What brought you to the field of survivorship?
I have spent my entire career in the oncology field - early on, during nursing school when I was working as an extern on the oncology floor, I knew that these were the patients that I always wanted to care for. Fast forward many years and a move from inpatient to outpatient, I was able to see the gaps that occur after the treatment portion of the cancer journey is over and the lack of support that patients sometimes experience between the oncologist, PCP, and other specialists. That miss was even more noticeable once I began partnering with the Oncovery team through TO to improve their current survivorship program and I knew I had to get more involved in this work!
What excites you most about the future of survivorship?
It is exciting to see survivorship gaining so much attention as a critical piece of cancer care. Not just a checkbox and a care plan, but actually individualizing care for each patient and the unique needs they are experiencing. That is the type of care that really makes a difference when a patient feels a bit lost after going through a traumatic dx and tx.
What’s the best part of being part of the Oncovery team?
100% the team that shares a passion for doing the right thing for patients and improving survivorship care. Everyone I have worked with on the team is willing to go above and beyond to make this model the best it can be.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I am aging myself here but Free Willy came out when I was a kid so I spent years wanting to be a marine biologist. Fun fact, as an adult, I'm terrified of ocean mammals which I learned only after a dolphin up-close swimming experience about 10 years ago...it would NOT have been a good career fit :-)
What’s your favorite way to spend a Sunday morning?
Our Sundays are usually spent attending church, eating out, and sports (doing something together as a family like bowling or pickleball, or watching our son play sports, especially baseball which is nearly year-round for us)!
