2023 Excellence in Patient Education Award
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Patient & Caregiver Education Team
Since the 1980s, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) has maintained a program dedicated to developing resources to educate our patients & caregivers (P&C). The program has evolved to meet the changing needs of those affected by cancer, and today it stands as tall as ever.
MSK’s Patient & Caregiver Education (P&CE) team collaborates with clinical experts to create and disseminate content to educate and support MSK's P&C. Their process is rigorous and comprehensive; the team assesses every resource for understandability, actionability, readability, and cultural inclusivity. Furthermore, the reach their work extends far beyond MSK. All P&C resources are available to the public in MSK’s virtual library, which had nearly 37 million views last year.
Respecting that education is not the mere handing of a piece of paper or sending a video digitally, the P&CE team provides education for staff regarding P&C education strategies. This includes attending staff meetings, giving Grand Rounds, and providing a suite of trainings on our internal website. To help ensure their work is driven by the best available evidence, the team has a monthly Journal Club, and all engage in continuing education opportunities.
Never static, innovations include using technology to assess which channels are most likely to reach P&C and the development of a prioritization matrix to help make decisions about how to use resources most efficiently.
Past Winners
2022: The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®)
2021: Patient Education Practice Guidelines: Sarah Christensen, MA; MD Anderson Cancer Center and Carolyn Cutillli, PhD, RN, NPD-BC; Penn Medicine, American International College, Co-chairs
2020: Marrow Masters Podcast Series: National Bone Marrow Transplant Link
2019: Together, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
2018: OncoLink, University of Pennsylvania
2017: Frankly Speaking About Cancer Clinical Trials, Cancer Support Community
2016: Mariela Gallo, MPH, CHES
2015: Family Cancer Retreat - Cancer Services of New Mexico
2014: Tina Papadakos, MA Ed and University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center Clinical Trials Database Health Literacy Team
2013: Hastings Breast Cancer Support Group
2012: Be the Match: Super Sam vs. the Marrow Monsters
2011: Matthew Ballo, MD for the Road to Wellness
2010: Maximizing Your Patient Education Skills (MPES)
2009: Caregivers’ Guide to Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplant, Myra Jacobs
2008: The Learning Center at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
2007: Diane Moyer, RN, MS, Ohio State University Medical Center, The Partnership for Health Care Education For Limited English Proficiency Patients
2007: Jean Hartford-Todd, CCLS, The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University Medical Center
2003: Oncology Interactive Educational Series, Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network
2001: Leah Mraz, BSN, RN, OCN, My Story: A Diary for People With Cancer, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey
2000: Marilyn McCubbin, PhD, RN, FAAn, Kelly Cotter, BA, Michael Dystra, BS Outlook: Life Beyond Childhood Cancer, University of Wisconsin Cancer Center
2000: M.D. Anderson Patient Education Office, University of Texas
2000: Carolyn Weaver, RN, MSN, AOCN, Ask the Expert Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center
2000: Tanya Smith, BA & Patient and Public Education Departmental Staff, How to Help Your Loved One Stop Smoking, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah
1999: Amy Deshler, MSW, Kelli Fee-Schroeder, RN, and Kat Thieman, MBA, Setting Course to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center
1999: Dr. Joel Goldwein and Dr. Ivor Benjamin, OncoLink, University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center
1999: Mary Sumpmann, Nancy Goldstein and Staff, Patient Learning Center, University of Minnesota Cancer Center