CURE Media Group Names Christie Santure, B.S.N., RN, OCN, Winner of 2020 Extraordinary Healer® Award for Oncology Nursing

Elizabeth Farrat, B.S.N., RN, CCRN-K, has been selected winner of the 2020 The Finest Hour award, which recognizes the selfless achievements of an extraordinary nurse working to provide care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Santure and Farrat were recognized Sept. 17 during the 2020 Extraordinary Healer^® Award for Oncology Nursing virtual celebration in conjunction with the ONS Bridge™ Virtual Conference. Rita Wilson, multitalented actress, producer, singer/songwriter and breast cancer survivor served as the event’s keynote speaker.

“We are pleased to give Christie and Elizabeth these awards for their tremendous dedication, expertise and helpfulness in caring for patients,” said Mike Hennessy Jr., president and CEO of MJH Life Sciences™, parent company of CURE Media Group. “They have gone above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of patients, their families and their caregivers, and we cannot thank them enough for all that they do every day.”

Santure is an infusion nurse at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Pittsburgh, where she launched a Caring for the Caregiver program, a support group for those who are caring for someone undergoing cancer treatment. She offers sessions twice a month at the cancer center and is working with leadership to start the program at other UPMC locations. Santure started as a candy-striper and has been a nurse for 40 years.

Farrat works as a perioperative nurse liaison in the operating room at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center in New York City. Previously, Farrat worked in the intensive care unit (ICU) at MSK for 10 years, where she helped design and facilitate the ICU orientation trajectory, ICU preceptor expectations and workflow. In addition, she helped create an ICU Teaching the Teacher Continuing Education Program for ICU preceptors. During the COVID-19 surge, Farrat was redeployed to the ICU to care for patients who were critically ill with the virus. She helped implement real-time, critical-care training of step-down registered nurses so they were able to provide ICU care.

“Bristol Myers Squibb is proud to continue its sponsorship of the Extraordinary Healer^® Award that this year recognizes the incredible dedication and passion that Christie and Elizabeth share with their patients every day,” said Brent Pfeiffenberger, senior vice president and head of U.S. Oncology, Bristol Myers Squibb. “Nurses play a critical role in a patient’s cancer journey, which often extends beyond diagnosis and treatment to providing support and guidance through every challenge and triumph experienced during care. Thank you to all of our nurses, and especially to Christie and Elizabeth, for your unwavering commitment to patients and for serving as an inspiration to us all.”

“Janssen Oncology is honored to continue our support for the Extraordinary Healer^® Award, recognizing nurses who are exemplary in their dedication to improving the lives of their patients every day and particularly as we continue to navigate the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic. We remain inspired by their compassion and join the oncology community in recognizing nurses as a critical part – and often the heart – of the journey for any patient,” said Serge Messerlian, president of Janssen Oncology.

Founded in 2007, the Extraordinary Healer^® Award for Oncology Nursing has received hundreds of nominations, and it continues to grow each year. The men and women honored by the award during the last 14 years have been nominated by adults and children representing a variety of cancer centers and hospitals across the country. The other 2020 finalists were Vicki Dodson, B.S.N., RN, OCN; and Maria Rodriguez, B.S.N., RN.

For more information on how to nominate an oncology nurse for the 2021 Extraordinary Healer^® Award for Oncology Nursing, click here.

This event is supported by Bristol Myers Squibb and Janssen Oncology: Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.

About CURE Media Group

CURE Media Group is the leading resource for cancer updates, research and education. It combines a full suite of media products, including its industry-leading website, CUREtoday.com; innovative video programs, such as “CURE Connections^®” live events; and CURE^® magazine, which reaches more than 1 million readers, as well as the dynamic website for oncology nurses, OncNursingNews.com, and its companion publication, Oncology Nursing News^®. CURE Media Group is a brand of MJH Life Sciences™, the largest privately held, independent, full-service medical media company in North America dedicated to delivering trusted health care news across multiple channels.

About Bristol Myers Squibb

Bristol Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information about Bristol Myers Squibb, visit us at BMS.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

Celgene and Juno Therapeutics are wholly owned subsidiaries of Bristol Myers Squibb Company. In certain countries outside the United States, due to local laws, Celgene and Juno Therapeutics are referred to as Celgene, a Bristol Myers Squibb company, and Juno Therapeutics, a Bristol Myers Squibb company.

About the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson

At Janssen, we’re creating a future where disease is a thing of the past. We’re the Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, working tirelessly to make that future a reality for patients everywhere by fighting sickness with science, improving access with ingenuity, and healing hopelessness with heart. We focus on areas of medicine where we can make the biggest difference: Cardiovascular & Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Diseases & Vaccines, Neuroscience, Oncology, and Pulmonary Hypertension.

Learn more at www.janssen.com. Follow us at www.twitter.com/JanssenGlobal. Janssen Research & Development, LLC is part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.

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