Igniting the Extraordinary Through AYA Research at ONS With Lauren Ghazal, PhD, FNP-BC

While at the recent Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) 49th Annual Congress in Washington, DC, Oncology Data Advisor Editorial Board member Lauren Ghazal, PhD, FNP-BC, sat down to discuss the two posters she was presenting at the conference.
For her first poster, The Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Collaborative, Dr. Ghazal shares more about:
• The role of APPs (nurse practitioners and physician assistants) in helping AYAs with cancer navigate treatment and survivorship
• The need for more support and resources for the unique AYA APP role
• The AYA APP Collaborative, which was launched in July 2021 to bring direct AYA education to oncology APPs
• Specific needs and solutions identified by the geographically diverse group of AYA APPs who make up the collaborative
• The collaborative’s impact so far, including presentations at the American Society of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology (ASPHO), the Global AYA Congress, and ONS Congress
• Next steps for the collaborative, including networking, publishing and speaking opportunities, and partnership with the AYA Cancer Coalition (AYACC)
For her second poster, Understanding Barriers and Facilitators to Research Engagement of Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM) AYAs With Cancer, Dr. Ghazal delves into:
• Unique biopsychosocial needs experienced by LGBTQ+ AYA cancer patients and survivors, including discrimination, mistrust of providers, and culturally incongruent services
• Her team’s Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)-funded project evaluating facilitators and barriers to cancer care for LGBTQ+ AYAs
• The assembly of an intersectional advisory panel who will conduct in-depth interviews of LGBTQ+ AYA patients and survivors
• Plans for analyzing and interpreting the data once it is collected, using it to better understand medical, psychosocial, behavioral, and social environmental factors affecting the patient population
• How the findings will be used to guide oncology care providers and program administrators in designing inclusive and equitable care delivery programs for LGBTQ+ AYA patients