How Clinical Leaders Are Moving the Needle Forward in Cancer Screening and Prevention | The Clinical Compass
Conversations about colorectal cancer screening may peak at certain times of the year, but for Dr. Jill Tinmouth, provincial medical director of Cancer Control at Ontario Health and a gastroenterologist and scientist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, improving screening is a year‑round priority – one that demands ongoing study, refinement, and leadership.
Provincially, Dr. Tinmouth helps advance work focused on colon cancer screening, including ColonCancerCheck. Outside of her role at Ontario Health, she founded and leads the Canadian Screening for Colorectal Cancer Research Network (CanSCCRN), which brings together policymakers, clinicians and researchers across Canada who share an interest in colon cancer screening.
Making a Difference for People in Ontario
In addition to colon cancer screening, Dr. Tinmouth provides clinical and scientific oversight of Ontario’s other cancer screening programs: breast, cervical and lung. Her focus is to keep all four programs strong and effective for people across Ontario by ensuring they reflect the best available evidence and continue to evolve as new research and innovations emerge.
“What motivated me to join Ontario Health was the opportunity to do work that would truly make a difference,” she said. “Supporting evaluations, pilot studies and evidence generation meant that the research I lead could shape the screening program and improve the lives of people in Ontario. Once you see that impact, you want to keep doing it.”
Strengthening Screening Pathways to Advance Equity
Dr. Tinmouth says one of the most important ways clinical leads can support people in Ontario and the health system is by strengthening the entire screening pathway, not just the screening test itself.
Screening isn’t just a test; it’s a process. That means identifying the target population, inviting eligible people to be screened, ensuring they can access the test and making sure results and next steps are clear for both the person and their primary care provider.
She noted that improving follow-up after abnormal screening results has been an important area of progress – helping to reduce delays, improve the screening experience, and strengthen quality across the system.
At the launch of the ColonCancerCheck program, she also noted that only about two-thirds of people with an abnormal screening test received a follow-up colonoscopy; today, that number has increased to 90%, with people receiving a colonoscopy within six months – reinforcing the importance of clinical leadership that strengthens each step of the care pathway.
Clinical leads play an important role in ensuring programs work well for everyone and that a one-size-fits-all approach does not leave equity-deserving populations behind. They contribute clinical insight and leadership to broader, multidisciplinary teams that design and deliver these initiatives.
Dr. Tinmouth highlighted FIT Kits-on-Hand as an example of how organized, centralized programs can (and sometimes must) be adapted in response to concerns raised by communities.
The fecal immunochemical test (FIT) is a safe and painless test that checks your stool (poop) for tiny amounts of blood, which can be caused by colorectal cancer or some pre-cancerous polyps (growths in the colon or rectum that can turn into cancer over time).
FIT Kits-on-Hand was developed through the dedicated work of a cross-functional team at Ontario Health, in close collaboration with First Nations organizations (such as Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority) and with clinical leads contributing as part of that team.
“FIT Kits-on-Hand has been a tremendous initiative and a real-life example of how we can do better, particularly for First Nations communities,” she said.
That’s why targeted universalism matters: you set universal goals, like ensuring everyone has access to screening, but the strategies to reach those goals may need to differ across communities.
She emphasized that the success of this work reflects the strength of collaborative partnerships and the commitment of Ontario Health teams who work alongside community partners to improve the system for everyone. Lessons from this approach are now being applied in other areas, including work with organizations such as the Black Health Alliance to develop materials that address barriers to human papillomavirus (HPV) screening.
Applying Screening Principles to Build a More Integrated Health System
Strengthening health care pathways and delivering real-world impact also shapes how Dr. Tinmouth approaches chronic disease prevention. This work has already begun in areas such as abdominal aortic aneurysm screening, led by Dr. Varun Kapila, where lessons from organized cancer screening are being applied. Dr. Tinmouth is interested in seeing how these principles might be extended to other chronic diseases, including diabetes and hypertension.
She also works closely with local communities from Ontario Health Teams, primary care, mental health and other health partners to strengthen prevention and screening through collaboration across the health system. By doing so, she’s helping to improve quality, coordination and long-term prevention efforts for people in Ontario.
Dr. Tinmouth describes the current moment in health care as challenging but full of opportunity, especially when it comes to bringing people together across the system, and not just around screening and prevention efforts.
“Ontario Health gives us a real chance to break down silos,” she said. “And for clinical leads to support integration, streamline how work gets done and keep improving the system for the people who rely on it.”
Last Updated: May 11, 2026
