Children’s Cancer Cause
2021 Survivorship Champion’s Prize

Children’s Cancer Cause is proud to name the Cancer Survivor Program at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta as the recipient of the 2021 Survivorship Champion’s Prize. The $10,000 Survivorship Champion’s Prize is awarded annually to a group, program, or institution making significant advances in programs and services to provide life-long health maintenance for survivors of pediatric cancers.

“Childhood cancer survivors face complex and life-long health effects from their treatment. The Cancer Survivor Program at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s is doing groundbreaking work to provide comprehensive, integrated care designed to maximize quality of life and long-term survival, in addition to conducting critical survivorship research,” said Children’s Cancer Cause Program Director Julie Taylor.

The Survivorship Champion’s Prize is a component of the Stewart Initiative for Childhood Cancer Survivors, an educational program of the Children’s Cancer Cause. One out of every four survivors surveyed by the Children’s Cancer Cause in the summer of 2021 are unsure if they have a record of their treatment or a summary of their care, and half of these survivors are concerned about experiencing a relapse or receiving a secondary cancer diagnosis. The Cancer Survivor Program at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s is serving as a model for survivorship programs and services across the country that are aiming to change this narrative and improve the long-term care of the nation’s 500,000 childhood cancer survivors.

“We are honored to receive this prestigious award from the Children’s Cancer Cause as we have been impressed with their advocacy and commitment to childhood cancer survivors,” said Dr. Karen Effinger, Medical Director of the Cancer Survivor Program at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s. “Our clinical and research teams are committed to working together to improve the overall physical and mental health of survivors. We know the end of cancer therapy is only the beginning of the survivor's lifetime health journey. This journey can be complex and anxiety provoking, especially as survivors transition away from their treating institutions.”

Three additional top-scoring applicants are being recognized with $5,000 awards in special categories of distinction:

• Program Impact: The Treatment After Cancer and Late Effects program at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (New Orleans, Louisiana) is acknowledged for their important role as the only survivorship clinic dedicated to taking care of pediatric cancer patients in the Gulf South region and providing needed services to a very large, underserved population;

• Collaboration: The After Cancer Treatment Survivorship Program at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (Orange, California) is acknowledged for providing resources to high-risk patients to successfully navigate transition from pediatric care to adult care, its school reintegration programs, and education of and networking between community providers and survivors; and

• Scalability: Valley Children’s Hospital Childhood Cancer Survivorship Program (Madera, California) is being recognized for expanding outreach and services to other centers and providers in the surrounding communities in central California.

“Our team at the Cancer Survivor Program at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s is looking forward to using the award funds to start the process of expanding SurvivorLink™ into a mobile application,” said Dr. Ann Mertens, Research Director of the Cancer Survivor Program at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s. “The SurvivorLink™ platform offers survivors and their families access to educational materials and their survivor care plans to support them in their health journey and transition to adult care.”

The Stewart Initiative was launched with generous support from the Stewart Family Fund. These 2021 awards are presented in memory of long-time Children’s Cancer Cause board member John Stewart, who passed away in September 2021.