Lorinda Coombs is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and a clinician at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. As an experienced oncology nurse practitioner and health services researcher, Dr. Coombs’ focus is on research aimed at improving cancer care. She leads efforts to bring the values of diverse, vulnerable older adults into clinical practice through collaborations with patients, clinicians, and community advisory boards. Currently, her research focuses on amplifying patient voices in treatment decision-making; she has conducted studies in rural areas with cancer survivors to improve communication with care partners and clinicians about their treatment goals as metastatic cancer survivors. In partnership with patient advocates, she developed a Values Assessment Tool (VAsT) to test this approach in metastatic breast cancer. She is a nationally recognized advanced practice nurse who has mentored multidisciplinary researchers and clinicians dedicated to providing patient-centered, high-quality care for diverse populations. Dr. Coombs’ education includes a B.A. from the University of Michigan, an MSN from San Francisco State University, an FNP post-master’s certificate from the University of California, Los Angeles, a PhD from the University of California, San Francisco, and a NIH T32 postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Utah.