Eileen Fuentes who has been in healthcare administration for nearly 20 years was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in 2008. She was just 34 years old. While she came across skilled and compassionate healthcare workers, she was awakened to how deficient the medical establishment’s treatment model is but realized that she could be an active participant in her own health by incorporating the foods, customs and mindsets of her ancestors.

Eileen was awarded a scholarship by The Palette Fund, which allowed her to obtain her certification as an Integrative Cancer Care Educator at the Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, where she now serves as faculty. She took part in The Harold P. Freeman Patient Navigation Program via a scholarship from the Livestrong Foundation and earned an advanced certification from The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She also completed both the Summer Intensive Cooking Course and later the Food Therapy program at esteemed Natural Gourmet Institute for Food and Health. She served as a Just Food CSA chef, where she taught community members how to prepare local, seasonal meals and is also certified as an African-heritage plant-based cooking instructor.

In 2010, Eileen founded and continues to lead the first-ever bilingual wellness program for breast cancer patients in collaboration with the Herbert Irving Cancer Center at Columbia University Medical Center where she works full-time assisting patients navigate their care. She is a sought after speaker who has presented at many venues including Memorial Sloan-Kettering, The Ralph Lauren Cancer Center, Latism 2013 and TEDMED Live. She has been quoted in the New York Times, interviewed by NBC News, and appeared in the #JetBlueAMiCasa commercial, Latina magazine, and was selected as one of ‘Lincoln Motor Vehichle’s - Damas De Lincoln’ and Proud To Be Latina's prestigious 'Soy Poderosa' award for her community work.

Board certifications and Memberships related to integrative health care:

• Integrative modalities offered
  • Institute for Integrative Nutrition
      Holistic Health Coach
  • Smith Farm for the Healing and the Arts (Alumni and Faculty)
      Integrative Cancer Care Navigator
      Training Faculty 2012 - Present
  • Natural Gourmet Institute
      Food Therapy
      Summer Intensive Cooking Program
      Food Therapy Guest Instructor 2015 – Present
  • The University of Arizona’s Center for Integrative Medicine
      Breast Cancer – An integrative Approach
      Nutrition & Cancer
      Environmental Health
  • Harold P. Freeman Patient Navigation Program
      Patient Navigation
  • Oldways Health Through Heritage Plant–Based Cooking Instructor
      African Heritage Program
  • Just Food CSA Chef
      Local Foods Community Chef
• Memberships
  
  • The Society of Integrative Oncology
  • The American Association of Drugless Practitioners
  • The International Association of Health Coaches
• Clinical Resources
  
  • The Wellness Program

• Research interests in Integrative Health Care
  • N/A
• Educational interests in Integrative Health Care
  • N/A

Address: 161 Fort Washington Avenue 10th Floor New York, NY 10032
Phone: 212.305.9066
Fax: 212.342.4164
Email: ed326@cumc.columbia.edu