In addition to her titles of vice president for nursing, chief nursing officer and chair of M. D. Anderson's new Department of Nursing, Barbara Summers, Ph.D., R.N., is now a Fellow in the prestigious American Academy of Nursing.
One of only two AAN fellows at M. D. Anderson and one of 1,500 nationally, Summers was inducted into the prestigious organization during a formal ceremony over the weekend in Atlanta. She was one of 97 new inductees into the academy, an organization that monitors and advances health care policy and develops solutions to challenges facing the nursing profession. Selection as a Fellow in AAN is considered nursing's highest honor.
Despite Summers' stellar career as a nurse executive, teacher, mentor, administrator, advocate and researcher, she says she thinks of herself primarily as an oncology nurse.
"Oncology nurses are the secret weapons in the war we are winning against cancer," Summers says. "They're the critical thinkers, the caring partners and the constants in every patient's personal journey, and it is my privilege every day to lead and work on their behalf -- and to be one of them."
Summers, who is from a family of nurses, is driven by not only her respect and love for nursing but the desire to build a culture that gives to all M. D. Anderson nurses the same inspiration, joy and reward that she reaped as an oncology nurse early in her career.
"Down deep with all of my leadership, advocacy and management experience, I'm still an oncology nurse at heart," she says. "To this day, I remember caring for a little boy who received a bone marrow transplant and the relationship I built with his family. It's an incredibly proud calling to be an oncology nurse, especially at M. D. Anderson."
Summers came to M. D. Anderson in 1997 as clinical administrative director of the hematology clinical program, one the institution's largest services. Leading up to her current position, she also has worked as associate vice president for clinical programs and vice president for outpatient services at M. D. Anderson.
Prior to coming to Houston, Summers was with the National Institutes of Health where she was manager of critical care. She has worked as a clinical nurse at hospitals in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland.
She earned her Ph.D. in health care administration, master's degree in oncology nursing and bachelor's degree in nursing from George Mason University. She has held faculty appointments at her alma mater as well as at Georgetown University and Catholic University.
One of Summers' goals at M. D. Anderson and as a recognized national advocate for the nursing profession is to continue to drive home the messages that nurses are invaluable resources to their health communities and that nursing has changed for the better in the last decade. Every day, Summers and her team strive "to build a community of exceptional nurses engaged in extraordinary practice," a theme that captures the essence of her goals for the department.
One of only two AAN fellows at M. D. Anderson and one of 1,500 nationally, Summers was inducted into the prestigious organization during a formal ceremony over the weekend in Atlanta. She was one of 97 new inductees into the academy, an organization that monitors and advances health care policy and develops solutions to challenges facing the nursing profession. Selection as a Fellow in AAN is considered nursing's highest honor.
Despite Summers' stellar career as a nurse executive, teacher, mentor, administrator, advocate and researcher, she says she thinks of herself primarily as an oncology nurse.
"Oncology nurses are the secret weapons in the war we are winning against cancer," Summers says. "They're the critical thinkers, the caring partners and the constants in every patient's personal journey, and it is my privilege every day to lead and work on their behalf -- and to be one of them."
Summers, who is from a family of nurses, is driven by not only her respect and love for nursing but the desire to build a culture that gives to all M. D. Anderson nurses the same inspiration, joy and reward that she reaped as an oncology nurse early in her career.
"Down deep with all of my leadership, advocacy and management experience, I'm still an oncology nurse at heart," she says. "To this day, I remember caring for a little boy who received a bone marrow transplant and the relationship I built with his family. It's an incredibly proud calling to be an oncology nurse, especially at M. D. Anderson."
Summers came to M. D. Anderson in 1997 as clinical administrative director of the hematology clinical program, one the institution's largest services. Leading up to her current position, she also has worked as associate vice president for clinical programs and vice president for outpatient services at M. D. Anderson.
Prior to coming to Houston, Summers was with the National Institutes of Health where she was manager of critical care. She has worked as a clinical nurse at hospitals in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland.
She earned her Ph.D. in health care administration, master's degree in oncology nursing and bachelor's degree in nursing from George Mason University. She has held faculty appointments at her alma mater as well as at Georgetown University and Catholic University.
One of Summers' goals at M. D. Anderson and as a recognized national advocate for the nursing profession is to continue to drive home the messages that nurses are invaluable resources to their health communities and that nursing has changed for the better in the last decade. Every day, Summers and her team strive "to build a community of exceptional nurses engaged in extraordinary practice," a theme that captures the essence of her goals for the department.
