Dear Navigators,
I hope this issue of the Journal of Oncology Navigation & Survivorship (JONS) finds you well and enjoying all the summer has to offer. We at JONS and the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+) are coming off a busy and exciting spring of meetings and an Evidence into Practice Committee summit and are using what we learned to prepare tools and materials for our members during these summer months. Most notably, we are hard at work organizing a metrics program to measure the effectiveness of navigation programs, writing learning guides to prepare members for the coming certification exam, and planning for our annual meeting this November in Las Vegas.
On behalf of the JONS Editorial Board and the AONN+ Leadership Council, I want to share the excitement that was generated at our spring meeting with you. Over the next couple of issues leading up to our annual meeting, you will find compelling and insightful reports from our East Coast Regional Meeting. Topics range from what navigators need to know about immunotherapy to easing depression in patients with cancer. I am confident these offerings will inspire navigators to continue to offer the best in navigation care to those who need it most.
Looking forward to our annual meeting, AONN+ is delighted to offer 2 certification exams: one for lay navigators, the other for nurse navigators. In this issue, we offer a learning guide about the role of navigators in community outreach and cancer prevention to help prepare those interested in the exam.
We are delighted to offer an original research article by Kathy Helzlsouer and colleagues about a pilot study in virtual navigation.
The Interview with the Innovators segment focuses on the evolving field of cancer stem cell research and its implication for oncology care. The publishers of JONS met with 2 experts at the forefront of the research, Stanton L. Gerson, MD, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Zev A. Wainberg, MD, University of California, Los Angeles.
It is our hope that this issue of JONS and your membership in AONN+ empower you to offer the best to your patients and positively impact their care.
Sincerely,
Lillie D. Shockney, RN, BS, MAS
Editor-in-Chief
University Distinguished Service Associate Professor of Breast Cancer, Depts of Surgery and Oncology; Administrative Director, The Johns Hopkins Breast Center; Director, Cancer Survivorship Programs at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins; Associate Professor, JHU School of Medicine, Depts of Surgery, Oncology & Gynecology and Obstetrics;
Associate Professor, JHU School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD
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