In more than two decades of service and leadership at the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), Ellen L. Stovall crusaded for the delivery of quality cancer care to all Americans. As a cancer survivor of more than four decades, Ellen sought to design her own system of patient-centered care to address the serious late and long-term effects of her cancer treatment, including the treatment of a second cancer. In pursuing her own system of care, she focused on care that emphasized strong doctor-patient communication, coordination of care and symptom management, and full consideration of the evidence supporting treatment options.

Ellen considered herself a “lucky” cancer survivor because her advocacy for herself opened the door to some of the best of American cancer care, accompanied by some of the glitches and gaps in care that many experience. Ellen’s pursuit of her own quality cancer care informed NCCS efforts to improve the overall cancer care delivery and payment system. Ellen and her colleagues at NCCS pursued changes in public and private payment systems that would encourage cancer care professionals to provide patient-centered care through partnership with their patients and through redesign of their systems to honor the principles of patient-centeredness.