Rutgers Chief Nursing Officer Selected to be American Academy of Nursing Fellow

Carolyn Hayes, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, chief nursing officer for Oncology Services at RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, has been selected by the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) as a 2021 Fellow. Induction into the Academy is a significant milestone in a nurse leader’s career in which their accomplishments are honored by their colleagues within and outside the profession. Fellows are selected based on their contributions and impact to advance the public’s health.

The AAN is an honorific society that recognizes nursing's most accomplished leaders in policy, research, practice, administration, and academia. Academy Fellows, from nearly 40 countries, hold a wide variety of roles influencing health care. Fellows contribute their collective expertise to the Academy, engaging with health leaders nationally and globally to improve health and achieve health equity by impacting policy through nursing leadership, innovation, and science.

Dr. Hayes has experience in ensuring the continuity of care across the ambulatory and acute care continuum for oncology patients in unique collaborative settings, including those that bring together a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center and large health care system in an academic setting. As a nursing leader, Hayes is responsible for and has oversight of nursing at Rutgers Cancer Institute and oncology service line-related nursing across RWJBarnabas Health, ensuring nursing excellence throughout an integrated cancer care model.

“Induction into the American Academy of nursing as a Fellow is more than just recognition of one's accomplishments within the nursing profession,” notes RWJBarnabas Health Executive Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer Nancy E. Holecek, MAS, BSN, RN. “It represents the strength of the nursing and health delivery system, shaping healthy environments and enhancing the quality of patients’ lives, all of which Dr. Hayes exemplifies in her work at RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute.”

“Through her nursing leadership, Dr. Hayes has been instrumental in enhancing the role of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJBarnabas Health as a leading oncology authority in our region,” shares Rutgers Cancer Institute Director Steven K. Libutti, MD, FACS, who is also senior vice president of oncology services for RWJBarnabas Health. “We congratulate Dr. Hayes for achieving this great honor and look forward to her continued success in the development and management of comprehensive patient care, research and teaching.”

“I am pleased and excited that Dr. Hayes is being recognized by the American Academy of Nursing in this way,” said Linda Flynn, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor and dean of Rutgers School of Nursing. Among seven New Jersey-based nurses elected to this highly prestigious organization this year, our Rutgers-affiliated colleagues including Dr. Hayes truly exemplify our school's motto ‘Excellence in Action.’”

“Becoming a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing is a great honor for me and signifies that my work at RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute will have impact on the profession of nursing and the nation’s health,” notes Hayes, who also holds a faculty appointment as an associate professor in the Division of Nursing Science at Rutgers School of Nursing. “As a new fellow of the AAN, I look forward to working with nurse leaders across the world to enhance the quality of nursing practice, research, education and impact on health care.”

Prior to joining Rutgers in 2019, her leadership included co-founding and serving as president and executive director of the Greater Boston Nursing Collective and associate chief nurse for Oncology, Medical and Integrative Nursing at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Her clinical and leadership practice, teaching, research, and publications have been focused on integrative nursing, clinical ethics, leadership, and end-of-life nursing care.

Inductees will be recognized for their significant contributions to health and health care at the Academy’s annual Health Policy Conference, taking place on October 7 through 9. This year’s conference and induction ceremony will be offered in a hybrid format, allowing attendees to participate either in-person or virtually.

This article was originally posted on RWJBarnabas Health as "RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey Leader Selected to be Inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing"