Researcher recognized nationally for contributions to oncology care
December 23, 2020
Blazing a new path as one of the few oncology certified nurse practitioners in the state of Hawaiʻi, Christa Braun-Inglis, MS, APRN-Rx, FNP-BC, AOCNP, University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center associate researcher and oncology nurse practitioner, was recognized in the December 2020 issue of the Association of Community Cancer Centers’ journal.
Braun-Inglis is an advanced practice provider (APP) and holds a hybrid position at the UH Cancer Center as a part-time faculty member supporting clinical research and a part-time clinician working with breast cancer patients at Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women and Children. Her current role, along with her past experiences, have given Braun-Inglis a unique perspective on oncology care, which she uses to provide the best care for her patients and support those who are working toward becoming APPs.
When Braun-Inglis began working at the UH Cancer Center in 2018, she wanted to involve more APPs in research across the community. “I feel we have a lot to offer. We do much of the routine clinical care, coordination of care and treatment, and education for cancer patients, which makes us uniquely positioned to assist with the education, care coordination and management of patients on clinical trials,” said Braun-Inglis. Since 2018, she has helped train 10 oncology APPs in clinical research who are all now registered as non-physician investigators through the National Cancer Institute.
Among Braun-Inglis’ many achievements, is her appointment to the Advanced Practitioner Society for Hematology and Oncology (APSHO) Research and Quality Initiative Task Force. This task force will lay the groundwork for becoming an APSHO committee by fall 2021. She was selected based on her knowledge and skills that were viewed as providing the vision for advanced practice providers’ growth and advancement in research and quality initiatives.
In addition, Braun-Inglis will serve alongside her mentor and UH Cancer Center researcher, Jeffrey Berenberg, MD, MACP, as members on working groups for the Cancer Moonshot-supported workshop, “Engaging Older Adults in the NCI Clinical Trials Network: Challenges and Opportunities.” The workshop will be held on April 25-26, 2021. Braun-Inglis will serve on the Stakeholders Working Group and Berenberg on the Infrastructure Working Group.
With the help of her mentors, Braun-Inglis has become an exemplary APP. She recently completed a study identifying barriers keeping APPs from playing a more active role in research, and continues to share her experiences to inspire new APPs to become more involved in clinical research and practice at the highest level under their licensure.
