave of COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
Journal ArticleSleep, 45 (1), 2022.
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Perfectionnisme et stratégies d’adaptation : contribution du sexe, de l’âge et du type de cancer
Journal ArticlePsycause, 11 (2), 2021.
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Prospective Rates, Longitudinal Associations, and Factors Associated With Comorbid Insomnia Symptoms and Perceived Cognitive Impairment
Journal ArticleFront Neurosci, 15 , 2021.
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Stress-buffering effect of social support on immunity and infectious risk during chemotherapy for breast cancer
Journal ArticleBrain Behav Immun Health, 10 , 2021.
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Active projects
- Age-related patterns in the experience of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, from 2019-10-01 to 2024-09-30
- Approches innovantes pour améliorer la prise en charge des troubles de santé mentale: Efficacité, efficience et implantation de différents modèles de soins, from 2020-06-01 to 2024-05-31
- Étude servant à comprendre la manifestation de la peur de la récidive chez les femmes ayant été traitées pour un cancer du sein , from 2021-09-08 to 2022-09-07
- Exploring the impact for COVID-19 pandemic on women with breast cancer in Quebec, from 2021-12-01 to 2023-09-30
- Implementation of a Stepped Care Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia in Routine Cancer Care, from 2018-04-01 to 2023-03-31
- Perfectionism and psychosocial adjustment to cancer : A mixed methods study, from 2020-03-31 to 2024-03-31
- Prix Banque Nationale - Innovation et soutien à la communauté, from 2022-03-07 to 2023-03-31
- Télé-NEUROS (Nouvel Environnement Universitaire de Recherche Orchestrée en Santé mentale et cognitive: une télé initiative), from 2020-10-20 to 2023-03-31
- The role of chronic stress reactivity in the persistence of insomnia over time, from 2019-04-01 to 2025-03-31
- What are my options? A feasibility study of a personalized primary prevention strategy for women and men at high risk of breast and prostate cancer, from 2022-01-15 to 2023-01-14
Recently finished projects
- Development and initial validation of measures of cancer pain under- and overtreatment, from 2020-04-01 to 2021-03-31
- Dissémination d'un groupe de psychothérapie visant à réduire la peur de récidive du cancer, from 2018-02-22 to 2021-03-31
- Implementation of a stepped care cognitive-behavioural therapy for insomnia in routine cancer care, from 2018-02-01 to 2021-01-31
- Neurophysiological biomarkers of insomnia treatment response: towards personalized therapeutic approaches in chronic insomnia, from 2017-04-01 to 2022-03-31