Phyllis F. Cantor Center for Research in Nursing and Patient Care Services
Staff Profiles
- Donna L. Berry, PhD, RN, AOCN®, FAAN
Director - Jennifer Allen, RN, MS, MPH, ScD
Nurse Scientist - Mary Cooley, PhD, APRN, BC
Nurse Scientist - Ulrika Kreicbergs, RN, PhD
Nurse Scientist - Barbara Halpenny, MA
Project Director - Shawn Mims, BS
Grants Management Specialist - Daniel Litrownik, BS
Clinical Research Coordinator - Toni-Ann Saunders, MPH
Clinical Research Coordinator - Maribel Melendez, MBA
Clinical Research Coordinator - John Bruyere, MA
Clinical Research Coordinator - Caitlin Dacey, RN, BSN
Clinical Research Coordinator - Daniel Gonzalez, BS
Clinical Research Coordinator - Renata Cavalier, MA
Administrative Specialist
Donna L. Berry, PhD, RN, AOCN®, FAAN
Director
E-mail: donna_berry@dfci.harvard.edu
Donna L. Berry, PhD, RN, AOCN®, FAAN, Director
Dr. Berry completed her undergraduate education at Baylor University and holds graduate degrees from the University of Texas at Houston and the University of Washington. Her commitment to improving care of the person with cancer has spanned over two decades, beginning with her work as an oncology staff nurse and continuing with her mentorship activities and current leadership in designing, implementing, evaluating, and teaching patient-centered oncology practices.
Her scholarship has been presented locally, nationally, and internationally and published in nursing, medical, and interdisciplinary journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Berry is often asked to speak and contribute in international venues, notably Switzerland, Korea, Hong Kong, and Japan. Recently at the University of Washington, she mentored clinicians and students from several disciplines and of all levels. She held a clinical appointment as the first Nurse Researcher at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.
Dr. Berry's career holds many "firsts." At the University of Washington, she was the first nurse to hold adjunct faculty appointments in the Department of Urology and the Department of Medical Education and Bioinformatics. She has the longest affiliation with a national cancer cooperative group (Southwest Oncology Group) of any nurse scientist in the United States. Extending this role, she was the first nurse scientist to serve as committee co-chair on a National Cancer Institute Progress Review Group. Additionally, she led the first national research agenda for the Oncology Nursing Society from 2002-2008.
Dr. Berry has pioneered in two important areas: patient-centered oncology care and nursing leadership within oncology research. To implement her patient-centered care paradigm, Dr. Berry formulated an interdisciplinary team and then led that team to successfully design and implement accessible, computerized tools to assess symptom experiences and quality of life variables. She led another large, multi-disciplinary team to develop, produce, and test the first and only Internet intervention based on personal factors to support treatment decision-making by men with prostate cancer. Recognized by nomination and election to Fellowship in the American Academy of Nursing, she has assumed increasing leadership and responsibility for transforming health care. As Director of Dana-Farber's Cantor Center, she will achieve these responsibilities in oncology nursing.
Jennifer Allen, RN, MS, MPH, ScD
Nurse Scientist
Email: jennifer_allen@dfci.harvard.edu
Jennifer Allen, RN, MS, MPH, ScD, Nurse Scientist
Dr. Allen received her Bachelor's degree in nursing and Master's degree in Community Health Nursing from Boston College. In addition, she has a Master's and Doctoral Degree in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health. She began her nursing career in community health in international and domestic settings. This work sparked her interest in the roles of social, economic and environmental forces on health.
For the past 15 years, she has been an investigator in the Center for Community-Based Research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Her research has focused on the development and evaluation of community-based approaches to cancer prevention and control among medically underserved populations. She has conducted randomized trials of interventions designed to promote screening for breast and cervical cancers. In addition, she has developed computer-tailored interventions to promote informed decision-making for prostate cancer screening. Currently, she is studying interventions to promote uptake of the HPV vaccine among young women and parents of young girls.
Dr. Allen has received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Cancer Institute, the Susan G. Komen Foundation and other foundations to conduct this work in churches, worksites, neighborhoods and other community settings. Dr. Allen is a member of the American Public Health Association, the Massachusetts Public Health Association, the American Nurses Association, and the Massachusetts Nurses' Association.
Research Interests
Design and evaluation of community-based interventions; cancer prevention and control in underserved communities; health disparities.
Appointments & Awards
- Assistant Professor (pending), Medical Oncology, Harvard Medical School
- Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Society, Human Development and Health, Harvard School of Public Health
Mary Cooley, PhD, APRN, BC
Nurse Scientist
E-mail: mary_cooley@dfci.harvard.edu
Mary Cooley, PhD, APRN, BC, Nurse Scientist
The focus of Dr. Cooley's work has been symptom management and quality of life in adults with cancer. She began doctoral study at University of Pennsylvania and was awarded an institutional pre-doctoral fellowship through the National Institutes for Health (NIH) and doctoral scholarships from the American Cancer Society and the Oncology Nursing Foundation. In her dissertation, Dr. Cooley described the changes in patterns of symptom distress in adults receiving treatment for lung cancer and examined the relationship of selected demographic and clinical characteristics to symptom distress over time. Results from this study found that symptom distress scores were moderate to high on entry into the study and that the change in pattern of symptom distress was not the same among treatment groups. Adults who received surgical treatment had less symptom distress at three months as compared with those who received combined treatment. Various demographic and clinical variables were weak and inconsistent predictors of symptom distress.
