Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Meet Jessica Gagnon, LCSW 👋 Describe your role. As program manager of Volunteer Services, I am responsible for the daily operations of on-site volunteer programs at Dana-Farber - Longwood. This includes the orientation, training, and supervision of more than 100 volunteers in our Ambassador, Resource Cart, and Junior Volunteer programs. I collaborate with staff who are interested in supervising volunteers, and work with our team to plan training sessions and workshops to ensure our volunteers provide patients and families with the best experience possible. What brought you to Dana-Farber? I started as an intern with Volunteer Services while I was earning my master’s degree in social work. I focused on case management for people experiencing homelessness in Boston during the pandemic, where I saw firsthand the impact that equitable, supportive care could have on my clients. I wanted to explore a career in health care where I could be part of a team that does their best to provide patients and families with a supportive experience. As soon as I interviewed with Maritza Nassif, MEd, and Patricia Stahl, MEd, who are both leaders in Volunteer Services and Patient Programs, I knew I wanted to work with and learn from them. What do you love most about your work? Being with our volunteers. Every volunteer comes with their own story of what brings them to Dana-Farber. Some were treated here, some work in cancer research, and some are students interested in a health care career. Everyone brings passion and empathy. It’s an honor to partner with them and provide opportunities to share their skills, compassion, and stories. As I have learned, we get just as much out of this work as our patients do. What are you most proud of? I am proud every time a volunteer tells me about a patient who expressed their gratitude with them or shared something they learned from this role. I feel pride every time I walk through the Institute and see the comfort and joy our volunteers bring to those around them. Whether they are escorting a patient to an appointment, providing a hand massage to someone having their first chemotherapy, or talking with a caregiver about how to access a supportive resource, I know the volunteers’ impact is deeply felt. What do you like to do in your free time? I spend my free time with my friends and family. I love to travel and explore new places! ✈ More: https://lnkd.in/emss4vBx

Dana-Farber researcher Charles Stiles, PhD, remembers the call. It was 2008 and a colleague phoned from a conference to deliver the news. Two separate research teams had discovered a genetic driver for the most common of childhood brain tumors called pediatric low-grade glioma.

Patricia Smith’s experience with cancer will stay with her for the rest of her life. “Walking through deep waters changes you,” she says. “You’re still the same person, but you’re different.”

Dana-Farber’s Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility helps develop and deliver new cell and gene therapies for patients with cancer. Learn more: http://ms.spr.ly/6041YnDbP

Michelle Tucker, BSN, RN, (right) wanted to be a nurse for as long as she can remember. Her great-grandmother was in the field, and she loved hearing about the different people she had cared for in her practice. Tucker enjoyed helping others, too, and was intrigued by how the human body worked. Her curiosity led Tucker to Northeastern University, from which she earned her nursing degree, and she began her professional career working in a pediatric intensive care unit. Then her mother (left) was diagnosed with lymphoma. “As a patient at Dana-Farber, she was treated for multiple recurrences under the care of Dr. [Phillipe] Armand,” Tucker recalls. “She went through many different treatments, including chemotherapy, a stem cell transplant, and clinical trials.” Watching her mother’s journey, helping when she could, Tucker’s focus became clear. “I decided that my passion was cancer care, and I started taking steps towards that goal as a pediatric oncology nurse,” she explains. “I absolutely fell in love with my little patients, and my mother encouraged me along the way. We followed Dana-Farber oncology treatment plans, and her battle lasted almost 15 years before she ultimately beat lymphoma. Her care at Dana-Farber was exceptional, and I dreamed of working there.” Seven years after her mother’s remission, and with her fierce encouragement, Tucker decided to pursue that dream. When Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center - Foxborough opened in 2022, she was hired as one of its infusion nurses. Then, one weekend after the facility’s grand opening, her mother received a new diagnosis: pancreatic cancer. “I knew that the closest facility to her was Dana-Farber - Foxboro, and that she and my father would be in the best hands,” says Tucker. “Her nurse, Mindy Esposito, and doctor, Dr. Jonathan Wischhusen, became like family to my parents and me. ” In January 2024, her mother passed away from pancreatic cancer -- but not before Tucker made a pledge to her. “I promised to keep fighting for her and to take the very best care of our cancer patients,” says Tucker. “I truly enjoy talking to all of our patients, getting to know them, helping with any side effects they may be feeling, and hearing about successes along the way. Hearing that it’s the last day of chemo or that a scan was good couldn’t make me happier. “I always try to put myself in the shoes of our patients,” Tucker adds. “My experiences allow me to do this a bit more.” #CelebrateOurPractice #MagnetMoments #WhyOncology #NursesWeek

