Science Article
June
6, 2002
By BRAD BROBERG
Sandy Valko answered a lot of questions dur- ing her 10 years in the Pacific Region office of the Cancer Information Service.
Recently, she heard the same one over and over again, and it had nothing to do with cancer. "Why are you leaving this job that you love?"
Valko, manager of the CIS Partnership Program, retired May 31. Elizabeth Pratt, one of the program's partnership coordinators, is replacing her.
"I did love the job," Valko said. "It was just time to move into the next phase of my life."
"All who know Sandy look forward to seeing where that next phase is," said Nancy Zbaren, project director. "I can only repeat the sentiments of another CIS staffer - from the New England region and housed at Yale University - who contacted us to say that Sandy's wisdom, creativity, diligence and kindness enriched the lives of all. That sums up the impact she's had on all of us."
Valko, former director of educational services at Overlake Hospital, spent her first two years at CIS staffing the phone lines as an information specialist before moving to the Partnership Program. At that time, it was known as outreach and consisted of Valko and an administrative assistant.
"We handled all of the outreach activities for the five-state region," she said. "It was a daunting task."
The program was formed to reach underserved and minority populations that typically don't use the CIS information line. Over the years, the staff more than doubled to five.
"The exciting thing," Valko said, "is that the National Cancer Institute is dedicating resources to the program so all of these people can be reached, not just those who use the information line."
Name change
Along the way, the name changed to the Partnership Program.
"That more clearly reflects how we do business," Valko said. "We're not actively involved in community outreach activities. Instead, we collaborate with organizations that serve medically underserved and minority populations to ensure that these groups have access to current cancer information and quality cancer-education services.
"The collaborations include training on cultural competency, clinical trials, use of data tools, conference planning and advisory committees. We send our partner organizations a monthly electronic bulletin with cancer updates from NCI, and we provide NCI resources to partners."
Innovative projects with CIS partners exist in every state, Valko said. The recent addition of a coordinator for Latino populations and new staff to assist African American partners has strengthened the capacity of CIS to serve all populations in the region.
A recent program symbolizes the partnerships Valko and colleagues have fostered.
CIS has a contract with Spirit of Eagles, a national initiative supporting cancer education for American Indians and Alaska Natives. By connecting the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board with the Science Education Partnership at the Hutchinson Center, CIS helps Spirit of Eagles and its local project coordinator, Teresa Guthrie, meet their goals. The health board recruits American Indian and Alaska Native students interested in science/medicine, and Dr. Nancy Hutchison, director of the Science Education Partnership and HutchLab, hosts a day-and-a-half HutchLab session for them.
"I'm proud of that because it shows what collaboration can do," Valko said. "Everybody who participated brought their best to it, to interest these kids in science."
Although Valko is retiring, she doesn't plan to abandon health education entirely. "I will do something to stay involved," she said, "but it will not be full-time. It's time to travel and spend more time with family and retired friends."
