Mount Sinai Pairs Cancer Patients with Survivor Mentors

Facing cancer treatment is scary enough without feeling alone in making life-changing decisions about your care. Now, patients at Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center have someone who truly gets it by their side.

The hospital launched PATHS in partnership with Cancer Hope Network, a program that pairs cancer patients with trained volunteer mentors who've survived cancer themselves or cared for someone who has. These aren't just support groups. They're personal, one-on-one conversations with someone who's sat in the same waiting rooms and asked the same hard questions.

The program tackles a major problem in cancer care: clinical trials. These research studies test promising new treatments, but many patients feel intimidated by them or don't fully understand how they work. When someone who's actually participated in a trial explains what it's really like, suddenly it doesn't feel so overwhelming.

Dr. Karyn Goodman, who leads clinical research at Mount Sinai's cancer center, says too many patients skip clinical trials simply because they feel unsure. Peer support bridges that gap by giving patients confidence and real information from someone without a medical degree or clipboard.

The timing matters. Clinical trials are how every new cancer treatment gets approved in the United States, but barriers like fear, mistrust, and misinformation keep people from considering them. Communities already facing health disparities feel these barriers most acutely.

Mount Sinai patients can now access mentors for trials treating breast, colon, lung, pancreatic, and other cancers. The first group of volunteer mentors just completed their training through Cancer Hope Network's comprehensive program. Many participated in clinical trials themselves.

The Ripple Effect

This partnership does more than comfort individual patients. By helping more people feel confident about joining clinical trials, it speeds up research that benefits everyone fighting cancer. When trials recruit participants faster, breakthrough treatments reach patients sooner.

Beth Blakey, CEO of Cancer Hope Network, emphasizes that patients deserve both clinical excellence and deeply human support. Dr. Alison Snow, who directs oncology social work at Mount Sinai, adds that addressing concerns about trials ensures more people benefit from cutting-edge treatments.

The mentors volunteer their time because they remember how it felt, and they want the next person to feel less alone than they did.