Position: Secretary
Marcelle Kaplan, MS, RN, AOCN®, CBCN®
Oncology Nurse Consultant
Self-Employed
ONS member: 28 years; Special Interest Group member: 15 years; Chapter member 25 years
EDUCATION:
College of Nursing, Downstate Medical Center, State University of New York, MS (magna cum
laude), 1988
College of Nursing, Downstate Medical Center, State University of New York, BS (cum laude,
1977
ONS PARTICIPATION (national and local):
2013-present and 2009-2011: Team Leader, PEP Project, Hot Flashes
2012-2015: Member, Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC), Nominating
Committee
2007-2011: Associate Editor, Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, Supportive Care column
2006: Member, Planning Team, Advanced Practice Nursing Conference, Pittsburgh
2003-2004: Chair, Oncology Nursing Society Nominating Committee
1998-1999: President, Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation
1997-present: Member, NYC and LI/Queens Chapters
WORK RELATED SKILLS AND LEADERSHIP:
2004-present: Member, Cancer Institutional Review Board, Weill Cornell Medical College, New
York, New York
2009-2010: Member, Oncology Nurse Navigator Task Force, Weill Cornell Medical Center
2004-2010: Advisor/Chair/Member, Nursing Research Council, Weill Cornell Medical Center
2003-2010: Member, Oncology Service Line Council, Weill Cornell Medical Center
1997-2010: Facilitator, weekly Breast Cancer Support Group for Women Newly Diagnosed and
in Treatment, Department of Nursing, Weill Cornell Medical Center
1998-2009: Coordinator/Producer, “Annual Symposium on The Latest News About Breast
Cancer”, community-focused activity, Breast Center at Weill Cornell Medical College
1997-2008: Patient and Family Education Committee, Department of Nursing, Weill Cornell
Medical Center
HEALTH CARE/ CANCER ORGANIZATIONS EXPERIENCE, OTHER PROFESSIONAL
NURSING ORGANIZATIONS /Additional experience (community, political etc.):
2012-2014: Adjunct Faculty, College of Nursing and Public Health, Adelphi University, Garden
City, New York
2010-2011: Member, CancerResource Advisory Committee, American Institute for Cancer
Research
1997-2010: Volunteer, Reach to Recovery, American Cancer Society, Manhattan ((NY) Region
2006-2009: Member, Board of Advisors, American Cancer Society, Manhattan (NY) Region
Position Statement:
When I began to specialize in oncology nursing 28 years ago I could not foresee the significant
impact that ONS membership would have on my professional and personal growth. I decided
early on to give back to ONS by volunteering to serve in a variety of roles of increasing
responsibility and complexity. Among other roles, I have been President of ONCC, chair of ONS
Nominating Committee, Associate Editor of CJON, editor of 2 editions of "Understanding and
Managing Oncologic Emergencies: A Resource for Nurses", author of multiple book chapters,
and I currently serve as Team Leader of the PEP project on Hot Flashes. In my workplace, I
implemented a variety of programs and processes inspired by ONS. Over the years, I have
been fortunate to have been exposed to many mentoring opportunities and wonderful nurse
leader role models through ONS participation. Through these experiences I feel that I have
gained the leadership skills and confidence to be able to fulfill the role of ONS Secretary. I am
comfortable with details and am able to handle multiple concurrent tasks in a timely manner. I
would consider it an honor to serve the ONS in the capacity of Secretary of the Board.
Chose two of the ONS Core Values and discuss how you have actualized them in your
leadership experiences.
Innovation: In my role as Breast Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist in a 900-bed teaching
hospital, I was obliged to respond to advances in breast cancer surgical practices, including
reduced length of stay, with innovative methods to provide comprehensive education to patients
and community members, all without any dedicated budget. I applied for grant funding to create
professionally produced patient education materials in various media, and identified cost-free
space where I initiated a weekly breast cancer support group. I developed relationships with
various hospital departments and the American Cancer Society, and developed and marketed
free community programs and health fairs over 13 years. The hospital received much
recognition from these activities and I had many wonderful experiences.
Excellence: My contributions to the goal of excellence in oncology nursing center on my
volunteer leadership activities within ONS and ONCC. I am Team Leader for the ONS (PEP)
Hot Flashes project whose evidence-based results have been disseminated in CJON. I have
authored ONS online courses and book chapters, and edited the "Oncologic Emergencies"
book. I firmly believe certification is a critical step towards demonstrating excellence and have
served ONCC as chair of OCN Test Development Committee, President, and member of the
breast care certification task force.
Reflecting on the mission and vision of ONS, how have you addressed relevant issues to
oncology nursing?
It is critical to prepare oncology nurses for the future. I am a passionate supporter of oncology
nursing certification and believe that attainment of specialty nursing certification gives nurses
the confidence and clout to deliver excellent, safe, informed patient care, be competitive in the
workplace, and advance up the career ladder. I was able to encourage a patient treated for
breast cancer who wished to make a donation to initiate a generous fund to support oncology
nursing certification activities for staff nurses. In acknowledgement, I nominated her for the
inaugural Pearl Moore Certification Champion award, the first patient to receive it, in the hope
that other patients would follow suit. I served on the breast care certification advisory committee
and task force that delineated the role and test blueprint for the initial Certified Breast Care
Nurse (CBCN) credential that was requested by ONS members. As Associate Editor of CJON
for 4 years, responsible for the supportive care column, I reached out to many oncology staff
nurses to encourage them to submit topics, mentored them through the writing process, and
solicited feedback regarding topics they felt were important to their practice and enabled them to
translate their ideas to articles.