Lung Screening Navigator Network Meeting: A Day of Hope, Collaboration, and Action
On June 12, 2026, navigators, healthcare providers, and partners from across the region gathered in Cary, NC, for our Lung Screening Navigator Network Meeting — a day dedicated to collaboration, education, and shared learning in the pursuit of equitable lung cancer screening.
Throughout the day, participants explored the current landscape of lung screening and discussed strategies to expand access, improve coordination of care, and reduce disparities across our communities. We were honored to welcome an outstanding lineup of speakers who shared their expertise and inspired meaningful discussion.
An Outstanding Lineup of Speakers
Dr. Christina Bellinger of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist presented on the harmonization of the health system’s lung screening and incidental nodule programs, highlighting how the two programs have grown and evolved together over time to better serve patients.
Rachael Joyner, NP, of Duke Cancer Institute, spoke on tobacco cessation evidence-based treatment, what true harm reduction looks like in practice, and how aligning lung screening referrals can help more patients access the care they need.
Jennifer Giordano, RN, BSN, shared first-year highlights from the ECU Health and Screening Saves Lives pilot partnership and tangible takeaways for provider education and community awareness — practical, real-world strategies to help increase lung screening rates in the communities we serve.
Research Spotlight: Advancing Health Equity Through Data
We were also glad to welcome Dr. Darien Davda of Advocate Health Wake Forest Baptist, who shared preliminary findings from his ongoing research into healthcare disparities within the Incidental Lung Nodule Program.
Working under the guidance of Drs. Judd Heideman and Christina Bellinger, Dr. Davda is using the Area Deprivation Index to examine how neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage relates to lung cancer screening eligibility and smoking risk. His research revealed that screening eligibility rises with greater socioeconomic disadvantage, and that this patient cohort experiences higher-than-average disadvantage compared to national benchmarks.
Dr. Davda’s team is now exploring whether natural language processing can help identify more eligible patients who might otherwise be missed due to incomplete tobacco documentation — work he hopes to publish in the coming year. We’re grateful for his contribution to advancing equitable lung cancer screening and look forward to sharing more as this research develops.
Looking Ahead
Days like this remind us what’s possible when navigators, providers, researchers, and partners come together in service of a shared mission. From new research that helps us reach more patients, to on-the-ground strategies that strengthen access and coordination of care, the Lung Screening Navigator Network Meeting reflected the very best of what hope and action can accomplish together.
We’re deeply grateful to our speakers, attendees, and partners for making this year’s meeting such a success — and we look forward to building on this momentum in the year ahead.
-Written by Macy McFarland, Screening Saves Program Manager