Our fourth installment of the “Expanding Horizons" series is part one of a two-part discussion on creating screening opportunities. In part one, discover how lung screening can draw from the success of mammography in promoting early detection and improving outcomes for lung cancer patients.

Meet our conversation leaders: Kim Sandler, MD, is an Associate Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, specializing in Cardiothoracic Imaging. Dr. Sandler serves as the Co-Director of the Vanderbilt Lung Screening Program, with a primary research focus on improving lung screening outreach, particularly among women and underrepresented minorities. Her work aims to enhance the ability to differentiate benign and malignant lung nodules using CT imaging and includes identifying high-risk women engaged in breast cancer screening to encourage their enrollment in the lung screening program.

Leah Backhus, MD, trained in general surgery at the University of Southern California and cardiothoracic surgery at the University of California Los Angeles. She practices at Stanford Hospital and is Chief of Thoracic Surgery at the VA Palo Alto. She is also Co-Director of the Thoracic Surgery Clinical Research Program and has grant funding through the Veterans Affairs Administration and NIH. Her current research interests are in imaging surveillance following treatment for lung cancer and cancer survivorship.

Additional information on this episode’s topic and guests, as well as the resources mentioned during the episode, can be found at https://www.acr.org/Clinical-Resources/Lung-Cancer-Screening-Resources.

Access the recordings of the 2022 webinar series that inspired this podcast series at https://pages.acr.org/NLCRT_Accelerating_Screening_Uptake.html.

As we advance in our "Expanding Horizons" series, come and join us as we explore the core components that underpin early detection, specifically focusing on referring providers and their critical role in this process.

Meet our conversation leaders:

Denise Lee, a volunteer spokesperson for the American Lung Association (ALA) and a lung cancer survivor, embodies the essence of a fervent advocate for lung cancer screening. Theresa Roelke, MSN, RN, AGNP-C, is a Geriatric Nurse Practitioner for Maine Medical Center where she manages a comprehensive, patient-centered Lung Screening Program which focuses on lung health. She also supports the Maine Lung Cancer Coalition which serves to increase lung screening and lung screening awareness across Maine. Michael Gieske, MD, is a primary care physician at St. Elizabeth Physicians in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, and Director of Lung Cancer Screening at community-based St. Elizabeth Hospital. He is a champion for early lung cancer screening and a supporter of the White Ribbon Project, once taking a white ribbon on a 9,000-foot elevation climb to Mt. Everest Base Camp to raise awareness that anyone with lungs can get lung cancer.

Additional information on this episode’s topic and guests, as well as the resources mentioned during the episode, can be found at https://www.acr.org/Clinical-Resources/Lung-Cancer-Screening-Resources. Access the recordings of the 2022 webinar series that inspired this podcast series at https://pages.acr.org/NLCRT_Accelerating_Screening_Uptake.html.

Welcome back to our Lung Cancer 201: Expanding Horizons series. In this episode, we delve into the critical role of lung cancer navigators—the glue that holds together any comprehensive lung cancer program. So, what is the role of a navigator in a lung cancer setting? Join us while we sit down with four incredible and experienced navigators who are transforming the landscape of lung cancer care.

Meet our conversation leaders:

Joelle Fathi, DNP, RN, ARNP, CTTS, FAANP, FAAN, has served as the lead nurse practitioner and Clinical Program Director of Lung Cancer Screening, Incidental Pulmonary Nodule, and Smoking Cessation programs providing her extended experiences in thoracic oncology navigation. She is an Associate Clinical Professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Washington, and currently serves as the Chief Healthcare Delivery Officer at GO2 for Lung Cancer where she leads the Excellence in Healthcare Delivery program dedicated to advancing quality care across the lung cancer continuum and supporting and training the navigators who serve tirelessly on the front lines to create more lung cancer survivors. Mary Pasquinelli, DNP, FNP-BC, CTTS, is a nurse practitioner specializing in lung cancer screening, pulmonary nodule management, and lung cancer at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UI Health). Mary’s clinical focus is on reducing barriers to care, decreasing health disparities, and improving lung cancer outcomes. Michelle Ottersbach DNP, MS, RN, CNL is a nurse navigator and navigation consultant in the early detection of lung cancer over the past 10 years in academic and community healthcare systems throughout the country. In 2012, she found her life-calling in lung cancer when UC Health-University of Cincinnati Cancer Institute asked her to help them implement their lung cancer screening research study into the first multidisciplinary lung cancer screening program in the region. Claudia Miller, BSN, RN, OCN, ONN-CGI has been a practicing Oncology RN for approaching 22 years, including 15 years at the Medical University of South Carolina. Prior to entering the nursing field, she held a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and worked as a Certified Social Worker with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).

Additional information on this episode’s topic and guests, as well as the resources mentioned during the episode, can be found at https://www.acr.org/Clinical-Resources/Lung-Cancer-Screening-Resources. Access the recordings of the 2022 webinar series that inspired this podcast series at https://pages.acr.org/NLCRT_Accelerating_Screening_Uptake.html.