Meet Our Team
Q&A with Dr Puneet Bains
Dr. Puneet Bains has volunteered with Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration since 2018 and has served as a Director for four years. Dr. Bains is a medical oncologist and works at Lions Gate Hospital in Vancouver, Canada.
How long have you been with TWCC and what is your role?
I've been with Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration since 2018. I am the Medical Oncology lead with TWCC and also a Director. TWCC has focused primarily on palliative care but we are also shifting more left on the cancer care spectrum, including cancer care and screening. So there's my role for the medical oncology side.
Education is a big focus of TWCC. Dr. Shama Pandey is a Medical Oncology trainee finishing her fellowship in Kathmandu and I am currently organizing a four-week clinical observership so she can gain insights from a different healthcare system in the same field. Our plan is three weeks dedicated to Medical Oncology and our Palliative Care Team at Lions Gate Hospital is on board so she will spend one week in adult palliative care, including visiting the hospice and observe how things work here.
How did you get into health care?
I think I always wanted to be a doctor. As a child, I had ear issues and spent a lot of time at BC Children's Hospital. This experience sparked my curiosity. Although my interests wavered at times, I ultimately knew this was what I wanted to pursue. And that's what led me to this path.
I'm a medical oncologist at Lions Gate Hospital – one of four. I didn't always want to go into oncology. My dream job was to be the physician for a professional sports team.
But I always had an interest in oncology. My mother was diagnosed with head and neck cancer when I was in 12th grade. I developed an interest in oncology during that time and volunteered at the Richmond Cancer Clinic while attending the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver. Oncology was always in the background for me. During my first year of residency in Internal Medicine, I was part of the bone marrow transplant team and something just clicked. It felt like a light bulb moment, just like in the cartoons. I switched my focus from sports medicine research to oncology research.
What brought you to TWCC as opposed to other organizations?
I was always interested in global health and I was initially in touch with Health Volunteers Overseas. And then Dr. Simon Sutcliffe [TWCC President] introduced me to Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration. And here I am.
When I trained here at UBC, there wasn’t a formal global oncology program although UBC now has a global health research program. So I did not have a lot of exposure to it, it came out of personal interest.
You know, it's something that I've always wanted to do it since I was in high school. I always pictured myself working elsewhere, working in lesser-resourced countries.
What do you see as the biggest success or successes for TWCC this far?
When we had our annual retreat this past year, I saw all the projects that were happening and I was so inspired by everything that is happening and everyone who is making a significant impact. This is a small group of people – mostly volunteers. It's genuine teamwork and friendships, and everyone is making such a big impact elsewhere in what they do each day.
Everyone is here because they want to be here. It's such a small group doing big things.
What do you see as the biggest challenges for us?
We aspire to do a lot. I don't even know how to word it: We want to do big things – we just need the resources and funding to do so. So we have big aspirations, which is great. It's just a matter of being able to do those things.
Also palliative care still carries a lot of stigma – in Canada or anywhere. When I talk to a patient I talk about supportive care. Palliative care is supportive care.
Is there an experience with TWCC that stays with you?
I would say one of the most unforgettable things for me was visiting Niloufer Children’s Hospital – the first time walking in the door. It's a hospital that serves a vast area and sees a remarkable number of patients per day. Just seeing the number of patients and the neonates (newborns) with their mothers having to care for their babies due to the number of patients and limited staff. And seeing how the Hyderabad Palliative Care Team cared for all these patients was amazing – caring for each one with exceptional care. I think that's etched in my mind forever.
When you travelled to our partner programs in Nepal and India, what did you bring back that you hold in your own practice?
I think it happens to all of us, we become accustomed to our surroundings and then need to pause and reflect. When I visited the chemotherapy wards, the mixing rooms, and pharmacies in Nepal and saw what they're able to achieve with little resources. The resources we have in cancer care [in Canada] are amazing. I'm very thankful for that and thankful for that for all of our patients, but the vast differences stand out and how they work in some parts of India and Nepal is amazing. I'm very grateful to witness what can be done with the limited resources and making those resources count for each patient.
What do you do to cope with the emotional toll the type of work you do can take?
Yeah, it can be tough. It's definitely hard. It's hard because I see some of these patients more than I see some of my family members. I get to know them and their families well, seeing them every two to three weeks, hopefully for years. It can be hard, but I try to decompress on my way home from work, taking some quiet time. I also have great team at work and colleagues that I'm able to talk to, which helps a lot.
What do you do when you turn your healthcare brain off?
I run a lot. I run marathons and half- marathons. I ran the Chicago Marathon in October and I qualified for Boston.
And spending time with my family. I have two young kids – two sons* – that keep me busy. So a lot of sports activities – soccer, basketball, and track mainly.
*As an aside: Dr. Bains’ 11-year-old son did a young entrepreneurs fair at school. He and his fellow students each had to make a product and sell it. He donated 20% of his modest earnings to Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration.