Frank dela Rama is a prostate cancer nurse navigator and advanced oncology clinical nurse specialist at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF), where he has been supporting patients across Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties in California for over 22 years. During his tenure with PAMF, he helped expand the radiation oncology nursing service, established the role of oncology nurse navigator, and created PAMF’s Cancer Genetics program, which provides genetic counseling and testing predominantly for BRCA1/2 genes (Hereditary Breast/Ovarian Cancer syndrome) and Lynch syndrome genes (Hereditary Colorectal Cancer). He is actively involved in developing additional programs and services at PAMF, including survivorship, oncology nurse navigators, a Prostate Cancer Buddy Program, and studies on cancer treatment decision-making strategies. He is also a senior oncology/cancer genetics nurse navigator for Navvisa, helping to build an innovative oncology navigation model program.
Mr. dela Rama has been serving as co-chair of the Academy of Oncology Nurse and Patient Navigators (AONN) and the Genetics/Genomics Committee since 2018. He served as president of the board of directors for Breast Cancer Connections, a nonprofit organization located in the San Francisco Bay Area, offering free programs and services for those affected by breast cancer and their loved ones. He also serves on the editorial board for several oncology nursing publications, including the Journal of Oncology Navigation and Survivorship, and has written chapters for Oncology Nursing Society publications geared specifically towards navigators. He is a featured speaker on prostate cancer and genetics at conferences and events, sharing his passion for quality cancer care.
Mr. dela Rama earned a bachelor’s degree in genetics from the University of California, Davis as well as a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of San Francisco. He went on to complete his master’s degree at the University of California, San Francisco to become an advanced oncology clinical nurse specialist (AOCNS) in Oncology/Genomics.