As a nurse-leader, Gilanie specializes in oncology, but in her 25-year-long career, she’s accumulated experience in many settings, such as the NICU, clinical trials and medical-surgical. She’s seen and done it all. Now, in her work as a nursing regional director, she is beloved for her creativity in creating a supportive community among nurses, as in a series of walking events she designed to bring teams closer and help them collaborate.
What really sets Gilanie apart is her impressive policy work, as an advocate for nurses’ importance in our democracy. She is unafraid to advocate for nursing power outside of the traditional spheres and in the world at large. She believes that nurses belong not only in clinical settings but also at all levels of government—that nursing expertise lends itself beautifully to policy making, and that nurses should have the tools to influence policy. She co-founded the first committee at City of Hope that brings nurses together to campaign for governmental policies that improve access to care and enhance the nursing workforce. Gilanie has been instrumental in the Oncology Nursing Society’s California Advocacy Summit, in which nurses meet with legislators at the California state capitol to push for legislation that will make communities healthier.
For Gilanie, civic engagement is actually a crucial part of nursing practice, because policy affects the nursing workforce, as well as everyone’s ability to access good care and to live in healthier environments. Gilanie is relentless in pursuing these goals on all levels: On Instagram, within her institution, within her professional organizations and in partnership with groups like Vot-ER. She’s received national awards for her nursing advocacy and is a leading voice encouraging other nurses to take their rightful places as leaders in their communities and in their country.