Thursday, December 12th, 2013

AONN+ Announces 2013 Poster Award Winners

CONTACT: Trisha Sullivan, Executive Director, Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators, Inc.®
Phone: 914-643-1726; E-mail: tsullivan@the-lynx-group.com

For Immediate Release:
The Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+) has recently recognized 6 poster award winners in 6 different categories at its Fourth Annual AONN Conference. Last spring, navigators were invited to submit an abstract for AONN’s Fourth Annual Navigation and Survivorship Conference, which gave them an opportunity to share research, programs, and results with navigation and survivorship care colleagues. In all, 55 posters were submitted and presented at the conference.

Each of the following individuals received a plaque of recognition for their outstanding submission:

1. Deanna Xistris, APRN, AOCN, from Stamford Hospital/Bennett Cancer Center in the Patient Education category for her poster titled Improving Patient Readiness for Initial Chemotherapy Using a Nurse-Based Prehabilitation Teaching Protocol
2. Carol Gunsch, RN, BScN, CON(c), from Grand River Hospital in the Psychological Support category for her poster titled Canada’s Diagnostic Assessment Programs: An Ontario Perspective
3. Sharon Barteldt, RN, MSN, MBA, OCN, CPHQ, CSBB, from Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute in the Tracking Processes Across the Continuum of Care category for her poster titled An Outcomes Management Process for Navigation
4. The Oncology Nursing Society Nurse Navigator Project Team in the Original Research category for their poster titled Oncology Nurse Navigator Competencies: Providing Direction to Improve Care Delivery
5. Robin Atkinson, RN, BSN, OCN, GYN, from Novant Health Derrick L. Davis Forsyth Regional Cancer Center in the Screening Programs for the Underserved category for the poster titled Trial of a Cervical/HPV Hispanic Screening
6. Margaret Siebeneichen, BA, BSN, RN, from Frederick Memorial Hospital in the Community Outreach category for her poster titled Implementation of a Lung Computer Tomography Cancer Screening Program at Frederick Memorial Hospital.

The awards were presented before an audience of 650 in the exhibit hall during the Fourth Annual AONN Conference on November 15-17, 2013, at The Peabody Hotel, in Memphis, Tennessee. This conference served as an opportunity for navigators to learn more about and share their experiences in the evolving world of cancer care. Attendees of the conference included oncology nurse navigators, patient navigators, oncology social workers, case managers, oncology nurses, nurse practitioners, and practice managers.

Highlights and interviews from the conference will be featured in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Oncology Navigation & Survivorship (JONS), the official, peer-reviewed publication of AONN+. The journal promotes reliance on evidence-based practices in navigating patients with cancer and their caregivers through diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. JONS also seeks to strengthen the role of nurse and patient navigators in cancer care by serving as a platform for these professionals to disseminate original research findings, exchange best practices, and find support for their growing community.

Next year’s Fifth Annual AONN+ Conference will be held September 18-21, 2014, at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel in Orlando, Florida.

About the Journal of Oncology Navigation & Survivorship (www.jons-online.com)
The Journal of Oncology Navigation & Survivorship (JONS) was introduced in February 2011, a publication designed to meet the needs of oncology nurse and patient navigators. Each issue features topics related to patient navigation and survivorship care, offering original research, best practices, interviews, case reports, study highlights, and more.

Our goal is to enhance the value of the AONN+ membership by providing additional tools to improve care for their patients at every stage. JONS also offers a platform for navigators to share research and views on navigation and survivorship issues with colleagues.

About the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (www.aonnonline.org)
The Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators, Inc. (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. Our organization currently consists of more than 4000 members, and was founded in 2009 to provide a network for all professionals involved and interested in patient navigation and survivorship care services to better manage the complexities of the cancer care treatment continuum for their patients. We view our organization as one consisting of “professional patient advocates,” and to that end we support and serve our members.