Behind the Scenes — December 2019

From the Telehealth Director

Dear UNC Cancer Network Community Members,

On behalf of the entire UNC Cancer Network team, I hope that you had an enjoyable and relaxing Thanksgiving with family and friends. As we begin to look to the next decade, I am very pleased to announce some pending changes to our two free professional lecture series.

Effective January 1, 2020, the series which we had previously called Medical and Surgical Oncology (Med/Surg) will now be referred to as Cancer Treatment in North Carolina: Research to Practice. A detailed description of this series is available at http://www.unccn.org/r2p and a link to the titles of our 2020 lectures in this series may be viewed at http://www.unccn.org/2020r2p.

The series which we had previously referred to as RN and Allied Health will now be called Cancer Treatment in North Carolina: Patient Centered Care. A detailed description of this series is available at http://www.unccn.org/pcc, and a link to the titles of our 2020 lectures in this series may be viewed at http://www.unccn.org/2020pcc.

We believe that these changes in name and description will positively reflect the needs of those that we serve. Both series will continue to offer the same FREE continuing education (CME, CNE, ACPE, and ASRT for the first, and CNE, ACPE, and ASRT for the second). Both series will continue to be available BOTH as live lectures, and as self-paced, online courses (which you may freely take on your own schedule for approximately one year after the live lecture in our Learning Portal – https://learn.unccn.org).

I want to thank each member of our lecture planning committees for her or his contributions, which resulted in our lecture lineups for 2020.

For the Research to Practice series, special thanks goes to: Mary King; Jon Powell, PhD; Jon Valgus, PharmD, MHA, BCOP; Barbara Walsh, DNP, MPH, MSN, RN; Andrew Wang, MD; Bill Wood, MD, MPH; and Cheri Young, MSN, RN, OCN, CPN.

For the Patient Centered Care series, special thanks goes to: Robert Adams, EdD, MPH, FASRT, FAAMD; Amy DePue, RN; Mary King; Susan Mason, RN, MSN, OCN; Benyam Muluneh, PharmD, BCOP, CPP; Jon Powell, PhD; Barbara Walsh, DNP, MPH, MSN, RN; and Bill Wood, MD, MPH.

Please don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any questions about these recent changes, or anything else here at the UNC Cancer Network.

Wishing you Joyous Holidays and a Happy New Year,
Tim

Meet the New Cancer Network Director!

by Mary E. King

William Wood, MD, MPH, is an Associate Professor of Medicine and was recently selected as Director of Education and Outreach of the UNC Cancer Network (UNCCN) after Dr. Thomas Shea retired in October 2019.

Dr. Bill Wood is a hematologist and oncologist and focuses on blood cancers, hematopoietic cell transplantation, and cellular therapy. His research looks at measuring and intervening upon physical function during and after cancer treatment. As part of this, he is doing work on digital biomarker development, physiologic sensor integration, home-based functional assessments, patient-reported outcomes implementation, and health coaching. Dr. Wood’s health coaching program, “HealthScore,” will soon be available to both transplant and non-transplant cancer patients through the Comprehensive Cancer Support Program, where he is the medical director of health coaching and physical activity. He is interested in using new technologies to improve the cancer patient experience.

Dr. Wood is also involved in a number of local, state-wide, national, and international digital medicine collaborations and research initiatives. He is the current chair of the American Society of Hematology Research Collaborative’s Data Hub Oversight Group. The ASH Research Collaborative Data Hub aims to become one of the world’s largest repositories of research-grade clinical data in benign and malignant hematologic diseases, starting with sickle cell disease and multiple myeloma, with expansion to other diseases over the next several years.

Dr. Wood obtained his undergraduate degree in government from Harvard and his medical degree at Duke, his Master’s in Public Health from UNC. He did his residency training in the Harvard internal medicine and pediatrics program before coming to UNC for his adult hematology/oncology fellowship, where he has remained on faculty since finishing training.

Dr. Wood has quickly made his mark on UNCCN, both with his creative suggestions and by tweaking existing projects.

“It is a very exciting opportunity for me to be involved with the UNCCN at this time in its growth and development. We are looking forward to developing programs to deliver high quality oncology-related education to practitioners and learners throughout the state,” said Dr. Wood.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Wood on this well-deserved opportunity!

Upcoming Live Events

December 11, 2019 | 12:00–1:00 pm

Melissa Walter, MPH, RDN, LDN

Nutrition and the Aging Brain in Cancer Care
https://unclineberger.org/unclcn/professional-education/calendars/telehealth-lectures/”

Our brains change as we age. These alterations become more complicated when a patient undergoes radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy for cancer. Melissa Walter will guide us in how we can support brain health while managing nutrition-related complications of treatment.

December 18, 2019 | 12:00–1:00 pm

Andrew Wang, MD

Updates in Radiation Oncology
https://unclineberger.org/unclcn/professional-education/calendars/telehealth-lectures/”

Radiotherapy plays an important part in many cancer treatment plans; however, recent studies suggest that we can make better use of radiotherapy in some instances. Dr. Andrew Wang, of Wang Laboratory at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, will help us navigate this changing landscape.

Recent Additions to the Learning Portal

Myriam Peereboom, MBA/MHA, CMI, CHITM

Working with Patients through Interpreter Services
https://learn.unccn.org/online-course-catalog/rn-and-allied-health-courses/”

Sometimes patients and their families have problems working with physicians and nurses because of language barriers. Myriam Peereboom, MBA/MHA, CMI, CHITM, will discuss the role(s) that an interpreter plays within the treatment plan as well as their modes and methods of conveying information back and forth. She will also share the importance in utilizing a qualified interpreter and the legal implications from using an unqualified interpreter.

Bhisham Chera, MD

Clinical Trial Update in Head and Neck Cancer
https://learn.unccn.org/online-course-catalog/medical-and-surgical-oncology-courses/”

The Head and Neck Oncology program is actively pursuing a number of clinical trials at UNC. Dr. Bhisham S. Chera will provide an update on some of these trials.