Behind the Scenes — March 2019
March in Review
This month the editor has decided that the “From the Telehealth Director” portion of our newsletter will be provided in a video format. Please visit: www.unccn.org/from-the-director to view this brief presentation.
Best wishes to all, Tim.
The Patient and Family Resource Center (PFRC) Champions for Cancer Patients, Families, and Caregivers
by Sharon Bigelow, RN MSN ANP OCN
As the Mary Anne Long Patient and Family Resource Center (PFRC) celebrates ten years of being located within the NC Cancer Hospital, we reflect on how far we have come and our plans for the future.
The PFRC was established in 1991 in the UNC Clinical Cancer Center by Dianne Shaw, the former Director of Communications of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Tina Shaban assumed the leadership in 2002 and over the course of almost 2 decades has been at the helm to envision and oversee the transition from a small closet in the Gravely Building to a beautiful center located in the NC Cancer Hospital in 2009. Within the PFRC, the main focus is the extensive William G. Clark III Education Center and Library. The PFRC serves as the central hub for cancer support services provided by the Comprehensive Cancer Support Program (CCSP).
As the state cancer hospital, our patients and families are of diverse backgrounds, each with unique challenges. They travel from all parts of the state to receive world class cancer treatment at the NC Cancer Hospital. With our resource center, they also receive world-class support services delivered by experienced and compassionate CCSP providers and bilingual staff.
A cancer diagnosis creates many challenges for our patients and families and our staff decreases these barriers by delivering:
- Personalized Education & Needs Assessment
- Resource Identification & Referral
- Body Image Consultation & Restoration
- Patient Advocacy & Caregiver Support
In addition, the following are a few of the many impactful initiatives championed by the PFRC and sponsored by gracious donors:
- Inclusion of Social Work, Dieticians and Massage Therapy into the outpatient areas.
- Incorporation of Nurse Navigation into the PFRC educational offerings.
- Focus on Caregiving with the creation of a library of resources and books for Caregivers.
- Creation of Respite Spaces and Relaxation Room with Massage Chairs.
- Revision of the New Patient Education Binders, individualized to meet affiliate needs.
- Decreased language barriers with hospital-wide adoption of tools, policies and procedures.
- Focus on Nutrition: Zeny’s Community Garden was created at the SECU Family House in Chapel Hill which offers fresh fruits and vegetables for guests and provides the opportunity for them to garden. The dietician’s blog is located on the Lineberger website which discusses hot topics and offers recipes for cancer patients: https://unclineberger.org/nutrition/nutrition-blog/.
The future of cancer treatment is changing rapidly and the way we deliver education and support will change as a result. The PFRC is dedicated to leading the way to anticipate and adapt to these changes. We envision new strategies to integrate technology to decrease language, geographic and learning barriers, to address the personalization of cancer treatment and to adopt new patient engagement methodologies. Finally, the PFRC will collaborate with the UNC Health Care affiliates to achieve a broader reach to deliver gold-standard support throughout the state to meet our patients and families where they are.
Despite an ever-changing health care landscape, one thing that will never change is the PFRC’s mission. We will continue to be a champion for cancer patients, families and caregivers and to provide holistic, empowering and comforting support services that will improve outcomes and help our patients live their best lives before, during and after treatment.
The 13th Annual UNC Conference on Melanoma and Complex Skin Cancers: A Multidisciplinary Perspective
With Special Guest Speakers
- Julide T. Celebi, MD
The Tisch Cancer Institute - Marc S. Ernstoff, MD
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Presented at:
- The William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Course Directors:
- David W. Ollila, MD
- Nancy E. Thomas, MD, PhD
For more information and to register: Contact Greensboro AHEC (336) 832-8025 www.gahec.org
You can also download a PDF of the 2019 Melanoma brochure.
UNC Cancer Network’s
Live Lectures for 2019
by Jon Powell, PhD
We have added another lecture to the lineup, with Claire Gillett speaking on “Professional Development and Continuing Education for Oncology Nurses” on September 11. This means that our 2019 calendar is almost complete, with only one more presenter to be determined.
Our 2019 schedule includes these great speakers and topics:
| RN and Allied Health lectures |
Medical and Surgical Oncology lectures |
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March 13 — Zev Nakamura, MD |
March 27 — Yuliya Pylayeva-Gupta, PhD |
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April 10 — Tammy Allred, RN, OCN |
April 24 — Raj Pruthi, MD |
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May 8 — Marc Bjurlin, DO, MSc, FACOS, and Meredith Crabtree, FNP-C |
May 22 — Wendell G. Yarbrough, MD, MMHC |
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June 12 — Katharine Harrell, NP-C |
June 26 — Lisa Carey, MD |
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July 10 — TBD |
July 24 — Autumn McRee, MD, Trevor A. Jolly, MBBS, and Emily Ray, MD, MPH |
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August 14 — Shifali Arora, MD, and Kathleen Ferrell, MPAS, PA-C |
August 28 — Jared Weiss, MD, and Tracy Rose, MD, MPH |
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September 11 — Claire Gillett, RN, MSN, OCN |
September 25 — Brian Colwell Jensen, MD |
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October 9 — Sharon M. Bigelow, RN MSN ANP OCN |
October 23 — Bhisham Chera, MD |
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November 13 — Marie Malikowski, RN, MHA, CCRP |
November 27 — Paola A. Gehrig, MD |
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December 12 — Melissa Walter, MPH, RDN, LDN |
December 18 — Andrew Wang, MD |
We hope that you find our entire 2019 lineup, as it becomes finalized, as edifying as we believe it will be. Updated PDF Schedules and an always current online calendar can be found on the UNC Cancer Network website.
You can also download a PDF of the UNC Cancer Network’s 2019 Telehealth Schedule.
Recent Additions
to the Learning Portal
by Jon Powell, PhD
Katherine Reeder-Hayes, MD, MBA, MSc
Stephanie Wheeler, PhD, MPH
Disparities in Breast Cancer: A Biology, Health Services and Solutions Story
https://learn.unccn.org/online-course-catalog/rn-and-allied-health-courses/“
This seminar reviews the epidemiology of breast cancer disparities and cost of care as a potential determinant of differentiated access to and outcomes of care. We conclude with potential solutions and future research opportunities.
Natalie Grover, MD
An Update on CAR T Therapy
https://learn.unccn.org/online-course-catalog/medical-and-surgical-oncology-courses/
This lecture gives an overview of CAR-T cells, discusses recent clinical trial results and FDA approvals as well as current clinical applications. This lecture also covers the management of the unique toxicities of CAR-T therapy. Finally, this lecture discusses some of the ongoing trials of CAR-T therapy as well as future directions of the field.
Learn more about the continuing education and other outreach efforts of the UNC Cancer Network. Many of the outreach programs that are part of the UNC Cancer Network are funded through the University Cancer Research Fund. Find out what UNCCN is doing by following us on Twitter at @unc_cn, join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/unccn, unccn.org, or email us at unccn@unc.edu
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Editor: Mary King, meking@email.unc.edu
Contributors: Dr. Thomas C. Shea; Tim Poe, Telehealth Director: Jon Powell, PhD, Continuing Education Specialist: and Veneranda Obure, AV Support Engineer.
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