Kerstin Wiggins, MSW
Patient Navigator · Qualitative Researcher · Facilitator
As a patient navigator, researcher, and two-time breast cancer survivor, I bring both professional and lived experience to my work with healthcare organizations, nonprofits, groups, and individuals.
My work focuses on the gaps between clinical care and lived experience—and on translating those gaps into clearer resources, more responsive programs, and more human-centered care.
Areas of Work
Across these areas, my work sits at the intersection of breast cancer, caregiving, survivorship, and patient experience—with attention to the emotional, practical, relational, and systemic realities that shape how illness is lived.
Research & Program Strategy
Patient-centered research, qualitative inquiry, needs assessment, and evaluation that translate lived experience into clearer resources, practical workflows, and more responsive programs.
Facilitation, Speaking & Training
Psychoeducational groups, community conversations, speaking engagements, and trainings that make complex information accessible and create space for what too often goes unnamed.
Navigation & Individual Support
Individual navigation and psychoeducational support offering clear information, practical resources, and space to make sense of diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and caregiving.
Qualifications
Clinical & Community Leadership: As a Patient Navigator at the Breast Cancer Resource Center, I provide direct, full-continuum support for patients, facilitate ongoing support groups, and lead community outreach initiatives like the Under 45 Meetup.
Evidence-Based Program Facilitation: Certified facilitator for Navigating Brain Fog through the A Time to Heal Cancer Foundation, delivering structured, six-week psychoeducational interventions to support post-treatment cognitive recovery.
Specialized Health Disparities Research: Qualitative researcher with the University of Texas at Arlington School of Social Work, focusing on healthcare access, systemic barriers, and community-engaged health equity. Published author in the Journal of Primary Care & Community Health.
Grief & Trauma-Informed Care: Practical experience delivering grief counseling and group facilitation for children, teens, and families navigating loss at The Christi Center.
Lived Experience: Two-time breast cancer survivor bringing deep personal insight into the emotional, practical, and relational nuances of diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship.
In the Media & Advocacy
Representing the Breast Cancer Resource Center for Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day, I spoke with KXAN’s Avery Travis and Will DuPree about local resources, advocacy, and the need for sustained support for people living with metastatic breast cancer.
Let’s work together
Whether you have a fully scoped project, need specialized support for an ongoing initiative, or simply have an idea that is still taking shape—I’d love to connect.