A new Alliance to Advance Patient-Centered Cancer Care Webinar

Patient navigators have been assisting persons with cancer for approximately twenty years. However, there is little consensus on how the role should be defined, or how to best evaluate a navigator’s impact on patient care. Demonstrating the value of navigation is an essential step in determining the sustainability of these programs, making the business case for a patient-centered approach to cancer care.

The Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+) is the largest national specialty organization dedicated to improving patient care and quality of life by defining, enhancing, and promoting the role of oncology nurse and patient navigators. The organization worked with health care professionals across the United States to select 35 metrics that can help clinicians, health care executives, and administrators support the integration of patient navigation into the standard of care. These metrics are aligned with nationally recognized quality standards and were selected based on potential data availability, for an evaluation program that can seamlessly integrate within existing clinical processes.

The Alliance to Advance Patient-Centered Cancer Care is hosting Monica Dean, Danelle Johnston, MSN, RN, HON-ONN-CG, OCN, and Tricia Strusowski, MS, RN, who will be presenting the AONN+ 2020 Navigation Metrics Toolkit. They will demonstrate how this transformative work can help define oncology navigation practice and outcomes, highlighting the value of patient navigation throughout the cancer care continuum. This event is open to patient navigators, clinicians, practice administrators, and health care executives – anyone who might be looking to support patient navigation programs in a clinical setting.

What: Alliance to Advance Patient-Centered Cancer Care Webinar –Evaluating the Sustainability of Oncology Navigation with the AONN+ Navigation Metrics Toolkit
When: Thursday, February 25 | 1:00 pm to 2:15 pm EST
Register by: Monday, February 22
Cost: The webinar is free for all attendees

Registration for this event is closed.

Please contact the Alliance at cancercarealliance@umich.edu if you would like to request a late registration.

Monica Dean
Director of Patient Navigation Program Development
Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+)

Monica Dean is the Director of Patient Navigation Program Development and Co-Director of Certification at the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators. In her role, Monica is working on strengthening as well as forging relationships with advocacy groups to advance collaborative projects. Monica Dean was previously the director of the National Navigation Roundtable (NNRT) at the American Cancer Society Global Headquarters. She was responsible for supporting, planning and implementing initiatives of the NNRT, overseeing long-term activities, implementation of strategic plans and task group action plans, while creating and maintaining collaborative partnerships with external partners and roundtable member organizations. She received her bachelor’s degree in Health Science with a minor in nutrition from Georgia Southern University.

Danelle Johnston, MSN, RN, HON-ONN-CG, OCN
Senior Vice President, Mission Delivery
Cancer Support Community

Danelle Johnston, MSN, RN, HON-ONN-CG, OCN, is Senior Vice President, Mission Delivery where she oversees all in-person, telephone, and digital service delivery, as well as the organization’s patient and family education efforts. These programs include CSC’s Cancer Support Helpline®, which provides support and navigation services, the award-winning Frankly Speaking About Cancer® patient education series, and digital platforms. Before joining the Cancer Support Community, Danelle served as Chief Nursing Officer, Senior Director of Planning and Initiatives for The Lynx Group, where she oversaw the strategic and operational responsibilities of staff programs and the expansion of the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+). She previously also served on the Biden Cancer Initiative (BCI) Advisory Committee. With more than 27 years of experience holding a variety of positions with a diverse and progressive oncology nursing background, Danelle is recognized as a national leader in oncology nurse navigation, innovative community outreach and education focused on improving clinical care coordination.
Danelle earned her Master of Science in Nursing degree with an emphasis in leadership and management at the Western Governors University, where she focused her capstone on the role of the oncology breast nurse navigator facilitating care transitions in cancer survivorship. Danelle obtained her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the Azusa Pacific University. She holds two national certifications as an Oncology Certified Nurse (OCN) and as an Oncology Nurse Navigator, Certified Generalist (ONN-CG).

Learn more about Danelle Johnston, MSN, RN, HON ONN-CG, OCN

Tricia Strusowski, MS, RN
Independent Oncology Contractor

With over 35 years of experience in the oncology field, Mrs. Strusowski has worked in a variety of roles including an oncology nurse, nurse manager, case management, a clinical director overseeing a multitude of departments, including chemotherapy infusion, rehabilitation program, multidisciplinary disease site centers, thoracic surgery, palliative care, oncology medical home program, wellness programs and bone marrow coordinators and accreditation program. Her passion is in patient and family centered care in the oncology landscape and in conjunction with serving on multiple advisory boards, she implemented 15 multidisciplinary cancer centers including breast, lung, head and neck, pancreatic and various other tumor site specific teams. Mrs. Strusowski puts this rich work history to practice in consulting on the strategic development and implementation of nurse navigation and oncology support services programs within private practices, hospitals, and health systems across the country. She has published and presented nationally. She chairs the Academy of Oncology Nurse and Patient Navigators (AONN+) Navigation Metrics Subcommittee, co-chair of the AONN+ Navigation Acuity project, past co-chair the ACS National Navigation Roundtable Evidence Based Promising Practice Committee and participated on the Biden Cancer Initiative for Patient Navigation.