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The Elephant in the Room is Cancer. Tea is the Relief Conversation Provides.

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Adolescent and Young Adult Program for Oncology Workforce Education and Resources

The mission of the AYA POWER program is to provide oncology trainees with high-yield education and resources to improve care delivery and outcomes for all adolescents and young adults (AYAs) diagnosed with cancer. 

The goals of the program are:

  1. To provide accessible, high-yield AYA education to increase oncology providers’ knowledge and comfort in caring for AYAs with cancer. 

  2. To enhance provider awareness of the gaps in care and outcomes for AYAs with cancer. 

  3. To improve AYA patient care by educating oncology providers on the unique needs of AYA cancer patients and survivors.

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On Demand Content

Session #4 – Oncofertility

This presentation on Best Practices in Pediatric, Adolescent, and Young Adult Oncofertility seeks to present strategies to improve outcomes for this population with an equity lens.

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November 20, 2023

Session #2: Disparities in AYA Oncology

This presentation will review key disparities in AYA survival and health-related quality of life, sociodemographic and clinical variables associated with poorer health and survival outcomes, and opportunities to mitigate these disparities.

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September 14, 2023

Session #1: Epidemiology and Biology of AYA Oncology

The emergence of the field of adolescent and young adult (AYA) oncology was led by analyses of the epidemiology of cancer occurring across a span of ages from childhood to older adulthood. This presentation will review the epidemiology of AYA cancer and the unique biology associated with cancers diagnosed in the AYA age range.

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August 10, 2023
Speakers: Season Two

Tara Henderson, MD

University of Chicago

Tara Henderson, MD

University of Chicago

Bio coming soon....

Mike Roth, MD

MD Anderson Cancer Center

Mike Roth, MD

MD Anderson Cancer Center

Dr. Roth is a Professor of Pediatrics at MD Anderson Cancer Center where he is co-Director of the Adolescent and Young Adult Program and Director of the Childhood Cancer Survivorship Program. Within the Children’s Oncology Group he is Chair of the AYA Oncology Discipline Committee and leads the AYA Responsible Investigator Network. He has a particular interest in improving the long-term health, survival, and quality of life for all AYAs diagnosed with cancer.

Kayla Fulginiti, LCSW, OSW-C

Elephants and Tea

Kayla Fulginiti, LCSW, OSW-C

Elephants and Tea

Kayla Fulginiti, LCSW, OSW-C is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and the Senior Director at Elephants and Tea. She has been involved in the adolescent and young adult (AYA) oncology space since 2007, first as a Hospital Social Worker in Adult Oncology and then as a Pediatric Oncology Social Worker and School Program Coordinator. Throughout her career, she has always advocated and emphasized the importance of AYA support by assessing and raising awareness about AYA needs through direct clinical care, research, community engagement, and serving on advisory boards for various nonprofit organizations. Kayla has been involved in the nonprofit space for over seven years, having multiple roles such as Program Manager and Program Director within the youth suicide prevention space and AYA cancer communities.

Douglas Fair, MD MS FAAP

University of Utah and Huntsman Cancer Institue

Douglas Fair, MD MS FAAP

University of Utah and Huntsman Cancer Institue

Dr. Leslie Appiah is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Chief of the Division of Academic Specialists in Obstetrics and Gynecology at The University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital Colorado. She is a fellowship-trained pediatric and adolescent gynecologist and Director of the Fertility Preservation and Reproductive Late Effects program at the Comprehensive Cancer Center and Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. Dr. Appiah received her medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and completed residency at Sinai Medical Center in Baltimore, MD.

Vinayak Venkataraman, MD

Dana Farber Cancer Institute

Vinayak Venkataraman, MD

Dana Farber Cancer Institute

Dr. Venkataraman is a board-certified medical oncologist in the Sarcoma Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), with expertise in caring for patients with bone and soft tissue sarcomas. He is also a board-certified internist and pediatrician with expertise in supporting the physical, emotional, and socioeconomic needs of adolescent and young adults (AYAs, age 15-39 years old) facing cancer. He is Associate Director of the Adolescent & Young Adult (AYA) Sarcoma Program, Director of Sarcoma Pathways, and the Survivorship Program Sarcoma Champion at DFCI. He is an Affiliated Faculty in the McGraw/Patterson Center for Population Sciences with interest in leveraging novel technologies and artificial intelligence to improve cancer care, research, and outcomes. Vinayak holds leadership positions in national organizations focused on advocating for AYAs, including the AYA Cancer Coalition (AYACC), the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology (Alliance), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and the AYA Cancer Northeast Regional Network. He is also a published essayist with passion for creative and reflective writing in medicine.

Lauren Ghazal, PhD, FNP-BC

University of Rochester

Lauren Ghazal, PhD, FNP-BC

University of Rochester

Bio coming soon....

Susan Parsons, MD

Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center

Susan Parsons, MD

Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center

Dr. Parsons is a Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine and Medical Director of the Reid R. Sacco AYA Cancer Program at Tufts Medical Center. Her research has focused on strategies to improve the patient’s experience with healthcare, reduce regimen-related toxicity, and optimize functioning. Nationally, she serves as a member of the Children’s Oncology Group’s (COG) Steering Committees for AYA and Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) and as a member of the study team of several frontline clinical trials in which patient-reported outcomes (PRO) have been embedded.

