Oportunidades y desafíos para la integración de la navegación de pacientes en los sistemas y establecimientos de salud pública de América Latina.
2026 Latin America Cancer Week session proposal
Title: Opportunities and challenges to patient navigation integration in Latin America public health
facilities and systems
Institutional Proposal: American Cancer Society
Session Coordinator: Kristie McComb, Managing Director, Global Cancer Support
Session and Panel Moderator: Dr. Anu Agrawal, Vice President, Global Cancer Support
Presenters and Panelists (TBC):
• Kristie McComb, Managing Director, Global Patient Support
• Nancy Pena, Founder, Navegación de Pacientes Internacional (Latin America)
• Luciana Holz, Founder and Executive Director, Instituto Oncoguia (Sao Paulo Brazil)
• Dr. Patricia Chacón Herrera, General Surgeon and Patient Navigation Champion, Hospital
General San Juan de Dios (Guatemala)
Session Description: Despite significant literature demonstrating that patient navigation is an
effective strategy for overcoming barriers to care, reducing disparities in access to treatment, and
improving patient outcomes in the US, there is less evidence of the outcomes of patient navigation
implementation in non-US settings. The experience of the American Cancer Society (ACS) BEACON
Initiative—which supports patient navigation program development and implementation in low- and
middle-income countries (LMICs)—has shown its relevance in improving the patient experience and
delivery of cancer care, even in the face of limited financial resources.
This session will briefly introduce patient navigation and reinforce that this intervention is vital for
reducing disparities in cancer care access and outcomes. Yet in many countries including in the Latin
America region, patient navigation has not yet been integrated into cancer care systems. As a result,
outcomes are limited and implementation is not yet sustainable, particularly in public health systems
where the greatest disparities in cancer care access and outcomes exist.
Through short presentations and a panel discussion with patient navigation implementers and
experts from the Latin America region (who have taken part in as well as helped to shape the ACS
BEACON Initiative and the ACS Global Alliance for Cancer Patient Navigation), we will explore what has
been learned so far and what each panelist believes is needed to drive the successful uptake of patient
navigation in their countries and the wider region. The session will conclude by informing participants
about opportunities for patient navigation capacity development and networking, and advocacy (e.g.,
ACS BEACON, NPI navigator training, the ACS Global Alliance, etc.).
Session length: 1 hour
• Welcome and introduction (2 min)
• Introduction to patient navigation (5 min)
• Speaker 1 (10 min)
• Speaker 2 (10 min)
• Speaker 3 (10 min)
• Panel discussion (15 min)
• Q&A (5 min)
• Engagement opportunities for patient navigation capacity development, networking, and
awareness-raising advocacy (3 min)
Audience:
• Cancer control planners and other policymakers
• Health facility and civil society leaders
• Patient navigation practitioners
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
• Recognize the common challenges Latin American health systems face in integrating patient
navigation into cancer care delivery systems
• Describe three different patient navigation efforts in Latin America cancer care settings,
including at least two implementation or policy successes
• Describe at least one lesson from three Latin America navigation efforts that is applicable to
the participant’s context
• Identify at least one relevant opportunity to build skills and connections in patient navigation
in the Latin America region
Presentations/Working Titles:
• Introduction to Patient Navigation and ACS Programs in Patient Navigation
o Speaker 1: Kristie McComb, Managing Director, Global Cancer Support
• Experiences and Lessons Learned from Implementing the NPI Patient Navigator Training
Curriculum across Latin America
o Speaker 2: Nancy Pena, Founder, Navegación de Pacientes Internacional
• Experiences and Lessons Learned from Implementing a Patient Navigation Program in two
hospitals in the Brazilian public health system
o Speaker 3: Luciana Holz, Founder and Executive Director, Instituto Oncoguia• Experiences and Lessons Learned from Implementing a Patient Navigation Program in a
national public health hospital in Guatemala
o Speaker 4: Dr. Patricia Chacón Herrera, General Surgeon and Patient Navigation
Champion, Hospital General San Juan de Dios