Debra Kent, DNP, MSN, APRN-CNP, RN, has recently joined the Mays Cancer Center as our new director of the cancer survivorship clinics. Debra will be responsible for growing our survivorship program for adults, adolescents and children for our cancer services.

Before joining the Mays Cancer Center, Debra spent nearly 15 years as an advanced practice nurse at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio. She was responsible for developing the pediatric, adolescent and young adult cancer survivorship program, improving patient clinical outcomes with survivorship research efforts and providing leadership to inform the patient care experience. In addition, she was responsible for monitoring survivorship metrics for the achievement of the Commission on Cancer accreditation.

Debra has devoted her nursing career to oncology, working in the past as a bone marrow transplant pediatric nurse practitioner and co-developing the first onco-primary care program in the U.S. for survivors of childhood cancers at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She has served in leadership roles for the Children’s Oncology Group and the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses. She maintains a membership in the American Organization for Nursing Leadership.

She received her Doctorate of Nursing Practice in population health leadership from Xavier University in Cincinnati and a Master of Science in Nursing with a pediatric nurse practitioner/maternal child health focus from the University of Cincinnati. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Pittsburgh.

In her role, Debra will focus on integrating survivorship services through institutional and community collaborations, program development, strategic planning, survivorship research and improving patient care outcomes. Her academic home is the School of Nursing, where she will serve as an associate professor.

Connect with Debra on LinkedIn