CANCER SURVIVORSHIP AND SUPPORTIVE SERVICES
Dear Friend,
It’s estimated that over 40% of Americans will be diagnosed with some form of cancer within their lifetime. Over two million people in the United States will be diagnosed this year alone.
A cancer diagnosis carries many unknowns, making it stressful, overwhelming and potentially scary. Yet the diagnosis marks the start of the cancer survivorship journey.
Cancer Survivorship and Supportive Services at the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center is the flagship program for the region, providing comprehensive, personalized medicine rooted in evidence-based practices and advancing healing through compassionate care.
Program features:
An oncology primary care clinic, staffed by a team of experts who understand the unique needs of cancer patients in all aspects of care.
Personalized care that enhances quality of life and well-being and promotes healing.
State-of-the-art technology, including patient engagement and reporting through mobile apps, to assess a patient’s progress and recommend lifestyle interventions such as cognitive care, counseling and exercise regimens.
As a regional and national leader, our vision is to be on the cutting edge of cancer survivorship by building a robust portfolio of survivorship research and offering premier oncology primary care. Our goal is to improve lives here in Greater Cincinnati and around the world.
Our Cancer Survivorship and Supportive Services programs along with our holistic care team have undergone significant growth and consequent success. We are the region’s largest survivorship program because of the generous support and philanthropic investment from our community!
On behalf of our survivorship team, we are deeply grateful for your support. Together, we can provide personalized survivorship care for each cancer patient and improve outcomes and lives.
Beth Shaughnessy, MD, PhD
Executive Director
Cancer Survivorship and Supportive Services
Melissa Erickson, MD
Medical Director, Survivorship and Oncology Primary Care
Robert and Adele Schiff Family
Endowed Clinical Chair for Cancer Survivorship
CANCER SURVIVORSHIP
STARTS ON THE FIRST DAY OF DIAGNOSIS
Whether a patient has made it through their first treatment, or they have been in remission for years, we celebrate them and honor their journey— one day at a time.
Our Cancer Survivorship and Supportive Services Program features one of the nation’s only Oncology Primary Care clinics. Our close partnership with the Osher Center for Integrative Health at UC offers our patients emotional support visits or integrative health therapies, like acupuncture or group wellness classes.
Coordination of whole-patient care
Understanding the emotional and psychological toll of a cancer diagnosis, we have developed a comprehensive support system extending beyond clinical care, to include emotional support consultations and diverse wellness programs. These initiatives are meticulously designed to help cancer survivors navigate the complexities they encounter post-treatment.
Education and detection
The University of Cincinnati Cancer Center is dedicated to community education of effective cancer prevention strategies. Our emphasis on early detection and lifestyle interventions forms the core of our preventive approach. Regular screenings and informed lifestyle choices help reduce the risk of cancer development, ultimately lessening the survivorship burden.
Managing long-term survivorship
Our commitment extends to the prevention of cancer recurrence, a critical aspect of long-term survivorship. Understanding and managing recurrence risks is pivotal in our cancer care strategy. The Cancer Center provides essential resources and guidance to empower individuals in recognizing and proactively managing these risks.
Personalized care plans
A cancer survivorship care plan considers a patient’s individual treatment history and maps out a guide for ongoing care. This may include resources about support groups or cancer-related organizations, referrals to follow-up or specialty care, and information for more practical issues like insurance and finances. Our approach is to ensure that each step in a patient’s treatment journey contributes positively to their long-term survivorship and quality of life.
“The oncology primary care clinic has been critical for my head and neck cancer patients. Many of them come to me with other diagnosed medical problems that need close management— especially before, during and after cancer treatment, as these therapies can affect their other conditions. Our clinic allows the oncologists to focus on the cancer care, with the confidence that patients are being cared for their other health concerns.”
TRISHA WISE-DRAPER, MD, P h D Division Chief of Medical Oncology Deputy Director of the Office of Clinical Research
SUPPORTIVE SERVICES FOR CANCER SURVIVORS
Studies show that cancer survivors benefit from coordination of care between cancer specialists and primary care providers (PCPs). However, a large percentage of cancer patients do not have PCPs or feel their PCPs do not have sufficient training in the long-term effects of cancer treatment.
Region’s first hospital-based Oncology Primary Care Clinic
The Cancer Center opened the region’s first hospital-based Oncology Primary Care Clinic in 2019. The clinic delivers primary care services specifically targeted to the needs of adults with a history of cancer.
The Oncology Primary Care Clinic is under the direction of Melissa Erickson, MD, the Robert and Adele Schiff Family Endowed Clinical Chair for Cancer Survivorship, clinical director of the Cancer Survivorship Program and cancer survivorship team member at Cincinnati Children’s. Dr. Erickson brings extensive experience in cancer survivorship to the clinic.
“In doing this work, I discovered that so many patients didn’t have an established primary care physician (PCP), and these were patients that had other conditions secondary to their cancer, like high blood pressure, diabetes—chronic illnesses that needed to be treated. Sometimes they’ve never had a PCP; sometimes after having gone through all their cancer treatments they may have put their everyday wellness on the back burner.”
