Oncology Nurse Leader Brings Stem Cell Transplant Care Closer to Home

I am normally soft-spoken and reserved, but when it comes to nurse advocacy and recognition, I find it hard to remain silent. This is especially true when it comes to my clinical director, Irene Flores.

Irene is an exceptional oncology nurse whose leadership and advocacy have been instrumental in the development of a highly successful accredited stem cell transplant program within our health system. From the earliest stages of planning to full program implementation, Irene has worked collaboratively with physicians, administrators, laboratory services, pharmacists and so many more to ensure that the program was built on both clinical excellence and practical, bedside-informed workflows. Her ability to unite diverse stakeholders around a shared vision has been critical to the program's growth and sustainability.

Developing and growing a specialty program is not an easy task. There is rarely a dry eye when our director speaks of the importance of having a local program available for our patient population. Though our medical campus is located in a well-populated urban area, our patients would have to travel several hours away from their homes to receive a stem cell transplant, leaving familiar things behind and uprooting their families. It really broke our hearts not to be able to continue to care for our patients who had been in our care for so long. This is the true reason that Irene has been so persistent and passionate about this program.

What truly distinguishes Irene is her unwavering commitment to amplifying the voice of bedside nurses. She consistently ensured that nurses from our unit were included in discussions and decisions that directly affected daily practice, patient safety and quality of care. By advocating for frontline perspectives, Irene helped shape policies, protocols and education initiatives that were realistic, evidence-based and deeply grounded in the realities of patient care. This approach not only strengthened staff engagement but also fostered trust and shared ownership across the team.

Our director worked extremely hard and long hours, collaborating within the organization across multiple service lines to ensure all new processes met regulatory requirements. She worked closely with our unit supervisors and our professional practice partners to develop the training and support needed for success. Our director's extensive clinical expertise and deep understanding of this specialty have been invaluable to the growth of this program.

Irene recognized the uncertainty that clinicians outside of our specialty, such as our intensive care unit colleagues, might have in caring for patients undergoing stem cell transplant. She advocated for educational training to be provided for those clinicians and our support team members, including environmental services. The entire team and our support colleagues received in-depth educational training and were included in meetings to optimize the patient experience. Our team also required additional levels of care training. We hired 30 new team members, mostly new grads, to support the program's growth. The magnitude of change on the unit was overwhelming!

Irene leads our team with the utmost compassion, empathy and integrity. One of our bedside nurses was recruited to attend program planning meetings, advocating for the voice of the bedside nurse. This nurse also supports onboarding our new grads. Updates and information were consistently brought back to the team for feedback, along with having additional nurses from the unit rotate attending these meetings to enhance perspectives.

Irene openly shares her knowledge and career experiences. She started her career with Inova Health System over 27 years ago as a clinical tech. She still takes the time to get to know the patients within our unit and has great IV-starting skills. Most importantly, Irene tells everyone how proud she is to lead a great team with our diverse skills and expertise, adding, "No matter the years of nursing experience, we are all learning something new as a team and helping to support our community. That is such a blessing!"

Irene's influence extends beyond operational success. She has cultivated a culture of collaboration, respect and continuous improvement, empowering nurses to speak up and contribute meaningfully to program development. Her leadership reflects a deep understanding that successful transplant programs rely not only on advanced therapies, but also on supported, informed and valued nursing teams. Through her dedication, strategic insight and steadfast advocacy, Irene has left a lasting impact on both our stem cell transplant program and the nurses who deliver care within it, ultimately improving outcomes for patients, their families and the community we serve.

This nomination reflects the nominator's personal experience and perspective. CURE® does not endorse or evaluate individual nominees.

For more news on cancer updates, research and education, don't forget to subscribe to CURE®'s newsletters here.