Board Member

Jeri Francoeur, MS, Certified Patient Navigator, is an accomplished leader with almost 50 years of experience serving the medical community at the local, state, and national levels. Jeri Francoeur has been serving the cancer community for 25+ years. Her mission is to be the source of information, from screening to survivorship, for those involved as cancer patients, caretakers, family members, or someone who wants to be involved in improving access to care, quality of life, research, and public policy. Jeri’s passion for empowering others to access information, make informed decisions, and become their own powerful advocate has led her to be one of the “Go-to” people for help nationwide. She provides education and experience as a much-needed conduit of information and expertise between the lay public,  patients, healthcare providers, and scientists and tries to help eliminate healthcare disparities. Not that she has all the answers, but through her connections nationwide, she knows where to go to get them! 

With an impressive background as an educator (Associate Professor at Texas State; Adjunct Professor at Daytona State) and extensive experience in the medical field as a healthcare provider herself (Physician’s Assistant,  Physician Extender, Athletic Trainer, and Exercise Physiologist) and a two-time breast cancer survivor, she has built her career on serving others. In addition, as a healthcare provider, Jeri has a unique perspective on the challenges that providers, patients, and their families face. She serves on numerous boards and committees as well as at the top cancer centers in the US (UF Heath, Johns Hopkins, MD Anderson, Fred Hutchinson  Cancer Center, Moffitt, to name a few), as well as being the Chair of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Patient Advocate Advisory Board. Jeri is also a Member of the Physical Sciences Oncology Network (PSON)out of the Office of Advocacy Relations (OAR)within the National Cancer Institute/National Institute of Health (NCI/NIH). Jeri was incredibly proud to be a member of the University of Florida’s Community Advisory Board, which was instrumental in the UF Health Cancer Research Center’s designation as an NCI Designated Cancer Center. She served on the board of the Florida Breast Cancer Foundation (FBCF) as an officer and chaired multiple committees for FBCF for 15+ years. In addition, she is also a member of the Florida Palliative Care Coalition. Jeri has won numerous awards, including being honored for her ten years of service on one of the Florida MQA Medical Boards (appointed by Governors Jeb Bush, Charlie Crist, and Rick Scott), whose mission is to promote, protect, and improve the health of all people in Florida. She has also had significant success in legislative advocacy, developing and leading the coalition for the passing of the Access to Care Treatment Fairness Act (also known as the Oral Chemo Parity Bill in 2013).

Jeri is also a Certified Patient Navigator through the Harold P Freeman Patient Navigator Institute (the Gold Standard for patient navigation). She stays current in cancer by mentoring the American Clinical Society of Oncology (ASCO) for other advocates and Women in Science and furthering young investigators in their cancer research careers. Jeri has spoken, presented, and served on panels at ASCO, the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR), the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium Alamo Advocate Program (SABCS/AAP), and other conferences. She also mentors new grant reviewers for the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program (DoDBCRP), NCI, NIH, and other states with cancer grant programs. In addition, Jeri has spoken to advocates, young post-docs, and investigators on clinical trials from design to dissemination of the results and recruits patients for these trials. 

Jeri calls Ormond Beach home, but she and her husband love to get away and spend time with their grandchildren, Kai and Kora. She is a retired Physician’s Assistant and holds a Master’s Degree.