From an early age, Gladys Pierce, RN, OCN, knew she was destined for a career in nursing. She wanted to help people, and volunteered at a nursing home during high school. More than 40 years later, Pierce remains as committed as ever to providing care in her role as nurse coordinator for the Oncology Research Department at Nebraska Methodist Health System in Omaha, Neb.

Earlier this year, Hoosier Cancer Research Network honored Pierce for her contributions to oncology research as one of two recipients of the 2014 Sandra Turner Award for Clinical Excellence.

The award was established in 2002 by William B. Fisher, MD, through the George and Sarah Jane Fisher Fund to honor the memory of Sandra Turner, the first executive director of Hoosier Cancer Research Network. Each year, the organization selects individuals for the award who exemplify the qualities Turner possessed and respected in others, such as sustained professional commitment, contribution to the progress of oncology care, and the unflinching touch of compassion.

Pierce was shocked to learn she received the $3,000 award.

“I thought, ‘I am just a research nurse who loves her job,’” she said. “I did not think I was special. I just want to see cancer care and treatment continue to improve.”

Pierce’s nursing career has spanned a variety of experiences, from orthopedics, to medical-surgical nursing, to director of nursing at an intermediate care facility. She returned to the hospital setting as a radiation oncology nurse, where she became involved in research. Since 2000 she has worked full-time in oncology research, and enjoys the variety of responsibilities that come with the job.

“I love the mixture of seeing patients, assisting with data, and seeing the improvements of new chemotherapy agents,” she said.

In her current role, Pierce is the oncology nurse navigator for sarcoma and genitourinary cancers and works closely with physicians. She responds to clinical trial inquiries from patients and handles the screening process to determine eligibility for trials.

“I really enjoy that patient contact from Day One, and continue with that patient indefinitely,” she said.

Pierce has worked with Hoosier Cancer Research Network since her department joined as a network member in 2002. She said she values the ongoing support and services provided by HCRN.

“Hoosier Cancer Research Network has provided opportunities to attend training sessions and networking meetings, as well as one-on-one communication with any questions or support needed to provide trials to our patients,” she said.

Pierce’s compassion for her patients is enhanced by her own family’s experience with cancer. She lost her father to colorectal cancer in 1999 and a stepson to lung cancer in April of this year. Another stepson is currently battling Stage IV colon cancer.

“It was so difficult to see them go through this journey,” she said. “It makes you really stop and think about your own life.

“My first thought when I meet a patient is, ‘that patient did not ask to get cancer.’ Each and every patient needs to be treated with respect, compassion, and attention to their needs as well as their family’s needs,” she continued. “These patients have made me a better nurse.”

Hoosier Cancer Research Network (formerly known as Hoosier Oncology Group) conducts innovative cancer research in collaboration with academic and community physicians and scientists across the United States. The organization provides comprehensive clinical trial management and support, from conception through publication. Created in 1984 as a program of the Walther Cancer Institute, Hoosier Cancer Research Network became an independent nonprofit clinical research organization in 2007. Since its founding, Hoosier Cancer Research Network has initiated more than 150 trials in a variety of cancer types and supportive care, resulting in more than 300 publications. More than 4,400 patients have participated in Hoosier Cancer Research Network clinical trials.