About The HealthTree Nurse Advisory Board

The HealthTree Nurse Advisory Board (NAB) was created to enhance the quality of care for patients with blood cancers by addressing gaps between academic and general oncology settings. Our goal is to foster collaborative research, provide frontline insights to, and promote equitable treatment access for all patients.

Nurses from diverse clinical and academic backgrounds participate, offering their expertise to bridge healthcare disparities and ensure patients receive the most advanced therapies and support.

Our Why

While many patients receive excellent care across a variety of treatment settings, differences in access to the latest myeloma therapies can impact outcomes. The Nurse Advisory Board’s mission is to strengthen collaboration and knowledge-sharing among all oncology care teams to help ensure that every patient—no matter where they are treated—has access to the most effective, up-to-date treatments and support.

Join Us in Bridging Gaps and Improving Patient Outcomes

We’re bringing together nursing professionals passionate about transforming blood cancer care. Through collaboration, research, and advisory partnerships, the Nurse Advisory Board (NAB) aims to ensure equitable access to the best treatments—no matter where patients receive care.

Meet the Members

Patrick Buxton, RN

Clinical Nurse Coordinator

With 10 years of nursing experience, Patrick Buxton began his career in neuro telemetry before transitioning to the Cardiovascular ICU, where he worked full time for five years and part time for an additional three. Over the past four years, he has focused on oncology care. As a member of the NAB, Patrick is passionate about helping bridge the gap between rural and urban cancer care centers and is excited to contribute to advancing patient-centered care.

Brandi Spear, RN

Oncology Nurse Navigator
Kadlec Tri-Cities Cancer Center

Brandi is a registered nurse with seven years of experience, including five years in oncology. In her current role as a nurse navigator, she supports patients throughout their cancer journey—from diagnosis through survivorship—providing guidance, advocacy, and care coordination. Her work has offered a front-row view into the daily challenges faced by individuals with complex diagnoses such as multiple myeloma. Brandi is passionate about collaborating with fellow healthcare professionals to break down barriers and enhance the patient experience. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, attending sporting events, and reading.

Samuel Shewan MPAS, PA-C

Physician Assistant
Huntsman Cancer Institute

Sam attended Grand Valley State University as an Undergraduate, obtaining a BS in Biomedical Sciences. He then obtained his Masters of Physician Assistant Studies at the University of Utah Physician Assistant Program in 2014. Samuel started his career in Emergency Medicine at the University of Michigan before returning to Utah to join the Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplant Clinic at Huntsman Cancer Hospital, during which time he held the position of Co-Lead Outpatient APC. Most recently, Samuel has joined and currently practices with the Multiple Myeloma group at Huntsman Cancer Hospital.

Diana Velez, FNP-BC, RN, OCN

Methodist Hospital San Antonio

Diana received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from State University of New York at Binghamton Decker School of Nursing in Binghamton, New York. FNP Velez later completed her Masters in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner at PACE University in New York City, New York. Prior to working at Methodist Hospital, FNP Velez worked at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City for more than 15 years. She began her path as a clinical nurse and eventually moved into outpatient service for transplant patients. But the one thing that has remained constant in FNP Velez's nursing career has been her dedication to oncology.

Eliza Parkin, DNP, FNP-C

Nurse Practitioner
Huntsman Cancer Institute

Eliza earned both her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees from the University of Utah. She began her nursing career at Huntsman Cancer Institute on the Bone Marrow Transplant unit, where she gained three years of experience caring for patients with complex hematologic malignancies. Following completion of her DNP program, Eliza transitioned to her current role as a Nurse Practitioner at Huntsman Cancer Institute, where she specializes in the care and management of patients with plasma cell dyscrasias. She is passionate about delivering evidence-based, compassionate care and advancing treatment outcomes for patients with multiple myeloma and related disorders.

Outside of work, Eliza enjoys hiking with her dogs, skiing, mountain biking, and spending time outdoors in the Utah mountains.

