New program pairs cancer patients with cancer survivors to provide personalized support
NEW HYDE PARK, NY – Northwell Cancer Institute has partnered with Cancer Hope Network to provide personalized peer mentorship for cancer patients by connecting them with specially trained survivors who have navigated similar cancer diagnoses.
The program, titled "Northwell Cancer Institute Peer Support Program powered by Cancer Hope Network," was built to enhance supports for patients with cancer outside the medical setting.
Mitchell Levine, MD, a physician advisor for the Cancer Institute, who drew on his own solo journey of a cancer diagnosis eight years earlier recognized the need for cancer survivors to connect and be supported by others who shared similar shared journeys.
“We needed a mentorship program at Northwell where people who have cancer could talk to other people who have cancer and improve their experience,” said Dr. Levine, who serves as a medical liaison for the newly launched program. “It can be very confusing the way cancer patients generally try and figure out what to do and where to go and how to deal with the emotional impact of the disease.”
Dr. Levine originally envisioned a Northwell-based mentorship program for employees with cancer. His idea has since been expanded to include any Northwell cancer patients, not just employees.
That’s why Northwell entered into a partnership with the Cancer Hope Network, an existing national organization focused on peer mentorship programs for cancer patients and their loved ones.
“Partnering with Northwell is the culmination of two like-minded organizations aligned with a focus to support cancer patients and their caregivers as they navigate diagnosis, treatment and recovery,” said Beth Blakey, executive director and chief operating officer of Cancer Hope Network. “The benefit of having someone to talk to — whether you are a patient or a caregiver — who has already been there and understands your anxiety, concerns, and the daily challenges you are facing, helps to make that burden somewhat lighter to bear.”
Founded by an oncology nurse back in the early 1980s, Cancer Hope Network was the first one-on-one peer mentorship program of its kind in the oncology field. Their proven peer mentorship model designed to create genuine mentor/mentee relationships built on understanding and trust is what led Northwell to pursue a partnership with the organization.
A unique aspect of the Northwell program will be the ability to measure the efficacy of the mentorship feature through a voluntary outcome study made available to participants. This proposed study is currently under review with the health system’s Institutional Review Board to ensure ethical conduct, patient safety and compliance with regulations.
“We will create the first prospective study looking at whether peer mentorship is valuable and helpful to cancer patients,” said Dr. Levine. “There is no study in the scientific literature to show that even though intuitively this sounds like a good thing, it's never been proven. It's never been really studied. The Cancer Institute is an academic institution, and in addition to providing care, we want to change the landscape of how cancer care is delivered and improve it.”
About Northwell Health
Northwell is the largest not-for-profit health system in the Northeast, serving residents of New York and Connecticut with 28 hospitals, more than 1,000 outpatient facilities, 22,000 nurses and over 20,000 physicians. Northwell cares for more than three million people annually in the New York metro area, including Long Island, the Hudson Valley, western Connecticut and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Northwell is New York State’s largest private employer with over 104,000 employees – including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners and Nuvance Health Medical Practices – who are working to change health care for the better. Northwell, named a TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2025, is making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. Northwell is training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn.
About Cancer Hope Network
Cancer Hope Network is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers cancer patients and their loved ones with hope through personalized, one-on-one peer mentorship support from survivors and caregivers who have faced a similar experience. Our team of social work and healthcare professionals coordinate customized matches with trained volunteer Peer Mentors who can help make cancer feel less isolating through shared experiences. Cancer Hope Network Peer Mentors, either cancer survivors or caregivers of survivors, receive free training to serve as a guiding light for those navigating their own journeys.
For more information about Cancer Hope Network and its mission, please visit: https://cancerhopenetwork.org/.
