Luciana Holtz De Camargo Barros

Founder and President of Oncoguia and Psycho-oncologist.

As a practicing psycho-oncologist, Holtz became frustrated when her patients would come to her after a cancer diagnosis with inaccurate information that led to depression, anxiety, and other avoidable mental stress. To address this need, in 2003 Holtz launched the Oncoguia Portal, a reference website to provide accurate, quality, and digestible information about how to live well during the cancer journey. From 2007 to 2012, Holtz was a national program manager for Susan G. Komen’s Global Initiative for Breast Cancer Awareness in Brazil. In 2009, Holtz collaborated with other health professionals and volunteers to establish Oncoguia, a cancer advocacy organization with the mission to strengthen, encourage, and guide people living with cancer to face the challenges of cancer in the best way possible. Oncoguia develops programs and advocacy initiatives related to health promotion, disease prevention, wellness, and patients’ rights that seek to increase access to quality information, educate the community, provide support services to empower patients, and influence and improve cancer-related public policy. Oncoguia supports, informs, and defends patients’ rights through an array of outlets, including the Oncoguia Portal, social media educational campaigns, multi-stakeholder public policy forums, and the National Multi-Platform Support Program for Cancer Patients and their Families, which is a toll-free hotline that offers quality information, resources, and assistance to patients and families. In addition, from 2011 to 2015, Oncoguia created and led a community-based Patient Navigation Program in São Paulo, with the support of the American Cancer Society. In 2015, Holtz was selected as a social entrepreneur Ashoka Fellow. In 2018, she was presented the Jimmy Holland Award from the Brazilian Society of Psycho-oncology in acknowledgment of her dedication and contributions to the field. Holtz continues to be recognized as a leading expert, serving as a contributing author to books related to quality of life for cancer patients and participating as an invited speaker to numerous national and international events and conferences. In 2021, Holtz was part of the second cohort to earn a diploma in Health Literacy and Empowerment from the Escuela Universitaria de Ciencias de la Salud-Noticias in Salta, Argentina. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Holtz has fiercely advocated for the reorganization and prioritization of oncology within Brazil.

Specialization in Bioethics and Health Literacy.