AONN+ Blog

Since 2019, the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+) has been working to create unique partnerships with a variety of organizations through its National Alliance Partnership program. This program was designed to be flexible and mutually beneficial to both the partner organization and to AONN+, its mission, vision, and membership.

AONN+ would like to congratulate Leadership Council member Dr. Robert Winn who was recently recognized with the 2024 Clinical Research Award at the Association of Community Cancer Care Centers 50^th Annual Meeting & Cancer Center Business Summit. This award recognizes individuals whose research has significantly and positively impacted the oncology patient, family, and/or community. Joining him at the event was fellow Leadership Council member Mark Liu.

Linda Burhansstipanov, MSPH, DrPH, President, Native American Cancer Initiatives, Inc., is a long-time AONN+ member and a strong voice for the healthcare needs of Indigenous people with cancer. In March, she traveled to Melbourne, Australia, to take part in the 3rd World Indigenous Cancer Conference, an event aiming to reduce disparities in Indigenous cancer.

AONN+ Leadership Council members Sharon Gentry, Editor in Chief, and Elizabeth Franklin, Head of US Public Affairs & Patient Advocacy in Oncology, Sanofi, recently participated in “Health Equity Heroes: Advocates Making a Difference” at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C. Sanofi sponsored the event.

Thank you to all who applied to attend the 2024 AONN+ Midyear Conference on scholarship. All applicants were notified in March of our decision. If you were among the individuals selected for this opportunity, we congratulate you and ask that you familiarize yourself with the agreement terms.

AONN+ is proud to announce that the following 3 members have been named to the American Cancer Society’s National Navigation Roundtable Steering Committee: Emily Gentry, AONN+ Executive Director of Strategy and Operations; Jennifer Bires, Executive Director of Life with Cancer and Patient Experience for the Inova Schar Cancer Institute; and Zarek Mena. This is an exciting opportunity and we’re honored to have you representing AONN+ on the national stage. Congratulations!

As we bid farewell to another remarkable year, Emily Gentry, Executive Director, Strategy & Operations, AONN+, takes this opportunity to reflect upon 2023, to express her gratitude to AONN+’s membership for your unwavering commitment to excellence in oncology navigation, and to wish all of you a wonderful New Year.

December marks the close of 2023 and of AONN+’s conference season. The month brought Sharon Gentry and Emily Gentry several opportunities to highlight AONN+’s work to advance the navigation profession, reconnect with colleagues, and expand their network.

Through speaking engagements and other industry-sponsored activities this fall, AONN+ leaders raised awareness and understanding for the challenges of patients with cancer, the resources available to these individuals, and the vital role of navigators in the oncology care continuum.

AONN+’s CATCH (Catching & Addressing Threats to Care & Health) Initiative has brought to light the many ways in which navigators are intervening within their own organizations to influence positive outcomes. At Annual 2023, we had the opportunity to celebrate two navigators whose CATCHs truly exemplified the value and efficiency of navigators. Please join us in congratulating Nurse Navigator CATCH of the Year Laura Kaminski, and Patient Navigator CATCH of the Year, Cynthia Shechter.