Q&A with Ann Valentine

Q: Tell us a little about yourself and your background.

I’m a mom to a 10-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl. At home you’ll find me baking, reading with my kids (we love the library), or out on a long walk with my husband.

I got into healthcare because I wanted to help people, and I’ve always loved learning. I started my career as an inpatient physical therapist at UC San Diego Health, where I became the Lead Trauma PT. I then completed a Neurologic Physical Therapy Residency at TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston, working with patients from the ICU all the way to a community reintegration program. That’s where I fell in love with following people through their whole journey and seeing how much progress they can make when they have the right support at each step. I went on to earn my board certification as a Clinical Specialist in Neurologic Physical Therapy and worked in outpatient neuro rehab at the University of Colorado Health. Then I moved back home to San Diego to manage several UC San Diego Health Outpatient Rehab clinics. Those years taught me how to build programs, lead teams, and make care easier for patients to access.

Q: What role do you play in the Moores Cancer Center community?

I joined Cancer Care in 2022 as the Manager for Oncology Supportive Care. I oversee our Patient Navigation team, our Patient and Family Support Services (support groups, wellness classes, and education classes), and our Resource Centers at Moores and the McGrath Outpatient Pavilion. My job is to build programs that support patients through every stage of their cancer journey.

Some of my favorite projects are launching our bilingual MyPath Supportive Care app, creating our spiritual care internship, and partnering with local universities to bring in student interns through the ACS CARES student navigation program and our Supportive Care Internship. I’m also the staff co-chair of our Patient and Family Advisory Council, which lets me make sure the patient voice shapes our work from the start.

Q: What does your day-to-day look like?

No two days look alike, and that’s one of my favorite things about this job. I might spend a morning with our navigation team, an afternoon at a resource center, and the time in between working with colleagues across the Cancer Center and the health system. That work could be a health equity initiative, improving the patient experience, or building a new program. What I enjoy most is hearing directly from patients and team members about how a program is making a difference, and using that to make it better.

Q: Why do you love being part of the Moores Cancer Center community?

The compassion. Everyone here cares deeply about our patients, and when a need comes up, people across roles and departments are willing to put their heads and resources together to get it done. It’s rare to find a place where “How can we help this patient?” is the question that drives so much of the work.

Q: What has been the highlight of your career at Moores Cancer Center?

Enhancing our Patient Navigation program, including our Financial Navigation work. We’ve created professional development opportunities, participated in a number of national learning collaboratives, and that work has opened doors I never expected. We secured funding for the American Cancer Society’s Leadership in Oncology Navigation training for our entire team, and a $25K ACS CARES award to pilot a student navigation model that expands our reach. I’ve had the chance to share our approach nationally, including on the ACS National Navigation Roundtable, where I’m part of the Workforce Development Task Force, and at the UC San Diego Health Equity Symposium. We recently were accepted into the ACS Patient Navigation Sustainability Learning Collaborative.

Most of all, it means more patients get connected to help with the challenges beyond their treatment. What I’m proudest of is that none of it happened alone. It reflects a team that cares deeply about our patients, and I love that the work we’ve done here is helping shape how other cancer centers think about navigation.