Oncology Nursing Society President Jessica MacIntyre, DNP, MBA, APRN, NP-C, AOCNP, will lead the accredited program
By Robin Shear
In Fall 2025, the School of Nursing and Health Studies at the University of Miami will be rolling out one of this nation’s few accredited Post-Master’s Certificate in Oncology programs. The program is the brainchild of the Oncology Nursing Society’s current president, Jessica MacIntyre, an alumna of the school. “This is a unique program,” said Dr. MacIntyre, assistant vice president of advanced practice providers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, South Florida’s only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center. “Through our collaboration as a school, cancer center, and health system, we are poised to transform patient care and enhance its quality by offering this post-graduate certificate program.”
The 18-credit hybrid program not only offers much-needed specialized education and training for advanced practice nurses to care for cancer patients and assist their families; it prepares graduates to pass the national board certification exam for advanced oncology certified nurse practitioners (AOCNP) as offered by the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation. In addition to Dr. MacIntyre, prestigious faculty from the school, including Drs. Debbie Anglade, Carmen Presti, and Deborah Salani, will teach the curriculum with a focus on evidence-based, patient-centered practices, including management of physical, psychological, and social problems from cancer; prevention, early detection, current treatments, survivorship, and end-of-life issues; cellular and biological changes; genetics, the immune system, and lifestyle choices; epidemiology, pathology, and more.
“This school is truly forward-thinking,” said MacIntyre. “Being one of the few in the nation to offer this program sets us apart. Plus, we have an incredible network of experts here at Sylvester and across the country to provide guest lectures.”
MacIntyre’s own passion for oncology nursing came from witnessing the high level of care and compassion her grandmother received. “I was drawn to oncology even before nursing school because my grandmother had metastatic breast cancer,” she said. “Watching the nurses care for her, especially during the end of her life, I realized that was my calling—to build that kind of connection with patients and support them through difficult times. I wanted to make a difference in cancer care.”
When MacIntyre earned her B.S.N. 25 years ago from the University of Miami and became a registered nurse, there were zero educational programs like this one, so she worked on an oncology floor for a couple of years and earned her master’s degree in nursing before getting a nurse practitioner position at Sylvester, part of the UHealth – University of Miami Health System. At Sylvester since 2002, she was promoted to director of clinical operations in 2015, executive director of clinical operations in 2018, and her current role in 2024, the same year she began her ONS presidency.
MacIntyre established Sylvester’s Cancer Survivorship Program with its director, Dr. Frank Penedo, and served on an expert panel to develop National Standards for Cancer Survivorship Care with the National Cancer Institute’s Office of Cancer Survivorship. Additionally, she created Sylvester’s first oncology fellowship program for advanced practice providers, which incorporates simulation exercises at the school’s S.H.A.R.E. Simulation Hospital Advancing Research & Education®.
“Nurse practitioners are bridging gaps in oncology care, making specialized education and training essential,” said MacIntyre, an AOCNP with a dual D.N.P./M.B.A. degree. “Oncology nurses and nurse practitioners forge unique bonds with patients, their families and caregivers. We are present for every phase of a patient’s care, from diagnosis through survivorship and end-of-life care, becoming an integral part of their extended family.”
She credits Dean Hudson Santos (University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies); Dr. Stephen Nimer, Dr. Frank Penedo, and Lazara Pagan (Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center); Drs. Elizabeth Smith, Jeannette Garcia-Slanker, and Douglas Houghton (UHealth); and nurse scientists Drs. Cindy Tofthagen and Cindy Munro “for making this collaborative program a reality.”
Call (305) 284-2508 or email BeACaneNurse@miami.edu for more information, or visit sonhs.miami.edu/academics/certificate-programs/post-masterscertificate-in-oncology-nurse-practitioner. Go to https://nursingcas.org to apply.