The toll cancer takes on Americans has declined the last 28 years, but not equitably. Investigators at Dana-Farber examined the evolution of community outreach and engagement initiatives at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eswcahq4

Join us in-person or virtually on June 5 from 2:00 to 3:15 p.m. for the Helen Gurley Brown Presidential Summit on Women and Science. Hear from prominent leaders in the science community, celebrate and support women in research and medicine, and engage in a dynamic Q&A session. The Summit will be followed by a networking reception from 3:15 to 4:00 p.m. for those able to join in-person. https://lnkd.in/eVxNWnTD

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has named Zuhirah Khaldun-Diarra as vice president of philanthropy marketing in the Division of Philanthropy. In this role, she will be responsible for overseeing and setting the strategic direction for all marketing, branding, advertising, communications, media relations, publications, web/digital, and social media for the Division of Philanthropy.    Khaldun-Diarra brings to Dana-Farber more than 20 years of expertise and leadership, having led award-winning campaigns and initiatives at national and international nonprofits including UNICEF USA, the National Urban League, and Jumpstart for Young Children. She began her career in the music industry (Geffen Records, Island Def Jam Music Group) as publicist for Jay-Z and the Roots, among others.   “We are thrilled to have Zuhirah join Dana-Farber in the philanthropy division,” said Jeff Jablow, deputy chief philanthropy officer. “Her unique skillset and lifelong commitment to helping others through her work in nonprofit organizations position her well to further our mission to pursue the best in cancer research and care.”

Today, doctors know of hundreds of inherited genetic abnormalities that increase a person’s risk of developing certain cancers. But genetic testing of family members of patients with cancer has fallen short of experts’ hopes. A new study by Dana-Farber researchers demonstrates that an online education program can be a powerful motivator to get tested. The study, called the GENetic Education, Risk Assessment, and TEsting (GENERATE) study, provided online genetic education to 601 people with a close relative with the most common form of pancreatic cancer. After viewing the program, 9 out of every 10 participants completed genetic testing for inherited variations in more than a dozen genes linked to pancreatic cancer. That impressive response was bolstered by participants’ reactions to being tested. The 400 participants who completed a questionnaire indicated that testing did not spark new feelings of anxiety, depression, or worries about cancer. ”We know that 5-10% of all cancers are linked to inherited genetic variations,” explains Sapna Syngal, MD, MPH, director of research for Cancer Genetics at Dana-Farber and senior author of the study. ”We know the specific variants linked to those cancers. And we know that cancer incidence and mortality can be reduced by identifying people who carry those variants. We can then intervene to lower their risk or closely monitor them to detect cancer at its earliest stages when it is most treatable. But we also know that not enough people who could benefit from genetic testing are being tested.” Potential barriers to testing include a limited public understanding of inherited cancer risk, lack of communication between a person with cancer and family members who may be at risk, out-of-pocket costs, and a lack of nearby testing services and genetic counselors. ”We need new methods to make testing more available and increase awareness of its benefits,” Syngal remarks. The study was open to people age 18 or older who had a first-degree relative with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) or a first- or second-degree relative with PDAC and an inherited variation in any of 13 genes linked to the disease. Participants were recruited through social media advertisements, pancreatic cancer advocacy organizations, and the six institutions collaborating in the GENERATE study. The 601 participants, representing 424 families, were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group participated in an interactive session with a genetic counselor and viewed a seven-minute genetic education program narrated by a cancer physician. The other group had access only to the online genetic education program. After completing the program, 541 participants underwent testing for inherited variations in PDAC-linked genes via a saliva-based testing kit that they mailed to a testing center. One of the most encouraging aspects of the study was the geographic range of the participants, researchers say.

We know the importance of sunscreen in preventing skin cancer. But can any sunscreens cause cancer themselves? Elizabeth Buchbinder, MD, senior physician at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, helps address recent safety concerns regarding sunblock by tracing the evolution of sunscreen from classic zinc blockers to modern-day chemical sunscreens. Have a question about cancer risk and prevention? Comment below or email us at communication@dfci.harvard.edu. We'll try to address your question in a future episode. Like and share to spread the word about cancer prevention.