Poster Award Recognition
The Poster Awards are recognized during the APHON Annual Conference for their outstanding research and innovative ideas. These awards highlight the top three poster presentations and the People’s Choice, celebrating excellence in pediatric hematology/oncology nursing.
Congratulations to the 2024 APHON Annual Conference Poster Award finalists. Pictured from left to right is Poster Chair, Dr. Kathleen Montgomery, Emily Barclay (2nd place), Winnie Njuguna (People’s Choice), and Karly Brooks (1st place) and APHON President, Dyane Bunnell. Not pictured, Peter Scarperi (3rd place).
1st Place:
Karly Brooks, BSN RN CPHON, Arkansas Children’s Hospital
“Infusaport Education for Emergency Department Nurses Leads to Positive Outcomes”
Karly Brooks is a bachelor’s prepared nurse who is board-certified in pediatric hematology/oncology (HemOnc) nursing (CPHON). With 7 years of HemOnc experience, she is an RN IV in the Cancer and Blood Disorders Clinic at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. After identifying a need for further Infusaport education for Emergency Department (ED) nurses, she collaborated with ED and HemOnc leadership team members to restructure the Infusaport validation process. She has held a skills fair for ED nursing staff and was the key developer of the new Infusaport validation process. To further advance her career, she is currently enrolled in a Spanish for the Workplace Proficiency certificate through University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
2nd Place:
Emily Barclay, BSN RN CPHON, Dell Children’s Blood and Cancer Center
“Remember to Breathe: Implementing a Pulmonology Multidisciplinary Clinic for Pediatric Sickle Cell Patients to Increase Adherence to Care”
My name is Emily Barclay and I am the Sickle Cell RN Transition Coordinator for Dell Children’s Blood and Cancer Center. I have enthusiastically served in this position educating patients with sickle cell disease, developing the LAUNCH transition program and coordinating multi disciplinary programs for the last three years. I have worked as a nurse in hematology/ oncology for the last thirteen years and before that was an adult trauma ICU RN, but I arrived in the pediatric world as soon as I could. I have a BSN in Economics from Baylor as well as a BSN in Nursing from the University of Oklahoma. I am a CPHON certified RN and happily active in my local APHON chapter. Through my church, I’ve volunteered with Mobile Loaves and Fishes as well as Safe Families. When not taking care of amazing Warriors with sickle cell disease, you can find me chasing my family around, cooking up a storm and attempting to keep all houseplants alive.
3rd Place:
Peter Scarperi, BSN RN, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
“Preventing Central Venous Catheter Occlusion”
I am currently an Oncology Nurse Resident at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. As a recent graduate from Villanova College of Nursing, I am dedicated to advancing healthcare practices and improving pediatric oncology outcomes. My research interests are focused on palliative and end-of-life care. I have been awarded the Falvey Undergraduate Research Award and the Hazel Johnson Leadership Award. I have presented my research at the Oncology Nursing Society, Big East Research Conference, and Eastern Nursing Research Society Conferences. My research endeavors have been supported by the Susan D. Flynn Nursing Oncology Fellowship and the Villanova Undergraduate Research Fellowship.
People’s Choice Award:
Winnie Njuguna, APN PNP MSN RPedN RN, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
“Assessment of Blood Administration Nursing Practices in Pediatric Oncology Centres in Pakistan”
Winnie Wanjiru Leah Njuguna has been a Program Coordinator for the Global Nursing Program in the Department of Global Pediatric Medicine at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (SJCRH) since January 2023. My passion for improving clinical outcomes for children and adolescents with blood and blood disorders in low- or middle-income countries through Nursing Education, Research, Evidence-Based Practice, Patient Safety, and Quality Improvement motivated me to join SJCRH from Kenya. I am a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner who graduated cum laude with a Master’s Degree in Child Nursing, (Pediatric hematology-oncology) from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. My experience in nursing spans more than 20 years and includes various nursing and leadership roles. The bulk of my extensive experience was in the vibrant and busy Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. There, I was a certified instructor for resuscitation courses such as Emergency Assessment and Treatment plus Admission Care (ETAT+), Pediatric Immediate Life Support (PILs), Newborn Life Support, and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS). My other roles included pediatric hematology-oncology, quality and patient safety, general pediatrics, trauma, and emergency. Aside from work, I love traveling to new places, watching movies, music, indoor games, and discovering new restaurants.