She then completed a post-doctoral fellowship in psychosocial oncology at University of Pennsylvania sponsored by the NIH. She conducted a secondary analysis to examine symptom prevalence, distress, and change over time in adults receiving treatment for lung cancer. Results from this study found that fatigue and pain were the most distressing symptoms for each group and at each time. Significant differences in distressing symptoms among the treatment groups were noted. Many of the individual symptoms were associated with demographic and treatment group values but no consistent pattern emerged over time except for baseline symptom distress. Symptom distress at entry to the study was a strong predictor of nine distressing symptoms at three months and seven distressing symptoms at six months. Subsequently, she received funding through the American Cancer Society for a study examining the use of health status questionnaires as predictors of unscheduled health care visits in ambulatory oncology. Data analyses for this study are in the final stages. During this time, she also participated in the development of a state cancer control plan for Connecticut and as a result became interested in smoking cessation interventions.
After completing the post-doctoral fellowship, Dr. Cooley joined a multidisciplinary research team in the Smoking Cessation Research Program. While at the Smoking Cessation Research Program, Dr. Cooley was selected to attend the 2002 Summer Institute for Randomized Clinical Trials Involving Behavioral Interventions sponsored by the NIH. Most recently, Dr. Cooley was chosen as the recipient of the Oncology Nursing Society New Investigator Award. This award is presented to an investigator who is within five years of finishing his or her doctoral program and has contributed to building a scientific basis for oncology nursing. Dr. Cooley started working as a research scientist in The Phyllis F. Cantor Center for Research in Nursing and Patient Care Services in December 2002 and continues to move forward her program of research in symptom management and quality of life in adults with cancer and is beginning a program of research in smoking cessation interventions.
Ulrika Kreicbergs, RN, PhD
Nurse Scientist
E-mail: ulrika_kreicbergs@dfci.harvard.edu
Ulrika Kreicbergs, RN, PhD, Nurse Scientist
Ulrika Kreicbergs was recently appointed as Pediatric Nurse Scientist, working collaboratively with Children's Hospital Boston. In 2005, Dr. Kreicbergs was awarded a postdoctoral grant from The Swedish Society of Medicine. In 2006, she was invited to the Cantor Center to conduct her postdoctoral research. Dr. Kreicbergs has a clinical background in orthopedic and pediatric oncology, with a focus on treating seriously ill children and their families.
In 2004 Dr. Kreicbergs completed her doctoral work at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. Her doctoral work analyzed qualitative and quantitative data from bereaved parents' experiences after their child's treatment and death. Specifically, Dr. Kreicbergs examined the relationship between parents who lost a child to cancer 4 to 9 years earlier and their long-term mental health and how those related to potential care-related stressors that are manageable or avoidable. Dr. Kreicbergs' continuing work includes a study on bereaved siblings' school achievement and psychosocial state in addition to a secondary analysis from her bereaved parents study.
Shawn Mims, BS
Grants Management Specialist
E-mail: mims@jimmy.harvard.edu
Shawn Mims, BS; Grants Management Specialist
Shawn Mims transitioned from Harvard University to Dana-Farber in April 2009 as a Department Grants Management Specialist providing grant management and business support to the Cantor Center and the Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology. He has held positions at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health as a Research Administrator in departments of Systems Biology, and Immunology and Infectious Diseases. He has also managed grants and other restricted funds for AIDS Action of Massachusetts and the Boston Public Health Commission. Shawn received a Graduate Certificate in Health and Human Service Management from Suffolk University in 2000. Prior to entering the grant/research administration field, he owned and operated a small consultancy providing technical services and support to small businesses.
Daniel Litrownik, BS
Clinical Research Coordinator
E-mail: daniel_litrownik@dfci.harvard.edu
Daniel Litrownik, BS,
Clinical Research Coordinator
Dan Litrownik is a recent graduate of Emory University, where he studied psychology and Buddhism. In addition to his studies, Mr. Litrownik worked as a research assistant in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory, where he conducted behavioral observation research in nursing homes. Dan joined the Cantor Center in June 2008 as the Clinical Research Coordinator for the Mindfulness Meditation in Bone Marrow Transplantation study.
Toni-Ann Saunders, MPH
Clinical Research Coordinator
E-mail: toni-ann_saunders@dfci.harvard.edu
Toni-Ann Saunders, MPH, Clinical Research Coordinator
Toni-Ann Saunders received her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Physiology from Boston University in 2003 and a Master of Public Health degree in Health Policy and Management from the School of Public Health at Boston University in 2008. Prior to joining the Cantor Center in December 2008, she worked as a research assistant in the Cardiology departments at both Boston Medical Center and Boston University Medical Center. She has worked on various translational research projects that study the response of adult rodent ventricular myocytes to fever range hypothermia, aldosterone induced hypertension and hypertrophy and reactive oxygen species. She has also helped to morphologically identify intact endothelial cells among patients with coronary artery disease. She now continues with the Cantor Center as the Clinical Research Coordinator for the Lung Cancer Symptom Assessment and Management Intervention study.
