Press Release from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey
May 10, 2007
Contact: Michele Fisher
732/235-9872
fisherm2@umdnj.edu
Brand new Scholarships Bestowed During Annual Nurses Day Celebration
CINJ Hosts Annual Event Featuring well-known
Author
at Elizabeth Gibby Osborne Lecture
|
NEW BRUNSWICK — A pair of oncology nurses received scholarship recognition today during Nurses Day at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ). The event also featured author and nurse Anne E. Belcher, who is nationally known for her writings about the spiritual aspect of the profession.
CINJ holds the annual event, so that its nursing staff – which will be instrumental in the 74,000 patient visits expected this year -- can be acknowledged for the great strides it continues to make in caring for, communicating with and educating patients and their families. In an effort to highlight such achievement, the first-ever CINJ Nursing Scholarship was awarded to two recipients.
For “Excellence in Clinical Practice,” Jacqueline Manago, RN, BSN, OCN, who is the Bone Marrow Transplant Coordinator at CINJ, was honored. Manago, a Hamilton Square resident, started as a treatment nurse at CINJ 12 years ago. Manago is known for her critical thinking in patient care situations and is a respected clinical expert in Bone Marrow Transplantation. Manago’s nomination was supported by numerous statements from colleagues, which included such sentiments as, “pours her heart and soul into her work,” “identifies direct patient contact as the most enjoyable aspect,” and “irreplaceable.” Other nominees in this category were Julia Peng, RN, C, CDE, OCN; Joan Quagliata, RN, OCN; and Anne Reinert, RN, APN-C, AOCNP.
Being honored for “Excellence in Education,” was Leah Scaramuzzo, MSN, RN, C, AOCN who is an Oncology Education Specialist at CINJ. Scaramuzzo, a Hazlet resident, came to CINJ in 1999. She developed, implemented and currently teaches CINJ’s Treatment Patient Orientation program, and she’s also responsible for providing the orientation for new treatment nurses at CINJ, having developed and implemented that program as well. Scaramuzzo’s nomination application described her as having “a tireless work ethic” and “an unwavering belief in how the provision of patient and family education supports those who both give and receive care at CINJ.” Also nominated in this category was Loleta Samuel-O’Garro, MSN, RN, APRN, BC, AOCN.
Featured during the lectureship portion of the event was Belcher, Ph.D., RN, Senior Associate Dean, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, who is known in the nursing community for presenting such discussions as, “Humor in Nursing,” “Can Nurses Live Happily Ever After,” and “The Nurse’s Role in Spiritual Care.” Belcher, who is a long-time nurse and educator having authored numerous publications about the teachings of nursing, spoke on the topic “Caring for the Caregiver” today. As stressful a profession nursing can be, Belcher offered a unique look into this rewarding career, specifically as it relates to oncology nurses. The lectureship and Nurses Day activities are underwritten in part by the Elizabeth Gibby Osborne Lecture and Scholarship Fund.
Regina Cunningham, Ph.D., RN, AOCN, Chief Nursing Officer at CINJ and Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School said the annual lectureship is a vital education component and so much more, “As New Jersey continues to face a nursing shortage, presentations such as this are critical to keeping top-notch caregivers inspired as they face the day-to-day challenges this profession often sees. It is through the many contributions to the Elizabeth Gibby Osborne Lecture and Scholarship Fund that we are able to benefit from such experts in the field as Anne Belcher.”
The fund bearing Osborne’s name was established immediately following her death from cancer in 2004. “Liz”-- as she was affectionately known by the nurses at CINJ who treated her -- was a long-time resident of Central Jersey. She was a master teacher at the Chapin School in Princeton and was active in the community.
Because of Liz’ strong belief in education, her husband Bill established the fund in an effort to give oncology nurses at CINJ an opportunity to learn more about their profession from experts across the nation. Mr. Osborne noted, “The impact the Fund continues to have by way of the annual Lectureship reverberates throughout the CINJ nursing community. It’s just one small way for the nurses to know how much they meant to Liz. Sparked by her personal interest in the individual nurses she came in contact with, she truly developed a special relationship with each one of them over the five years she received treatment here. She’d be delighted to know of the positive influence she continues to have on their lives.”
CINJ’s nurses are often called upon as a valuable resource throughout the state of New Jersey. Many of them – especially the Advanced Practice Nurses – are involved in research and education. As the nursing staff at the only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the state, they also participate in the training of oncology nurses at CINJ’s Partner and Affiliate hospitals.
About The Cancer Institute of New Jersey:
The Cancer Institute of New Jersey is the state’s first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and is dedicated to improving the prevention, detection, treatment and care of patients with cancer. CINJ’s physician-scientists engage in translational research, transforming their laboratory discoveries into clinical practice quite literally bringing research to life. The Cancer Institute of New Jersey is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. To support CINJ, please call The Cancer Institute of New Jersey Foundation at 1-888-333-CINJ.
The Cancer Institute of New Jersey Network is comprised of hospitals throughout the state and provides a mechanism to rapidly disseminate important discoveries into the community. Partner Hospitals: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Atlantic Health (Morristown Memorial Hospital, Overlook Hospital). Affiliate Hospitals: Bayshore Community Hospital, CentraState Healthcare System, Cooper University Hospital,* Jersey Shore University Medical Center, JFK Medical Center, Mountainside Hospital, Raritan Bay Medical Center, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton (CINJ-Hamilton), Saint Peter’s University Hospital, Somerset Medical Center, Southern Ocean County Hospital, The University Hospital/UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School*, and University Medical Center at Princeton. *Academic Affiliate
