HSCO Oncology Nurse Award for Lifetime Achievement

The Hawaii Society of Clinical Oncology (HSCO) Oncology Nurse Award for Lifetime Achievement is awarded to a registered nurse who has demonstrated excellence in practice, service, and leadership in oncology nursing in Hawaii.

Announcing the 2022 winner!

Carol Kotsubo, APRN, MPH, MS, CPHON-Emeritus

I sincerely want to thank each of you for the HSCO Dorothy Coleman Nursing Lifetime Achievement Award that I received on August 19. It was very meaningful to me for many reasons. It is an honor to be recognized by colleagues who work so closely with oncology nurses in order to provide such excellent care to the cancer patients of Hawaii. I have worked in oncology nursing since 1982 and all of that was in Hawaii at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children. I always respected and enjoyed working with the oncologists.

I knew and worked with Dorothy for many years and admired the passion that she put into her work at the Cancer Research Center.

I loved my career as a nurse particularly caring for children with cancer. Although I retired in 2014, I haven’t stop participating in oncology nursing. I volunteer for both local and national oncology nursing organizations. In fact, I used the monetary award that I received to attend a pediatric oncology nursing conference on the east coast in September.

Thank you again, for this great honor. I feel privileged to know so many of you.

View Past Winners

About the Award

The recipient of the award will receive a monetary gift of $1,500.00 from HSCO and will have his/her name engraved on a recognition plaque. The award will be presented to the recipient at the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) Annual Conference luncheon in August each year.

Suggested Criteria for Selection

Experienced oncology nurse who has practiced in Hawaii
Practice exemplifies a high level of compassion and specialty expertise recognized by peers and/or patients/family
Mentors/educates peer oncology nurses
Member of professional oncology nursing association such as ONS or Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses
Volunteers extensively in oncology related and general community activities
Recipient of oncology/nursing awards
Published in oncology/nursing area
A wide range of oncology settings should be considered: medical oncology nursing, surgical oncology nursing, pediatric oncology nursing, radiation oncology nursing, hospice nursing, survivorship nursing, oncology research nursing, oncology nursing faculty.

The HSCO Board will nominate several oncology nurses for the award. A committee consisting of at least one HSCO member, one Hawaii (Oahu) ONS Chapter board member, and one ONS Conference Planning Committee member will make the final selection based on the suggested criteria. The final decision will be made before July 15 each year.

Submissions are currently closed. For questions or information, please email Amanda Impellizzeri, Leadership Relations Manager, at aimpellizzeri@accc-cancer.org.