Adult Patient and Family Advisory Council (APFAC)
Since our inception in 1998, the Adult Patient and Family Advisory Council (APFAC) has served as a national model for healthcare institutions. By partnering with Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center staff members regarding adult patient care, we help improve the patient experience and ensure patient- and family-centered care.
What We Do
- Advocate for expanded patient and family support services
- Partner with hospital administration for increased staffing and improved scheduling, when needed
- Implement better communication and service recovery
- Improve infrastructure and physical spaces, including the design of our Chestnut Hill and Foxborough locations, and our Yawkey Center for Cancer Care
Get Involved
Do you want to share your voice and experience, guide the development of projects, and shape key decisions that affect the patient care and family experience at Dana-Farber? Learn more and contact us today.
- Read our informative flyer.
- For more information about the Adult Patient and Family Advisory Council, including membership, please call 617-632-4319, or email pfac@dfci.harvard.edu.
- To apply to join the Adult Patient and Family Advisory Council, please review current Volunteer Opportunities and fill out an application.
Co-Chairs, Adult Patient and Family Advisory Council (APFAC)
Judy Fine-Edelstein
Judy has been a patient at Dana-Farber since 2020 when she was diagnosed with AML. As a patient and having worked as a physician, she joined the Adult PFAC, hoping to give back to other patients and the institution. She is interested in many aspects of cancer care, including health equity in clinical and research medicine, psychosocial oncology care in survivorship, and patient education.
Shelly Plumb
Shelly has been a patient at Dana-Farber since 2022 when she was diagnosed with colon cancer. She joined the Adult PFAC hoping to pay it forward for other patients to receive excellent care in their own cancer journeys. She is interested in patient education, research, clinical trials and fundraising for new treatments for patients to thrive in their survivorship.
At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we are committed to hearing feedback from patients and families from our Adult and Pediatric oncology units.
Learn about the Pediatric Patient and Family Advisory Council (PPFAC)