“The word team barely meant anything till these people and this day !”
Meet the SYATS team
We are nurses, doctors, researchers and wilderness professionals who share the same vision of empowering teenagers with cancer.
Heather Rose
ICU Registered Nurse, Therapeutic wilderness facilitator, Founder of See You at the Summit
Heather Rose has dedicated the last 16 years to this program. Her persistence is equally matched by her passion and respect for the adolescent oncology population and her love of the outdoors.
Joshua Hurwitz, MD
Medical Director for See You at the Summit, Emergency Physician Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer, Scribe-X, LLC
Dr. Hurwitz loves outdoor activities and has supported experiential education throughout his career. He skis in the backcountry, climbs mountains and cliffs, kayaks whitewater rivers, and sleeps best in a tent.
GLORIA K JONES
See You at the Summit Trip Facilitator, Teen Mentor, Nature Enthusiast, Cancer Momma
Gloria loves new adventures and most of all new people! Her passion for nature led her to the field of groundwater remediation before finding out her three year-old had a rare kidney cancer. Since the treatment of her daughter, Isla, she has focused on sharing the outdoors with her other children while part-time fundraising for local non-profits. Gloria is deeply committed to fun, individual empowerment, and a life well lived. She currently resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan where she can be found trying to get her chickens back in their coop, bike riding with her babies, cooking with her husband or creating something.
Timothy Ozerkov
Volunteer Rescuer, Board Member, and Public Education Chairperson for Portland Mountain Rescue, Children's Cancer Association Chemo-pal
Passionate about the outdoors and nature and sharing what it has to offer with those that would otherwise not have the opportunity. Documenting its beauty on film to share with those that are confined. Our lives have an expiration date, use every day wisely, and may all endeavors have purpose.
Stormy
Our work wouldn’t be complete without our resident husky. No need to bury left overs when Stormy is around!
Favorite food: any
Favorite place to sleep: anywhere
Favorite human… whoever’s holding the dirty bowl.
Mats Jong
Registred Nurse, Associate Professor in Nursing at the Department of Health Sciences, Mid Sweden University in Sweden. Visiting Researcher at University of California, San Francisco Department of Social & Behavioural Sciences.
In professional life Mats finds pleasure in teaching research methodology and theory of science, Together with Anne Lown, Mats aims to document what is happening during the SYATS events and to evaluate its benefits for the participants. Mats holds a profound interest in what happens in and between people when they interact in the setting of nature. He is happiest winter hiking on skiis and camping with his wife in the nature of Sweden, but has a growing love for the Cascades in Oregon!
Joshua Bright
Award winning photojournalist Joshua Bright works primarily for The New York Times. He also shoots for The Guardian, The Washington Post, Vogue Magazine and has work published in National Geographic plus numerous publications and organizations. Though Joshua came to us to tell the story through his photography he brings so much more than his visual eye and remarkable talent. Joshua was a gentle prescient reminding us and leading us in mindfulness and our connection to nature.
Tania Lown-Hecht
Communications Director | Outdoor Alliance, Adolescent Cancer Survivor and Advisor to See You at the Summit
https://curesearch.org/Tania-Lown-Hecht
“Cancer taught me that we may not anticipate the challenges we will face, but each backpacking trip renews my belief that a challenge on the trail or in life yields the most spectacular views.”
Skip Horner
Adventure guide extraordinaire.
For over three decades Skip has been leading a wide expeditions all over the world. As a mountain guide he was the first person to lead people to the tops of the 7 Summits, the highest peak on each of the seven continents, culminating with Mt. Everest. Skip’s greatest pleasure is in helping his clients reach their highest goals. “I like finding my way in wild country, but I love taking others with me,” he says. “I was born to guide.” Check him out at http://www.skiphorner.com
Anne Lown, Dr.P.H.
Assistant Adjunct Professor, University of California, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Epidemiologist and Public Health Researcher
Dr. Lown studies the psychosocial aspects of childhood cancer with interest in improving symptom management during treatment as well as addressing the long-term psychosocial impact of childhood cancer on survivors, their siblings, and other family members. Dr. Lown is a parent of a long-term survivor of acute myelogenous leukemia. Dr. Lown is happiest when outdoors--backpacking, running, hiking, or kayaking. She loves the Sierra Mountains in California.
Dr. Christine Lynn Norton received her Ph.D. in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago. She has a Master of Arts in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago and a Master of Science in Experiential Education from Minnesota State University-Mankato. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Board Approved Supervisor in the State of Texas. She is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional and Certified Experiential Therapist. She has over 20 years of experience working with youth and young adults in a variety of settings including therapeutic wilderness programs, juvenile justice, schools, mentoring and campus support programs. She has taught as adjunct faculty at The University of Denver, Prescott College, and Naropa University. Her areas of practice and research interest and expertise are in positive youth development; innovative interventions in child and adolescent mental health; adventure therapy; outdoor behavioral healthcare; nature and wellbeing; experiential education; foster care support in higher education; and international social work. Dr. Norton is a Research Scientist with the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Center Dr. Norton has over 35 peer-reviewed journal articles, has edited three books, and has authored over ten book chapters, and is a leading social work scholar who has presented her research nationally and internationally.
Meet our other advisors:
Dr. Tyler Ketterl MD, MS Seattle Children’s
Dr. Abby Rosenberg MD, MS, MA Seattle Children’s
Dr. Raymond Barfield MD, PhD Duke University Children’s
Dr. Agne Taraseviciute Los Angeles Children’s
Dr. Preetha Krishnan Randall Children’s
Dr. Craig Warden Doernbecher Children’s
Because of John
Guiding Principles
HOW WE OPERATE...
With kindness and compassion, we do not shy away from hard emotions.
We choose to show up. To be open to what is.
We choose to be embrace change, knowing it is not always easy.
We start with what is “right” and build from there with ourselves and every participant.
From an evidence based curriculum that is designed for teenager.
We Believe…
In be open to the challenges of life.
In bringing mindfulness to the experience
In coping skills and thriving skills
In the capability of every teenager to thrive.
That our expectations influence those around us
A cancer diagnosis should not stop normal adolescent development.
It is vital for teenagers to connect with peers who have shared a similar experience.
Quality of life within whatever quantity we are given is valuable.