Oncology Nursing Foundation Celebrates Excellence in Oncology Nursing Mentorship
(May 4, 2023) PITTSBURGH, PA - Donna L. Berry, PhD, RN, AOCN®, FAAN, was honored by the Oncology Nursing Foundation as the 2023 recipient of the Oncology Nursing Foundation’s Connie Henke Yarbro Excellence in Cancer Nursing Mentorship Award. The Foundation presented Berry with the award on April 27, 2023, during the 48th Annual ONS Congress® in San Antonio, TX.
The Connie Henke Yarbro Excellence in Cancer Nursing Mentorship Award was established to recognize and support excellence in oncology nursing mentorship in the name of a founding member of the Oncology Nursing Society and Foundation, Connie Henke Yarbro, RN, MSc, FAAN.
“I have the privilege of knowing Connie Henke Yarbro professionally, and I could not be more honored to receive this award in her name,” Berry said.
Berry is a professor of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Informatics at the University of Washington in Seattle and also served as director of the Phyllis F. Cantor Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA, for 10 years. She has pioneered in two important scholarship areas: cancer treatment decision-making and cancer self-care and patient-provider communication.
Berry has mentored more than 100 students and trainees who have carried forward scholarships related to communication and decision-making in multiple myeloma, genetic testing, women’s health, ovarian and bladder cancer, evidence-based practice, and symptom science. Her students and trainees have made substantial contributions to oncology nursing science and practice.
“At every stage of my research career, Donna has guided me to anticipate and plan for my next career transition,” Rachel A. Pozzar, PhD, APRN, nurse scientist and instructor in medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, and one of Berry’s nominators, said. “Her sage advice is informed by her genuine concern for what my goals are and what is important to me. Working with Donna has made me a better scientist and a better mentor in that I am compelled to forge the same types of long-term mentoring relationships that she develops with her mentees.”
The Oncology Nursing Society created the Oncology Nursing Foundation in 1981 to accept charitable contributions to advance these important activities on behalf of oncology nursing. The mission of the Oncology Nursing Foundation is to support oncology nursing excellence. Thanks to the generosity of individuals and institutions, the Oncology Nursing Foundation has awarded more than $31 million in funding since its inception for oncology nursing education, research, and leadership development, giving nurses the opportunity to pursue excellence in delivering care to patients with cancer. For more information or to donate to the Oncology Nursing Foundation, visit www.onfgivesback.org.
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Media Contact:
Lori Reda
lreda@ons.org