Faith Addiss, RN
Faith chaired the Professional Development committee for 10 years, and has served on the Board as a Member-at-Large and as Chair. At Roswell Park, Faith writes clinical patient education materials and drug regimens, and manages the patient education database and the outlets it feeds. Prior to joining Roswell in 2008, Faith held multiple senior management and editorial positions and worked as a nurse paralegal. Faith has provided medical, editorial, and legal consultant services and peer review for a wide variety of companies including Springer; Lippincott, Williams & Wilkens; ExpressScripts, Inc.; F.A. Davis; and The Prostate Cancer Foundation. Faith has taught pharmacology, anatomy & physiology, and clinical procedures, and continues to offer legal nurse consulting services. She is a member of American Medical Writers Association and Sigma Theta Tau (Nursing Honor Society). Now that her children are grown, Faith continues a lifelong love of learning, and enjoys traveling, music, and supporting organizations promoting equality and diversity.
Beau Amaya MSN, RN, OCN
Associate Director of Patient & Caregiver Education, Memorial Sloan Kettering
I have been a registered nurse since 2003 and have worked in oncology since 2006. I have worked primarily in Urology and GU medical oncology for my oncology nurse career. I have worked in various areas of nursing at MSK including inpatient, outpatient, and leadership. In my current role I oversee the Patient & Caregiver Education Team at MSK. Our Patient & Caregiver Education Program is dedicated to educating and empowering people with cancer, their caregivers, and the public. My role is to strategize the development and delivery of patient education materials that is innovative and equitable to our community and to influence front line staff to keep health literacy at top of mind when educating our patients and caregivers. In my free time I am an avid paper crafter. I love to make handmade greeting cards. My cards seem to always give a smile to the recipients. A benefit of CPEN Membership is "being able to collaborate and meet other patient educators to discuss challenges we face and ways to use best practices to address them”
Victoria (Tori) Baggio
Program Coordinator, Patient and Family Resources and Programs Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
In my role, I am responsible for day-to-day coordination of our volunteers on site in Dana-Farber's Chestnut Hill location. Our department is dedicated to creating and implementing volunteer programs that help support the distribution of supportive resources as well as enhance the overall experience for those we serve. One tidbit about me is that I love sushi! “Through CPEN I have been able to connect with some amazing colleagues throughout the country and the world. I really enjoy participating in the special interest groups and have found leading and attending engagement lounges a great way to connect and learn from others!”
Donna Branson
Director, Patient and Public Education Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
G. Mitchell Morris Cancer Learning Center, Community Outreach and Prevention Education, and Patient Navigation. She is honored to work with a talented team of health educators serving cancer patients, families/caregivers, public, and health professionals from all over the world. Recently, HCI officially changed the area they serve to include Utah, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming. Donna is a proud CPEN member of over 20 years and has served in many CPEN roles including CPEN Chair. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family, reading, traveling, and going to concerts.
“CPEN has allowed me to network with some of the best cancer educators in the world. The members are willing to share their successes and challenges to improve cancer patient education for all patients. I have also improved my leadership skills by chairing committees and serving on the CPEN board. As a special bonus, I’ve made lifelong friends. Thank you, CPEN!”
Laura Carr
Program Manager, Patient Education Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA)
Sarah Christensen
Director, Patient Education MD Anderson Cancer Center
Sarah has been in her role at MD Anderson for 7 years, with 24 total years of cancer education experience. She oversees institutional initiatives and leads a dynamic team of health education specialists and librarians. Her team has created an impressive collection of patient education booklets, videos and Recommended Resources. Sarah enjoys the sunny Texas weather with year-round gardening, being near the Gulf of Mexico and tending to her menagerie of animal companions with her family. “I know I can always rely on my CPEN colleagues for advice and best practices.”
Louise Cunningham-Rambo
Public Health Educator National Cancer Institute
I work for NCI’s Office of Communication & Public Liaison. I wear a number of hats, but my favorite one is updating or creating patient and family education for the NCI website, and for NCI’s patient education booklets. Our team strives to make our content written in plain language and empathetic. As a cancer survivor myself, I know the importance of having information that is easy to understand. In my spare time, I enjoy hanging out with my husband and dog, working out, binge-watching shows, and playing board games. "Being a member of CPEN gives me so many opportunities to learn from the best and brightest in cancer education. The networking and the sharing of ideas and programs is invaluable. I can’t say enough about the wealth of knowledge and expertise that members have, as well as their true dedication to helping cancer patients and their families."
Debbie Devitt
Patient Experience Lead Durham Regional Cancer Centre/Lakeridge Health
Debbie has been a Registered Nurse for 36 years and in the role of Patient Experience Lead for almost 10 years. In this role, Debbie provides management and oversight to the delivery of patient education to individuals receiving care and treatment at the Durham Regional Cancer Centre. She utilizes every opportunity to share best practices with colleagues at partner sites of the Central East Regional Cancer Program. Recognized for her level of expertise in the development and review of patient facing resources that align with principles of plain language and clear design, Debbie often partners together with colleagues across Lakeridge Health. She completed the Plain Language for Patients/Public Health certificate program offered by the Michener Institute and continually seeks opportunities to enhance her knowledge of best practices in patient education as well as patient experience and engagement.
When she is not working, Debbie enjoys spending time with her husband, 2 adult sons and their families (especially her 4 beautiful granddaughters).
“I describe myself as a lifelong learner and appreciate the educational and engagement opportunities offered by CPEN that contribute to my ongoing professional development. CPEN also offers me an invaluable network of individuals willing to share from their expertise and available resources.”
