Survivorship Program
Your Cancer Journey Continues after Treatment
Cancer affects every part of your life. The experience has physical, mental, emotional, social and financial effects that don't go away once your treatment has ended.
At the UNM Cancer Center, we developed our Survivorship program with our patients in mind. Our goal is to get you back to the things you love. That means helping you, your caregivers, and your primary care team through the transition from patient to survivor.
Our Four-Pronged Approach
Prevention can include guidance on how to modify diets and exercise regimens and includes appropriate screenings. Learn more about community resources.
Our survivorship team works to ensure patients have follow-up visits with their oncologists and other treatment providers at regular intervals to catch and react early to any relapse that might occur.
Our team works to identify, assess, and help manage the short- and long-term side effects of cancer and its treatments.
Your survivorship plans are built to identify and encourage communication and collaboration among your cancer treatment, primary care and other providers. Our goal is to help you transition from patient to survivor and we honor everyone who has made this journey.
Your Survivorship Care Plan
Once you complete your treatment, we will work with you and your primary care provider to make the change back to your life as smooth as possible.
Your care plan may include some or all of the following:
- follow-up appointments to check for late side effects from treatment
- psychological and nutrition counseling
- social work and financial support
Helping Primary Care Providers
Once your patient has completed treatment at the UNM Cancer Center, our physicians and staff will be happy to answer any questions you have about your or your patients' concerns after treatment.
We are also working with Project ECHO to offer informational sessions about cancer survivorship care. These sessions are designed for
- Physicians (MD/DO),
- Advanced Practice Providers (NP/PA), Nurses, and Medical Assistants,
- Community Health Workers and Navigators, and
- Non-clinical practice staff (practice administrator).
Each session includes an evidence-based lecture, case-based learning, and an opportunity to earn CME/CNE/CHW CEUs. Participants can expect to build a network of related primary care providers and receive recommendations and shared experiences from the network.
Please contact Amy Gundelach for more information about these sessions.
Information Sessions for Providers
- Tuesday, June 15, 7:30-8:30am:
- Introduction to Survivorship (Amy Gundelach, CNS)
- Wednesday, July 21, 5:30-6:30pm:
- Palliative Care (Esme Finlay, MD)
- Tuesday, August 17, 7:30-8:30am:
- Survivorship Care Plans (Bernard Tawfik, MD)
- Wednesday, September 15, 5:30-6:30pm:
- Cardiac Toxicities (Paul Andre, MD)
- Tuesday, October 19, 7:30-8:30am:
- Cardiac Rehabilitation (Barry Ramo, MD)
- Wednesday, November 17, 5:30-6:30pm:
- Peripheral Neuropathy (Harmony Bowles, PharmD)
- Tuesday, December 14, 7:30-8:30am:
- Bone Health (Ursa Brown, MD)
Our Survivorship Program
To provide a survivorship program directed at meeting the needs of cancer survivors at the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center treated with curative intent and who have completed primary or adjuvant treatment.
That all people who receive cancer care at the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center receive the care and support they need to maintain their quality of life throughout the entire trajectory of cancer.
To improve the quality of life of cancer survivors at the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center due to cancer and cancer treatments by focusing on the importance of improving functioning and helping survivors achieve optimal health and well-being by:
- Providing evidence-based information, resources and support to cancer survivors
- Increasing communication and collaboration with the survivor's primary care provider
- Offering a survivorship clinic appointment to counsel patients on health promotion issues along with disease and cancer treatment side effects meanagement.