Elevate Ambassadors
Improving Cancer Survivorship Care Begins In Your Backyard
Elevate Ambassadors are advocates, leaders, and survivors who ensure quality cancer care is delivered. Ambassadors receive mentorship, support, networking opportunities, and in-person training to develop and execute a plan-of-action to improve survivorship care in their community.
It may seem like no small task for Elevate Ambassadors to make a difference in cancer care in their communities — that’s because it isn’t. Yet, it’s their opportunity to get the training and mentorship they need to successfully achieve a rewarding result for local survivors who are their neighbors, colleagues, family friends, and more.
2020 Elevate Ambassadors
Ambassadors said this about their Elevate experience:
“I would never have even attempted something like this without the support and encouragement of NCCS. It’s been a game changer and a life changer as well.”
“Not really knowing anything about NCCS before applying, I found the Elevating Survivorship program to be extremely supportive, inclusive, and enlightening. Meeting so many smart, talented, driven advocates was very inspiring.”
“I have loved participating.”
We are proud to provide training, support, and mentorship to the 14 patient advocate leaders who represent our 2020 Ambassadors Program. They are:
Joli Bartell | Woodinville, WA
Woodrow Brokenburr | Agoura Hills, CA
Jennifer Campisano, JD | Phoenix, AZ
Crystal Champion, MD, PT, DPT, CLT-ALM, DN | Duluth, GA
Lesley Glenn | Central Point, OR
Kimberly Harrison | Bowie, MD
Nancy Howe | Phoenix, AZ
Wenora Johnson | Joliet, IL
Joslyn McArdle | Wynantskill, NY
Debbie Setuain | Sunny Isles Beach, FL
Raquel Smith | Hoover, AZ
Amy LeAlice Oliver Steinkuhl, MA | Wilmore, KY
Susan Strong | Firestone, CO
Christi Turnage, MSN, RN | Madison, MS
Read more about each of the 2020 Elevate Ambassadors »
Some achievements from Elevate Ambassadors have included:
- Hosting local support groups and wellness courses
- Creating a Public Service Announcement on the late effects of cancer treatments
- Hosting a conference locally for cancer survivors focusing on their future health needs
- Creating patient/family advocacy groups at local hospitals
- Connecting research scientists with survivors to improve cancer research
- Publicizing support resources for all people touched by cancer
How will 2020 Elevate Ambassadors engage their local communities for better cancer care?
In addition to direct support, 2020 Elevate Ambassadors will be trained on the following:
- Models of survivorship care and its evolving needs and economics
- How to do a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis and environmental scan – what’s working and where are the opportunities for improvement?
- How to develop and execute a project plan-of-action
2020 Elevate Ambassador Program Details
Criteria
An Ambassador must be:
- A patient advocate, age 18 or older, who has been touched by cancer.
- A member of the NCCS Cancer Policy and Advocacy Team (CPAT). Not a member? Click here to sign up for free.
- Committed to working at the local level to improve survivorship care.
- A resident of the United States of America.
Preferred Expertise & Composition. Ideal Ambassadors have general knowledge of survivorship care and skills to develop and maintain relationships with individuals in order to host presentations and trainings to cancer care teams.
Program and Time Commitment
- Attendance at an in-person training in Washington, D.C in late summer/fall 2020. Travel and lodging for Ambassadors will be paid for by NCCS.
- Monthly learning collaborative calls/webinars with educational topics.
- Mentorship and support by NCCS team.
- Report progress on project plan goals and action items.
- Ambassadors will be encouraged to identify a “sponsor/partner/mentor” who will be a point-of-contact for them and work collaboratively with them. Ambassadors will develop goals, timeline, outcomes, etc. and use this individual as a source of accountability, in addition to NCCS support.