Meet Our Oncology Nurse Navigators
Meet Our Oncology Nurse Navigators
Christina Chemhuru
Office: 210-730-9615
Email: [email protected]
Christina Chemhuru joined Baptist Health System in January 2023 as part of the Group Strategy Team, bringing years of leadership, management, customer service and educational experience. In 2025, she transitioned into the Oncology Service Line as an Oncology and Spine Lay Navigator, where she combines strong coordination skills with a compassionate, patient-centered approach to care.
Christina often serves as the initial point of contact for patients entering the Breast Cancer Navigation program, helping ensure biopsy results are communicated and escalating concerns when barriers arise. She also conducts post-surgical follow-up outreach with Spine Surgery patients, helping identify recovery concerns and reconnecting patients with navigation support when needed.
In addition to supporting both the Breast Cancer and Spine Surgery teams, Christina assists the Baptist Health Cancer Committee in an administrative capacity. Her background as a caregiver, combined with her business education and exceptional teamwork skills, continues to shape her passion for advocacy, communication and helping patients navigate complex healthcare journeys with confidence and support.
Oncology Nurse Navigators FAQ
Although both work together to ensure patients are well taken care of, patient navigation and patient case management are not the same function.
- Case management is focused on the transition of an individual from inpatient care to outpatient /home discharge.
- Navigation is focused on minimizing barriers to care, distress mitigation, and improvement of adherence/timeliness to care treatment plans. It also empowers patients through education, identifying needed resources and ensuring communication with their healthcare teams. Additionally, navigators can get involved with the patient at any point in their journey, without a physician referral and at no charge to the patient.
Oncology Nurse Navigators are Registered Nurses (RN), with bachelor’s degrees in nursing or certifications from accredited nursing programs. After becoming an RN, they then focus their career path on oncology care, in both inpatient and outpatient settings, to gain valuable experience working with patients and medical providers across multiple disciplines providing cancer care.
Baptist Health System does not charge patients for oncology nurse navigation services. A patient can be referred by a physician or can self-refer.