Emily Gentry, BSN, RN, HON-ONN-CG, OCN, is Executive Director of Strategy & Operations at AONN+. Previous roles within AONN+ have included Director of Education and Program Development and Co-Director of Certification.
Prior to joining AONN+ in 2019, Ms. Gentry served as Navigation Director, Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute at Medical City Healthcare in Dallas/Fort Worth, operationalizing their initial patient navigation program in North Texas.
Ms. Gentry has been engaged in supporting cancer patients and their families for more than 37 years. Across her oncology career, she has worked as an oncology and hematology nurse at the bedside, a chemo-infusion nurse, a research study nurse, patient education leader, community outreach liaison, and oncology program director, leading care teams that support cancer patients and their family members.
A graduate of the Baylor University School of Nursing, she started her nursing career at Baylor Healthcare System in Dallas (now part of Baylor Scott & White Health). While at Baylor, she collaborated with colleagues to develop and grow the organization’s efforts within cancer survivorship and patient navigation, working first with Baylor Medical Center Dallas and then Baylor Medical Center Plano. She was recognized early in her oncology career by the Oncology Nursing Society as a Pearl Moore award recipient and as Nurse of the Year in 2011 while working at Baylor Medical Center Plano. She developed numerous community-facing cancer support programs while at Baylor and when she joined HCA Healthcare in 2014. She has always considered her career to be a privilege to work closely with cancer survivors and their caregivers while advocating for the value of psychosocial oncology in patient care.
In addition to Ms. Gentry’s professional oncology work, she enjoys serving the community as a volunteer with the American Cancer Society, North Texas Komen, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Ms. Gentry served on the AONN+ Leadership Council in 2016 and founded the local AONN+ chapter in the Dallas/Fort Worth area in 2013. She is a current chapter member of the Oncology Nursing Society and North Texas AONN+ local networks as well as the National Navigation Roundtable (NNRT). Currently, Ms. Gentry has been appointed to the American Cancer Society NNRT Steering Committee. In 2018, Ms. Gentry contributed to the book entitled Team-Based Oncology Care: The Pivotal Role of Oncology Navigation. This resource provides expertise from members of the AONN+ Leadership Council. Ms. Gentry’s contributions focus on compassion fatigue and community outreach. She has facilitated and spoken nationally on the importance of proactively building strategies that address the importance of assessing burnout in the oncology navigator profession.
Over the past several years, she has worked to elevate the relevance and define the role of the oncology nurse navigator within the community hospital setting. Currently, she is involved in projects focusing on empowering the patient while defining best practices in patient education and navigation. She is committed to mobilizing the role of navigation within the care team in areas such as clinical trials and on building processes and defining outcomes that will enable nurse navigators to show their value within an integrated care team. She also displays a passion for mentorship within the profession and equipping navigators with educational resources. She has authored numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and most recently envisioned the mentorship program (BOLD [Building Oncology Leadership & Development]) within the AONN+ community. In addition, she serves as nursing faculty advisor and moderator for AONN+ projects and initiatives.
Executive Director, Strategy & Operations
