The Next Step: The Kara Amey Cancer Survivorship Program

The Next Step logo Dr. Shad and Amey Family The Next Step

Cancer care doesn’t end when treatment ends. Survivorship comes with its own emotional, physical and educational challenges, especially for children and adolescents who have received intensive chemotherapy, radiation and/or surgery. Children who have been treated for cancer may experience complications years after their treatment is completed.

The Next Step: The Kara Amey Cancer Survivorship Program at The Herman & Walter Samuelson Children’s Hospital at Sinai aims to improve quality of life for children, adolescents and young adults who have survived pediatric cancer. The program consists of clinical care, education and research.

Multidisciplinary care

The Kara Amey Cancer Survivorship Program provides specialized care that addresses the physical, emotional and psychosocial needs of childhood cancer survivors. We strive to schedule all appointments on the same day and see survivors at least once a year.

The care team includes:
  • Pediatric oncologists
  • Primary care providers
  • Nurse practitioner/nurse navigator
  • Social worker
  • Art therapist
  • Integrative nutritionist
  • Specialty care physicians such as endocrinologists, cardiologists and neuropsychologists
Education

Education is an important part of the Kara Amey Cancer Survivorship Program’s mission. Because pediatric survivorship is not commonly understood, education is essential to improving continued care for survivors.

We educate survivors, family members and providers of family care services about late effects of treatment and how to anticipate and recognize them. We emphasize the importance of follow-up and maintaining a healthy lifestyle and teach young people how to advocate for themselves.

Clinical research

We also conduct clinical research directly related to the long-term side effects of cancer or its treatment with the goal of improving survival rates and quality of care for cancer patients. Patients in the clinic have an opportunity to participate in studies that focus on issues faced by childhood cancer survivors. We aim to collaborate with fellow clinical and survivorship centers.

For more information, please call 410-601-5864.