Learn about population health navigators—individuals dedicated to supporting a specific underserved population, including rural, Black, and Latinx populations.
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The patient navigation world has a new kid on the block. Just when we thought we knew everything there was to know about navigators, the role has been reinvented by a concept so intuitive, it is difficult to believe that these navigators are not standard practice in oncology. Meet population health navigators—individuals dedicated to supporting a specific underserved population, including rural, Black, and Latinx populations, through culturally and linguistically competent navigation services for patients with cancer, their families, and their caregivers.
These navigators share a cultural connection and language with their patients and are non-clinical professionals—legal specialists, social workers, advocacy experts—who bring valuable, real-world skills and experiences to patients’ cancer journey and help break down barriers more effectively by understanding the nuances of a patient’s culture, language, and identity.
Guest
Emily Copus, MSW, OPN-CG
Manager, Navigation Program
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist
“It’s so important to have somebody who looks like you when you walk into a room, especially when you are talking about something so vulnerable as a cancer diagnosis and all the challenges that come along with it. It just allows you to connect with someone on a different level.” — Emily Copus, MSW, OPN-CG
Read more in “Population Health Navigators: An Innovative Approach for Supporting Underserved Patients” in Volume 38, Number One, Oncology Issues.
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The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s)/faculty member(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of their employer(s) or the Association of Cancer Care Centers.
July 8, 2026
June 30, 2026
At the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting, the Louisiana Oncology Society received the ASCO Jeffrey C Ward Affiliate Advocacy Award for advancing critical advocacy priorities that have translated into meaningful legislative victories. The Iowa Oncology Society and Washington State Medical Oncology Society were also recognized for their advocacy efforts in 2025 at the meeting, receiving second place awards.
