Adam Dicker, Chief Medical Officer of OncoHost and Senior Vice President, Enterprise Radiation Oncology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“New Research Shows Patient Advocates Transform Oncology Training
I am so proud of my coauthors for this novel study, which shows that integrating patient advocates into research training significantly enhances trainees’ communication skills, empathy, and understanding of clinical relevance.
Key Findings:
- 96.4% of trainees felt comfortable communicating with patient advocates
- 89.3% successfully presented their research in lay language
- 75% reported increased empathy for patients
- 71.4% gained a better understanding of their research’s clinical significance
- 85.7% want patient advocates at future presentations
‘This study provides compelling early evidence that integrating trained patient advocates into radiation oncology training is both feasible and transformative,’
said Nicole Simone, corresponding author and faculty member in the Department of Radiation Oncology.
‘These results position patient advocates not as passive bystanders but as active contributors to research culture and education.’
The diverse trainee cohort included high school students through junior faculty, with 60.7% people of color and balanced gender representation, demonstrating broad applicability across training levels.
Looking Forward
As oncology faces growing technological complexity, embedding the patient voice into training represents a timely and scalable intervention. The research team recommends that future radiation oncology training programs systematically include patient advocates to improve the tangible connection between research and real-world impact.
Title: Patient Advocate–Trainee Engagement in Oncology Education: Insights from a Short Pilot Survey
Authors: Christina A. Simone-Soule, Sara E. Burke, Dema Abul-Enin, Charita Kunta,
Adeseye Adekeye, Phuoc Tran, Amy Leader, Adam P. Dicker and Nicole L. Simone”
Read the Article
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