International Society of Cancer Nurses Honors UCSF Professor

In an honor that recognizes her significant contributions to cancer care on a national and international scale, the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care (ISNCC) has announced that Marylin Dodd, RN, PhD, FAAN, is the recipient of the 2006 Robert Tiffany Lectureship. The late Robert Tiffany was a founding member of the ISNCC and initiated the Biannual International Cancer Nursing Conference. Dodd will present her lecture at this year's conference in Toronto in September. "I felt so thrilled and humbled to be the recipient of this award," Dodd said upon hearing of her award. "I was nominated by a group that is very dear to me, the Oncology Nursing Society. And years ago, I met Bob Tiffany; he was such an inspiration for global cancer care." The ISNCC is dedicated to improving standards of cancer care through education, research and training using international expertise. The society fosters international networking and interaction among cancer nursing groups and individuals. The Tiffany Lectureship honors ambassadors within cancer nursing who have made a significant contribution to cancer practice, education, research or management at a national, regional and/or international level. An oncology nurse at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, Tiffany campaigned throughout his life to overturn stigmas and misconceptions about living with cancer, and to prove that skilled nurses have a crucial role in its prevention and early detection, and in improving the quality of life of people with cancer. The Tiffany Lectureship is intended to inform and inspire oncology nurses worldwide. Nursing Leader
Dodd is professor of physiological nursing, associate dean for academic personnel and the Sharon A. Lamb Endowed Chair in the UCSF School of Nursing. She directs the UCSF Research Center for Symptom Management, which is dedicated to developing new knowledge and improving nursing care for patients with cancer and their families. Her textbook, Managing the Side Effects of Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy: A Guide for Patients and Their Families, often is cited by professionals and patient advocacy groups as the definitive source of information to support the care of cancer patients. The book, now in its fourth edition, is published by UCSF Nursing Press. Dodd and her colleagues developed a model for self-care interventions to enable patients to manage the side effects of cancer treatment such as mucositis, as well as symptoms of cancer such as fatigue and pain. The PRO-SELF Program has been tested in large, randomized intervention studies that now are being replicated in several other countries. The Model for Symptom Management, developed by the faculty of the Research Center for Symptom Management, is used nationally and internationally by graduate students, clinicians and investigators to evaluate cancer symptoms and side effects, and then develop strategies to help patients cope. The group currently is investigating an exercise intervention for cancer-related fatigue and a novel mouth rinse intervention used to prevent and treat oral mucositis in head and neck cancer patients. They also have opened up a new line of inquiry into combinations of related symptoms - symptom clusters - and how these may affect patient clinical outcomes. Dodd and her colleagues have been invited to make numerous podium presentations in the United States and abroad, and have published hundreds of research articles and book chapters. In 2005, the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing honored Dodd with the Baxter International Foundation's Episteme Award, often described as the nursing version of the Nobel Prize.