Melissa Erickson, MD
Robert and Adele Schiff Family Endowed Clinical Chair for Cancer Survivorship
In 2023, Sara Kleinschmidt, MD, joined the clinic with expertise in family medicine and palliative care. The clinic experienced a significant increase in new patients as a result of UC Health providers and 15% of referrals came from surrounding hospitals. The clinic provided primary care and services to more than 1,300 unique patients.
The Flourishing Series offers a range of topics, from visioning sessions to financial management resources, to supporting cognition and wellbeing, as well as meditation, movement and nutrition.
EDUCATION AND PROGRAMS
Transforming health and well-being in the community
We offer monthly programming on a range of topics, from visioning sessions and financial wellness resources to interactive group wellness visits focused on meditation, movement and nutrition. These include:
Summer of Survivorship series provided patients, survivors and caregivers with education and resources to support their journey towards becoming stronger, healthier and more resilient. The sessions included guided experiences, breathwork and music therapy using HealthRHYTHMS principles to help reduce stress, improve mood and promote creativity and bonding.
The Flourishing Series offers experiential community events focused on cognitive health, culinary medicine and well-being.
Emerging from the Haze educates individuals about chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment (“chemo brain”) and teaches them methods and lifestyle changes to help manage it or improve it.
“Survivorship matters because the treatment and its aftereffects and/or complications affect your body and your mental health going forward. Everyone expects you to be back to normal—but your survivorship is a new normal, which may not resemble the old one as much. We can help cancer patients to optimize their function, cognition, mood and general health.”
Beth Shaughnessy, MD, has been with UC and UC Health for 25 years as head of the breast surgery program. In 2023, Shaughnessy became the Director of Cancer Survivorship. As a breast cancer surgeon, she often connected patients to the survivorship program and was active with the Survivorship Advisory Council. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019 and went through aggressive treatment. Her journey and being at the bedside as a surgical oncologist gives conviction to the importance of survivorship.
ADVANCING SURVIVORSHIP RESEARCH
In addition to supportive services for our patients, our physician-scientists study new ways to advance our understanding of cancer survivorship for improved outcomes and treatments.
Recent research initiatives include:
• Managing cardiovascular disease risk in the oncology primary care setting.
• Intimacy and reproductive health in cancer survivorship.
• Virtual survivorship services for patients in rural communities.
Additionally, our cancer survivorship researchers have presented regionally and nationally:
• Understanding the long-term effects of blood cancer treatments.
• Strategies to manage cancer-related cognitive impairment.
• Advocating in media and legislative forums on behalf of patients and communities.
“I always knew it was my dream and passion to work in oncology and help improve the lives of other survivors like me. I love my job and my team, and I wake up every day happy and excited to go to work. Being a survivor made me realize how much finding meaning in your daily life can change your outlook. I get meaning out of my life because of the work that I do helping others.”
Alique Topalian, PhD, serves as the research scientist for Survivorship and Supportive Services. Her cancer survivorship journey started at age 4 when she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. She went into remission with the use of experimental chemotherapy. Her experience with childhood cancer was the inspiration for her to pursue her PhD. She experienced a relapse in 2021, being the first person ever to relapse after 22 years. A year later, her cancer went back into remission.
Early access to supportive care can improve a patient’s quality of life throughout treatment and offers future, long-term benefits. We look to expand regional access to oncology primary care services, counseling and emotional support.
Addressing access and disparities in cancer care and prevention
To continue to address disparities in accessing health care, we will seek to expand our multidisciplinary team and services.
A team of physicians, nurse navigators, social workers and medical fellows trained in oncology primary care, palliative care and supportive services will make a significant impact on providing patient-centered care in the communities where they reside.
New clinical care and wellness spaces
The opening of the Blood Cancer Healing Center on the UC Medical Center campus is a new addition to care for all cancer patients in the community. This new facility will offer an Oncology Primary Care Clinic in addition to our space in the Barrett Center.
In collaboration with the Osher Center for Integrative Health at UC, the building will also feature a community learning kitchen and mind-body wellness space. This second phase of construction will expand access and opportunities to experience, learn and practice evidence-based integrative health modalities not only for blood cancer patients and caregivers, but for all cancer survivorship patients.
Philanthropic support has the potential to significantly transform Cancer Survivorship and Supportive Services at the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center. Through the support of donors and friends, breakthroughs in clinical leadership, research and patient care are possible.
• Recruitment and retention of the most sought-after talent.
• Research focused on survivorship and integrative medicine.
• Technology and services that connect patients to the right treatment, at the right time through every phase of their life.
• Excellence in education and staffing that trains the next generation and elevates holistic, patient-centered care.
THANK YOU
Thank you for your consideration of a gift to support and grow the Survivorship and Supportive Services programs at the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center.
CONTACT
Tiffany Shabazz
Director of Development
Tiffany.Shabazz@foundation.uc.edu
513-556-8010
Beth McKevitt Knollman
Executive Director of Development
Elizabeth.Knollman@foundation.uc.edu
513-558-7327
