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Susanna Fletcher Greer: Putting People at the Center of Cancer Care

Susanna Fletcher Greer/LinkedIn

Jul 31, 2025, 09:51

Susanna Fletcher Greer: Putting People at the Center of Cancer Care

Susanna Fletcher Greer, Chief Scientific Officer at the V Foundation, shared on LinkedIn:

“Putting people at the center of cancer care

“I think education would have been great, because I don’t know any medical terms or anything, and I was completely clueless. So, I just felt like I could have helped him out a little bit more.”

That powerful reflection, from a caregiver of a liver cancer patient, captures the heart of this recent the V Foundation–funded study from the lab of Dr. Patricia Jones at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Published in Hepatology Communications, Dr. Jones and team explore the lived experiences of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and those who care for them.

Susanna Fletcher Greer

HCC is the sixth most common cancer worldwide, and the third leading cause of cancer-related death. In the U.S., HCC disproportionately affects communities of color: incidence rates are nearly double in Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Black populations compared to white individuals.

Outcomes, too, vary dramatically: Black patients are more likely to be diagnosed late and experience significantly shorter survival.

Through in-depth interviews, Dr. Jones and team identified five critical areas where support is most urgently needed:

Clear, compassionate education
Access to financial resources
Seamless coordination of care
Robust mental health support
Strong, reliable social support

This study doesn’t just spotlight these disparities; it points to solutions. It offers a roadmap for patient navigation programs that meet people where they are and reflect the realities of their lives.

These findings are a clear reminder: treating cancer isn’t just about drugs or surgeries: it’s about navigating the entire experience with dignity, information, and the right people in your corner.

At the V Foundation, we’re proud to be in that corner, funding research across the cancer continuum, from prevention to survivorship, from clinical breakthroughs to patient navigation, because every part of the journey matters.

To the researchers who conducted this work, to the caregivers and patients who bravely shared their stories, and to our donors who make it all possible: thank you.

You’re helping create a world where no one faces cancer alone.

Find the Jones lab at Patricia D Jones MD Miller School of Medicine and read this impactful paper at Hepatology Communications.”

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