Newswise — Chicago (Oct. 1, 2014): The Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses (APHON) elected Kathleen Ruccione, PhD, MPH, RN, CPON®, FAAN, to serve as President-Elect for the 2014-2015 term. Ruccione took office at the recent 38th Annual APHON Conference and Exhibit, held September 4-6 in Portland, OR. Ruccione has been an active member of APHON for over 30 years, having founded the Southern California APHON chapter in 1982. Ruccione will assume the APHON President post in September 2015.
Ruccione is currently the Director of the HOPE Resource Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in the Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases. She has been very active within the association, serving on the Research Committee, Nominating Committee and as Chair of the Local Chapter Committee throughout the years. She has also presented as the keynote speaker at three APHON annual conferences and has delivered numerous lectures since 1978. In addition to her speaking experience, Ruccione was a contributing author in Nursing Care of the Child with Cancer and has authored a variety of chapters, articles, essays and abstracts throughout her career.
Ruccione earned her PhD in Health Behavior Research from the University of Southern California, along with her Master of Public Health and Bachelor of Science degrees from California State University – Northridge.
Ruccione’s vision for her presidency is to promote APHON’s culture of excellence and its ongoing growth and development as the premier organization for pediatric hematology/oncology nurses. “I genuinely believe in APHON’s mission, and enjoy working with outstanding peds hem-onc nurses in my practice setting every day. With APHON members’ strong spirit, great intelligence, humanism, and creative spark, I believe we can show the world what we contribute to the care of children, adolescents and young adults (AYAs) during and after treatment for cancer or serious blood disease,” says Ruccione.
APHON is the professional organization for pediatric hematology/oncology nurses and other pediatric hematology/oncology healthcare professionals. Its members are dedicated to promoting optimal nursing care for children, adolescents and young adults with cancer and blood disorders, and their families. APHON provides the leadership and expertise to pediatric hematology/oncology nurses by defining and promoting the highest standards of practice and care to the pediatric, adolescent and young adult communities.
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