Patient & Family Partner Program

About Us
The Stanford Adolescent & Young Adult Cancer Patient & Family Advisory Council (PFAC) represents the voices of patients and survivors treated at Stanford Medicine, along with their caregivers and family members. Their goal is to create an adolescent and young adult community at Stanford Medicine to help staff and faculty understand the unique needs of this cancer population.  The PFAC’s goal is to improve the care experience for adolescents and young adults, as well as their loved ones at diagnosis, during treatment, and throughout survivorship.

Key Accomplishments

Storytelling
The Stanford Adolescent & Young Adult Cancer Patient & Family Advisory Council (PFAC) continues to partner with the Stanford Health Library and the Elephants and Tea foundation to host storytelling events. Since the partnership began, four Stanford Medicine magazines have been published.  Copies of the magazine can be found here.   In December, the PFAC hosted an event to introduce the 4th magazine publication and enjoy time together.

The PFAC also hosted a national event with Elephants and Tea and I’m Not Done Yet Foundation on June 1, 2024.  The event offered workshops, storytelling, education, and food! There was a wonderful turnout, and the local adolescent and young adult community was well represented.  

Attended Conference
The PFAC sent ten adolescent and young adult patients (plus a parent) to Stupid Cancer’s annual Cancer Con in Atlanta, Georgia, in August 2024. Several PFAC members were among the attendees. While at the conference, they met other advisory council members and had meetings together to discuss adolescent and young adult advocacy. 

Walk with Me
Patient & Family Advisory Council members attended a Walk with Me class offered to medical students at the Stanford University School of Medicine.  In the class, PFAC members provided education through their experiences regarding transitions of care from pediatric to adult care, transitioning from one geographic area to another, and transitions such as therapy to survivorship. 

Omar’s Dream Foundation
Finally, the PFAC worked with Omar’s Dream Foundation to create a paid position. Omar’s Dream Foundation enables hospitalized and medically supervised children to attend school remotely, allowing them to stay connected to their teachers and classmates. Sunny Yun, a PFAC member, is working in that new position and is doing a great job ensuring that the adolescent and young adult voice is embedded into the program.