Sara Tinsley Vance, PhD, APRN

Moffitt Cancer Center

Sara M. Tinsley is an advanced practice registered nurse specializing in providing care to patients diagnosed with hematologic malignancies in the Moffitt Cancer Center Department of Malignant Hematology. Nurse Tinsley has been practicing as a hematology nurse practitioner at Moffitt for 30 years, 11 years in Blood and Marrow Transplant, 2 years in patient triage and the past 17 years in Malignant Hematology. She is a member of the leukemia research team and specializes in the care of patients with acute myeloid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndromes, aplastic anemia, and other bone marrow failure syndromes. Dr. Tinsley earned her PhD, master’s degree, and bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. She is board certified as an advance oncology certified nurse by the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation. She is licensed in the state of Florida as an advance practice registered nurse. Sara is a co-investigator on multiple clinical trials within the department of Malignant Hematology. She is also working on her research interest of the evaluation and improvement of quality of life in older patients diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes. She received an American Cancer Society Doctoral Degree in nursing scholarship and is working on a decision-making model focused on quality of life with different treatment intensities, sponsored by the National Institute of Health.Sara works as a courtesy clinical instructor in the College of Nursing at the University of South Florida, and regularly lectures in the oncology program. She also is a member of the nurse executive leadership board of the Myelodysplastic Syndromes Foundation, and leads patient and family educational meetings.

Lauren Thayer AGACNP-BC

Memorial Sloan Kettering

Lauren has been a nurse for over 16 years and has worked in a variety of settings including cardiothoracic, vascular, bariatrics, burns and general surgery. She graduated with her MSN as an Adult-Geriatric Acute and Primary Care Nurse Practitioner with a sub-specialty in HIV from Duke University in 2016. She began her oncology career as a Nurse Practitioner with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s Thoracic Surgery service in 2017. In 2020, she began her role on the inpatient Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at Memorial Sloan Kettering where she worked for 2 years. She then spent a year at Stanford’s Lung Transplant program before transitioning to an outpatient Leukemia/BMT role at the University of California San Francisco. During this time, she had the opportunity to serve on the Palliative Care Steering Committee and focused on projects aimed to improve the coordination of care of newly diagnosed Leukemia patients from the inpatient to outpatient setting. In 2024, she moved back to New York and has been working in the outpatient Myeloma clinic at Memorial Sloan Kettering. She is passionate about improving the quality of care for people living with hematologic malignancies.

Stefanie Bouma, MSc, PA-C

Bartlett Medical Oncology

After graduating from her Master of Science in Health Sciences Physician Assistant program at George Washington University, Stefanie somehow found her way to the NIH’s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute working on the Hematology Branch's Transplant and Immunotherapy team. There she worked closely with some of the nation’s leading researchers and aspiring NIH Hematology Oncology fellows. This work shaped her into the hematologic oncology expert she never expected herself to be but maybe should have predicted after losing her own grandmother to multiple myeloma at a young age. Over the last few years she has slowly moved back West to be closer to family. First, to Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Seattle on the Bone Marrow Transplant and Immunotherapy Teams and now serving the community in Southeast Alaska at Bartlett Medical Oncology Group. She still heavily relies on her “phone a friend” network that includes former teammates in Seattle and those fellows that she helped train with at the NIH.

Katie Jones, NP

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Impact

Coming soon: See how the NAB is driving real change—from educational resources to research contributions.

Contact Us

Cynthia Cahoon, RN
cynthia@healthtree.org

Cynthia leads engagement for the Nurse Advisory Board, ensuring nursing voices help shape research and resources for patients everywhere.

Thanks to our sponsor:

About The HealthTree Nurse Advisory Board

Nurses from diverse clinical and academic backgrounds participate, offering their expertise to bridge healthcare disparities and ensure patients receive the most advanced therapies and support.

Our Why

Join Us in Bridging Gaps and Improving Patient Outcomes