Brody School of Medicine names its top nurse for 2009

GREENVILLE, N.C.  —   An oncology nurse has been named the best in her field for 2009 at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University and its medical group practice, ECU Physicians.

Teresa Parent, a nurse in the thoracic oncology clinic at the Leo W. Jenkins Cancer Center, is the 2009 Brody School of Medicine nurse of the year. She has worked at the medical school for eight years.

Parent

A native of Pennsylvania, Parent described her job as a “nurse navigator.” She works with patients newly diagnosed with lung cancer to help them understand their disease and treatment plans, to “help them get through the process a little more smoothly,” she said.

She expressed appreciation for the recognition. “It is an honor to be nominated by people you work with and see what you do day to day,” Parent said. 

Leslie Corbett, nurse manager of hematology/oncology, described Parent as thorough, dependable, hard-working and compassionate. 

“She’s a very good nurse,” Corbett said. “She’s a very caring nurse. All her patients love her. She’s just a good, hard worker. We all enjoy being around her.”

In addition to her nursing duties, Parent volunteers with cancer-related projects such as Relay for Life. She lives in Farmville with her husband and daughter.

Six other nurses were also finalists for the award, which was announced at a May 7 banquet. May 6-12 was National Nurses Week.