Maribel Melendez, MBA
Clinical Research Coordinator
E-mail: maribel_melendez@dfci.harvard.edu
Maribel Melendez, MBA; Clinical Research Coordinator
Maribel Melendez received a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Management from the University of Phoenix and is a graduate of Northeastern University with a Bachelor of Science in Health Education. Before arriving at the Cantor Center, Ms. Melendez worked in the Center for Community-Based Research in Population Sciences at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute as a Research Coordinator for the Step Up, Trim, the Open Doors to Health, the United for Health and the Parent research studies. Maribel is passionate about narrowing health and treatment disparities related to cancer in underserved populations. She was fortunate enough to receive the Employee Merit Award at Dana-Farber while in service at the Center for Community-Based Research, furthering her commitment to excellence and dedication.
John Bruyere, MA
Clinical Research Coordinator
E-mail: john_bruyerejr@dfci.harvard.edu
John Bruyere, MA,
Clinical Research Coordinator
John Bruyere received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Science with a minor in Spanish from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (UMass) in 2005 and a Master of Arts in Medical Sciences degree from the Graduate School of Medical Sciences at Boston University in 2009. Prior to joining the Cantor Center in June 2009, John worked as a research assistant in multiple research institutions in a variety of disciplines. As an undergrad he performed enzymology research within the bioinorganic chemistry at UMass in order to characterize the active site of the mammalian enzyme cysteine dioxygenase. Findings from his studies served as the basis for his undergraduate honors thesis and also a publication in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. After college he spent two years in the Neurology department at Massachusetts General Hospital where he performed imaging studies using high-resolution MRI brain scans in order to acquire anatomical data that were used to make clinical observations pertaining to brain structure and function when combined with additional subject data (i.e. behavioral studies, fMRI scans). Most recently, John completed a clinical research study through the Geriatrics Department at Boston Medical Center: Its aim was to validate a Spanish version of an overactive bladder symptom survey and to elucidate any existing trends between these symptoms and demographic factors of individuals within Boston's Hispanic community. The results from his work served as the basis for his Masters Honors thesis. John currently serves as a Clinical Research Coordinator for the Lung Cancer Symptom Assessment and Management Intervention and the Mindfulness Meditation in Bone Marrow Transplantation studies.
Caitlin Dacey, RN, BSN
Clinical Research Coordinator
E-mail: caitlin_dacey@dfci.harvard.edu
Caitlin Dacey, RN, BSN; Clinical Research Coordinator
Caitlin Dacey is a 2007 graduate of Fairfield University, where she received a Bachelors of Science degree in Nursing. During her time at Fairfield, Caitlin was involved in the Fairfield University Student Association, the Student Nurses Association and the Nursing Honor Society, Sigma Theta Tau. Prior to joining the Cantor Center, Caitlin worked as a Registered Nurse in a multi-practitioner Pediatric Primary Care Office in Cohasset, Massachusetts. Caitlin started at Dana-Farber in March 2009 as a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Cantor Center on the Electronic Self Report Assessment for Cancer Study. In addition to working at Dana-Farber, Caitlin is also pursuing her Masters in Nursing at Boston College and studying to become a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.
Daniel Gonzalez, BS
Clinical Research Coordinator
E-mail: daniel_gonzalez@dfci.harvard.edu
Daniel Gonzalez, BS
Daniel Gonzalez is a recent graduate from the College of the Holy Cross. Daniel achieved his Bachelors of Arts degree studying Sociology and simultaneously completing a rigorous pre-medicine program, a Latin American concentration, and a business program. During his time at Holy Cross, Daniel strove to be a well-rounded student, taking part in a variety of extracurricular activities projects. During the summer of 2009, Daniel served as a Research Assistant in the Cantor Center and in November 2009 was promoted to Clinical Research Coordinator for the Electronic Self Report Assessment for Cancer (ESRA-C) study. Working for Dana-Farber is a great honor to Daniel, whose objective to become a healthcare professional coincides with the overall philosophy of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute: to feel passionate about helping and providing total patient care.
Renata Cavalier, MA
Administrative Specialist
E-mail: renata_cavalier@dfci.harvard.edu
Renata Cavalier, MA, Administrative Specialist
Renata Cavalier received a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from the University of Miami in Florida and Master of Arts degree in Interior Design from the New England School of Art and Design at Suffolk University. Prior to joining the Cantor Center in August 2008, she worked as an Interior Designer for residential and commercial design firms in the Boston area. Ms. Cavalier's professional experience includes working as a National Sales Coordinator for American Radio Systems in Boston where she was primarily responsible for supporting the two major market National Sales Managers and various administrative tasks for the National Sales Department. Ms. Cavalier was also a Traffic Coordinator in the Advertising and Communications Department at Fidelity Investments and worked in Guest Relations for the Walt Disney World Company in Orlando, Florida.