Past Speakers: Season One

Brandon Hayes-Lattin, MD

Oregon Health and Science University

Brandon Hayes-Lattin, MD

Oregon Health and Science University

Dr. Brandon Hayes-Lattin serves as Professor of Medicine and Deputy Division Head in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Oregon Health and Science University, and Director of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute’s Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Oncology Program. His clinical background is in the management of hematologic malignancies and the use of cellular therapies and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. e.

Mike Roth, MD

MD Anderson Cancer Center

Mike Roth, MD

MD Anderson Cancer Center

Dr. Roth is a Professor of Pediatrics at MD Anderson Cancer Center where he is co-Director of the Adolescent and Young Adult Program and Director of the Childhood Cancer Survivorship Program. Within the Children’s Oncology Group he is Chair of the AYA Oncology Discipline Committee and leads the AYA Responsible Investigator Network. He has a particular interest in improving the long-term health, survival, and quality of life for all AYAs diagnosed with cancer.

Sharon Bober, Ph.D.

Dana Farber Cancer Institute

Sharon Bober, Ph.D.

Dana Farber Cancer Institute

Dr. Bober is a Senior Psychologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Associate Professor in the Dept. of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She is the Founding Director of the Sexual Health Program at the Dana-Farber, a multi-disciplinary program that provides care for survivors of adult and pediatric cancer. Dr. Bober’s research efforts include a focus on developing sexual health interventions after cancer. In addition, Dr. Bober regularly teaches about how to address the topic of sexuality with patients and survivors.

Leslie Appiah, MD

The University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children's Hospital Colorado

Leslie Appiah, MD

The University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children's Hospital Colorado

Dr. Leslie Appiah is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Chief of the Division of Academic Specialists in Obstetrics and Gynecology at The University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital Colorado. She is a fellowship-trained pediatric and adolescent gynecologist and Director of the Fertility Preservation and Reproductive Late Effects program at the Comprehensive Cancer Center and Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. Dr. Appiah received her medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and completed residency at Sinai Medical Center in Baltimore, MD.

Jennifer Mack, MD

Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital

Jennifer Mack, MD

Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital

Dr. Mack received her medical degree from Harvard Medical School 1998. She subsequently completed her residency in Pediatrics and her fellowship in Pediatric Hematology Oncology at Boston Children's Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA. In 2005, Dr. Mack received a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Karen Effinger, MD, MS

Emory University and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

Karen Effinger, MD, MS

Emory University and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

Dr. Effinger is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Emory University and the Medical Director of the Survivor Program in the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. She is a Section Leader for 3 Children's Oncology Group Long-term Follow-up Guidelines Committee Task Forces and is the Institutional PI for the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. Her research focuses on improving the health and quality of life of survivors with a particular focus on healthy lifestyle behaviors in AYA survivors.

Susan Parsons, MD

Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center

Susan Parsons, MD

Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center

Dr. Parsons is a Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine and Medical Director of the Reid R. Sacco AYA Cancer Program at Tufts Medical Center. Her research has focused on strategies to improve the patient’s experience with healthcare, reduce regimen-related toxicity, and optimize functioning. Nationally, she serves as a member of the Children’s Oncology Group’s (COG) Steering Committees for AYA and Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) and as a member of the study team of several frontline clinical trials in which patient-reported outcomes (PRO) have been embedded.

John Salsman, Ph.D.

Wake Forest University School of Medicine

John Salsman, Ph.D.

Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Dr. Salsman is a Professor in the Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine where he serves as the Associate Director of Public Health Sciences for Charlotte and the Co-Leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center.

About Us

In 2021, the AYA Oncology Education Working Group was established to assess gaps in the AYA-O education provided to oncology trainees and develop educational interventions to address these knowledge gaps. The group included both pediatric and medical oncologists who practice at academic institutions and are active members of national oncology organizations. A needs assessment of pediatric and adult fellows and program directors was completed and found that 85% of programs lack a formal AYA curriculum, and nearly 50% of respondents reported little/no AYA topic specific education. AYA-O POWER aims to target this gap by providing live virtual lectures, as well as an online resource with additional educational materials and articles. We have partnered with the non-profit Elephants and Tea, who are helping organize and manage the program. Elephants and Tea’s commitment to improving AYA survivorship, their growth over their four years of existence within hospitals, and always wanting to tackle tough topics was the reason the AYA Oncology Education Working Group approached Elephants and Tea. Together, these two organizations look to break down barriers and ensure there is better education and resources for the oncology workforce for treating and understanding AYA’s facing cancer.

 

Program Leads

  • Scott Moerdler, MD – Rutgers Cancer Institute
  • Michael Roth, MD – University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
  • Kayla Fulginiti, LCSW, OSW-C – Senior Director, Elephants and Tea
  • Nick Giallourakis – Executive Director, Elephants and Tea

 

AYA Oncology Education Working Group

  • Adam DuVall, MD, MPH- University of Chicago Medicine
  • David Freyer, DO – Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California
  • Allison Grimes, MD – University of Texas Science Center at San Antonio
  • Brandon Hayes-Lattin, MD, FACP – Oregon Health & Science University
  • Scott Moerdler, MD – Rutgers Cancer Institute
  • John Molina, MD, Med – Cleveland Clinic
  • Varun Monga, MBBS – University of California San Francisco
  • Pinki Prasad, MD, MPH – Louisiana State School of Medicine
  • Michael Roth, MD – University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
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Elephants and Tea is a trademark of the Steven G. Cancer Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit under federal tax guidelines.

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