I am writing with great excitement to invite you to take part in the 2026 World Psycho-Oncology Day (WPOD), taking place on April 9th, and to do so as members of a community with a truly extraordinary legacy to celebrate.

This initiative is led by our IPOS colleagues and represents one of our most important annual opportunities to elevate the visibility and impact of psychosocial oncology globally. At its heart, WPOD honours the extraordinary legacy of the late Dr. Jimmie Holland, whose pioneering work laid the very foundation of our field. But as we mark this day, I also want to take a moment to recognize how profoundly Canada has shaped psycho-oncology, not just at home, but around the world.

Canada's contributions to this field are remarkable. It was Canadian researchers and clinicians who championed distress as the sixth vital sign, fundamentally shifting how cancer care systems worldwide think about screening and responding to psychological distress. It was Canadian scientists and clinicians who developed and rigorously tested some of most widely disseminated psychosocial interventions in oncology. CAPO members have co-led international clinical practice guideline panels, shaped global standards of care, and produced research that has improved the lives of people with cancer far beyond our borders. We have punched well above our weight and WPOD is an occasion to stand tall in that legacy.

WPOD affirms what every person in this community knows to be true: that holistic care for people with cancer must place mental and emotional wellbeing alongside physical health, not as an afterthought, but as a cornerstone. It calls on all of us, researchers, clinicians, educators, advocates, and trainees, to raise awareness, engage policymakers, and push for the integration of psychosocial care into cancer care systems at every level.

This year, IPOS has launched a multilingual promotional video titled Make It Visible to support awareness-raising efforts worldwide. I encourage you to watch and share it, and to use the campaign hashtags #WPOD2026 and #maketheinvisiblevisible across your social media channels on April 9th.

There are many ways to get involved:

• Share information with your networks and post on social media using #WPOD2026
• Organize an activity at your institution — a symposium, awareness talk, support group, patient information session, or media outreach
• Submit your event or initiative for potential promotion on the IPOS website and social media
• Download the WPOD Logo Toolkit for use in your local promotions

Please note that you do not need to be an IPOS member to submit or participate, this is a truly open, global invitation.

I hope each of you will find a meaningful way to mark April 9th. Whether you organize a public event, post on social media, or simply take a moment to reflect on why this work matters, you will be contributing to a worldwide movement — one that Canada has helped lead, and one that CAPO will continue to champion.

For more details, please visit the website.

Let's make April 9, 2026 a day of inspiration, education, and action — for our field, for our patients, and for the remarkable legacy Canada has built in psychosocial oncology.

With gratitude and pride,

Dr. Sheila Garland

President, Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology (CAPO).