Naa Kwarley Quartey
Manager, Research Program Development Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
I have worked in the Cancer Education Department at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre since 2016 and been in my current role as Manager, Research Program Development since 2020. I am involved with the day to day operations of our research initiatives. Many of our research studies focus on understanding and addressing the information and supportive care needs of patients and their caregivers. I also support with the development of health literate resources for patients and families. I am interested in ensuring research adheres to best practices in health literacy and currently deliver the Health Literacy and Plain Language portion of the Informed Consent Workshop for all research staff at UHN. In my spare time I enjoy traveling, working out, playing volleyball and trying new restaurants! “The biggest benefit to me from being a CPEN member has been learning from and networking with cancer patient educators and sharing best practices.”
Liliana Mulato
Hispanic/Latino Patient Navigation Program Manager HuntsmanCancer Institute
Liliana has been at Huntsman Cancer Institute for ten years. She assists Hispanic/Latino patients by navigating them through the complex health care system in a culturally appropriate and compassionate manner. Huntsman Cancer Institute serves cancer patients in the Intermountain West and Liliana has successfully navigated patients from Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, and Montana. “Joining CPEN has been crucial to my professional development. It is a privilege to collaborate with individuals dedicated to cancer education and health equity.”
Maritza Nassif, M.Ed.
Program Manager, Patient and Family Programs and Services Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Maritza has been at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for over 6 years, managing the resource centers, the One-to-One peer support program and various Volunteer Services programs. She has worked alongside colleagues to develop a digital resource center, a Dana-Farber Overdrive e-book and audiobook library, relationships with clinical staff to hold live webinars for patients undergoing stem cell transplants and much more. As a young professional it has been vital to connect with others doing similar work and being a part of the CPEN board has been so fruitful. Part time she is an Adjunct Professor at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences teaching Introduction to Psychology. Personally any time she can spend on the beach with a good book is a great day.
Janet Papadakos
Scientist, Co-Director Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
Janet Papadakos is a Scientist at The Institute for Education Research, University Health Network, Co-Director, of the Cancer Health Literacy Research Centre, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Provincial Head, Patient Education, at Ontario Health. She is also Assistant Professor, Institute for Health Policy, Management & Evaluation at the University of Toronto. Janet's research and professional program is centered on three platforms:
Devon Poznanski
Provincial Lead, Patient Education BC Cancer
Devon works as the Provincial Lead, Patient Education at BC Cancer in Vancouver, Canada. She has been at BC Cancer for over 15 years and in her current role for 5 years. As part of the Patient & Family Experience Program, Devon works to ensure BC Cancer produces resources that are easy to understand and meet the needs of our patients and families. Over the past few years, Devon has developed a passion for plain language. She earned a Plain Language Certificate from Simon Fraser University and is now frequently asked to “plain language” communications, education resources and web content.
In the past few years, Devon has helped BC Cancer build their video resources library, increase their number of translated materials, and revise their managing symptoms and side effects handouts. In her free time, Devon enjoys cooking, getting outside and spending time with her husband and two kids.
Allison Reichel
Manager, Patient & Caregiver Education Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
In my role, I help make sure the educational materials MSK offers our patients and their caregivers are comprehensive, current, and clear. My team partners directly with subject matter experts to create and maintain educational resources to help patients and caregivers successfully navigate their cancer treatment. I live in NYC's "sixth borough" -- Hoboken, NJ -- and love walking along the Hudson and appreciating the NYC skyline. “CPEN has helped me learn more about the field of cancer patient education than I ever could have otherwise. I've met likeminded people from organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada. I've expanded my health literacy and plain language expertise through learning about their challenges and successes. I've also developed my leadership skills by participating in CPEN's committees and special interest groups.”
Lisa Scheib
I provide resources for patients, caregivers and families to help them better understand their diagnosis. This also includes emotional / psychosocial support like support groups, where to find therapists who specialize in oncology, and help finding financial assistance. I also assist our Patient Education team with updating and writing documents using health literacy standards and plain language.
In February 2020, right before the pandemic, my husband and I went to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. I fell in love and can’t wait to share this special place with my two boys someday.
“I have really enjoyed getting to know all the fabulous members of the Learning Resource Center SIG! I have learned a lot from everyone, and always look forward to our monthly meetings. It is very inspiring to see how everyone is so devoted to their work and patients.”
Amanda Stamplis
Plain Language Medical Writer SWOG Cancer Research Network
My role at SWOG is part of a new plain language initiative that gives focus to communicating with patients and caregivers about clinical trials. Our goal is to make it easier for patients to learn about SWOG trials. My work right now focuses on creating new materials for patients about active trials that they may join. I also work with our protocol development teams to write informed consent documents that are more understandable for everyone.
After work, I’m most often heading to the gym or rock climbing.
Clare Sullivan
I am accountable for the planning, implementation and evaluation of specialized, disease-specific and general multimedia education for patients and families receiving oncology patient care and clinical trials across the continuum. I am a cancer survivor. My passion is teaching Irish dance which I have been doing for 36 years. “Networking with colleagues has allowed me to build relationships with other cancer centers, share best practices and experiences to help grow our DFCI Patient Education Program. I am humbled to have access to such experienced cancer educators and researchers. I feel compelled to now give back, and share with others new in the field.”
Carolyn Vachani
Carolyn began her career as an oncology nurse at Penn Medicine almost 30 years ago. She leads a team that creates educational content for the award-winning OncoLink website and an online training platform for proton therapy providers. She was always drawn to educating patients and families so joining OncoLink 20 years ago was a natural fit. OncoLink’s educational content is used by cancer centers and EMR vendors around the world. Carolyn is also the creator of the OncoLife survivorship care plan tool that has been used to create over 120,000 care plans for people all over the world. When not talking cancer education, she enjoys tending to her gardens, cooking, and driving her sons all over town as head chauffer of her household.
“I appreciate having a community of education professionals that I can learn from, discuss issues and have as a sounding board for ideas.”