Nancy, who works at USC Norris Cancer Hospital, is a gem — an incredibly valuable asset. That’s because she is both a nationally recognized expert in oncology nursing and is exceptionally open and adept at sharing what she knows, making her a go-to resource for the entire health system as a mentor, colleague and collaborator. For instance, when transplant physicians have a treatment dilemma, they will often reach out to her for a recommendation.
Nancy is instrumental in creating system-wide policies, particularly those related to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, chimeric antigen receptor therapy and patient education. She is driven to keep oncology nursing practice up to date with the best available evidence, for the benefit of all.
As an advanced practice nurse, Nancy is adept at communicating with people from all walks of life. She can explain difficult symptom management or new diagnosis to patients and family members in a compassionate and accessible way.
Nancy also is a strong advocate for patient education. When USC Norris launched its chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy program, she wrote the patient education materials. She then shared these materials on the Oncology Nursing Society’s online discussion board, which resulted in more than 100 requests for resources from other nurses. Nancy also champions professional development for nurses. She created the first on-site Blood & Marrow Transplant Certified Nurse (BMTCN®) Review Course to promote certification.
For Nancy, critical thinking and creativity go hand in hand. She encourages other nurses to ask hard questions, to engage evidence-based practice (EBP) and to push boundaries to find out more — all for the sake of translating new knowledge into better care in every setting, with every patient. As CNS mentor for the Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Council, Nancy’s mission is to make staying current on research impacting practice as doable for all nurses. She leads a journal club to help nurses critically appraise peer-reviewed articles. Because of this, her enthusiasm for nurse-led EBP is infectious, leading to an increase in nurses asking more questions and constantly improving their practices.