Dr. Carolyn Hayes, the 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 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.
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.
Hayes, who also holds a faculty appointment as an associate professor in the Division of Nursing Science at Rutgers School of Nursing, was honored by the recognition.
“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,” she said. “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.
RWJBarnabas Health Executive Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer Nancy Holecek was thrilled that Hayes was honored.
“Induction into the American Academy of Nursing as a fellow is more than just recognition of one’s accomplishments within the nursing profession,” she said. “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.”
Dr. Steve Libutti, the director of the Rutgers Cancer Institute and a senior vice president of oncology services for RWJBarnabas Health, agreed.
“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,” he said. “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.”
Inductees will be recognized for their significant contributions to health and health care at the Academy’s annual Health Policy Conference, taking place Oct. 7-9. This year’s conference and induction ceremony will be offered in a hybrid format, allowing attendees to participate either in-person or virtually.