Patty Spears

Patty Spears, BS, FASCO, is a Researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center within the School of Medicine. She provides scientific leadership to advance translational breast cancer trials and serves as a Research Manager in the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement, leading the Patient Advocates for Research Council (PARC) and the Lineberger Excellence in Advocacy Program (LEAP).

Her work focuses on integrating patient advocacy into clinical research, with a key role in the PRO-TECT randomized clinical trial, which evaluates electronic symptom monitoring to improve cancer patient outcomes. She also emphasizes advocacy training programs to strengthen researcher-patient partnerships.

• Susan G. Komen Research Advocacy Champion Award, 2023
• Fellows of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), 2023
• Patient Advocate Award, ASCO, 2022
• Distinguished Public Service Award, AACR, 2020

Contact: paspears@med.unc.edu | Phone: (919) 445-6376