In her role as vice president of patient care experience, Ms. Sweeney heads the team that navigates patients and their loved ones through clinical care and every dimension of spiritual, mental, social and survivorship support. She brings to the role a deep understanding of what a family facing cancer experiences, having participated in oncology care as both a frontline nurse and a primary caregiver. She began her career in nursing 25 years ago as an ICU nurse at Roswell Park, which is the first cancer research center in the world and one of the first to be named a NCI-designated cancer center. She went on to work as a floor nurse on Roswell Park’s inpatient unit for leukemia and lymphoma patients and as clinical research nurse coordinator with the leukemia team before taking on leadership roles in patient access and concierge services. Her unique perspective, wrought from her career background and personal experience during her late husband’s five-year battle with two highly aggressive cancers, helps her compassionately oversee all aspects of patient advocacy and access for the cancer center’s nearly 50,000 active patients. She also oversees supportive services, ranging from a resource center and hair salon to a pediatric cancer patient support program.
