I have known Marci for her entire career here at Children’s Hospital Oakland. We first met when she was a new graduate hem/onc/BMT nurse, and I have seen her develop into a confident and experienced nursing leader in the BMT program. Her commitment to and support of our immunocompromised patients and families has never wavered. At the bedside, Marci grew into a seasoned and well-respected staff nurse capable of readily caring for diverse patients with complex disease states and psychosocial needs. She continually expanded her clinical and preceptorship skills, and eventually transitioned into a nurse leader on 5South/East. While at the bedside, she provided high-level evidence-based nursing care with great attention to detail based on her training and guidance from more senior nurses.

As her clinical experience grew, she was able to provide supportive guidance to novice and less experienced nurses with whom she worked. Marci also readily volunteered to assist the BMT CNS with BMT-specific discharge education, and to cover home-care planning needs for this complex patient population. Marci advanced her nursing career after transitioning into the BMT Coordinator role in 2008. She utilized her outstanding clinical skills as a foundation for planning and coordinating care for BMT-service patients, their families, and their donors. She has consistently embraced the acquisition of new skills and has developed exceptional clinical decision-making expertise. She has also cultivated a characteristic style of providing family support through interdisciplinary collaboration.

Marci became an invaluable and well-respected member of the BMT program and remains integral to our team today. Marci wholly embodies the DAISY focus on delivery of nursing excellence and complex care. She consistently places safety as a primary patient concern, whether it be in planning and providing care, providing education, or protecting the status of immunocompromised patients. 

Marci unfailingly models the nursing process in her care delivery, individualizing care to the patients and their needs. She always places the patient experience first, providing age-appropriate care at all times, making connections and strong nurse-family bonds during the trajectory of many BMT recipients’ care. My favorite story of Marci’s creativity is agreeing to a patient request to be her (the patient) for Marci’s Halloween costume. She put thought and sensitivity into this activity and the patient was so very delighted at the outcome!!

Marci was also a volunteer ‘shavee’ at the first Children’s Hospital Oakland St Baldrick’s event; again, demonstrating a level of commitment that many of us were too afraid to embrace!! A few years back, Marci again propelled her career path forward by transitioning into the role of BMT Research Nurse. She developed this new role within the BMT program using her BMT nursing knowledge and care coordination skills in the environment context of clinical trials and research. She has expanded her role to serve patients who are considering participation in clinical trials to treat life-threatening illnesses via transplantation, cellular therapy, and/or gene therapy. She performs the critical roles of patient education and care coordination but has also taken a lead in clinical and administrative roles required for implementation of clinical trials in Oakland. She has never lost sight of caring for patients with serious illness and immunocompromise, always contributing towards safe and high-quality care.

It is now more difficult to ‘see’ Marci’s unique contribution to the BMT population as she spends a majority of her time ‘behind the scenes’ contributing to the growth of clinical trials and research trial implementation at Children’s Oakland. Her role now includes administrative duties such as budgeting, collaboration with external vendors and investigators, and of collaborating on investigational new drug (IND) projects. Yet, she continues to serve as an important touchstone for prospective patients and families, as well as a valuable research resource for fellow staff members. Marci is often the first contact for potential research participants, and she introduces them to the complicated nature of transplantation and cellular therapy. She also provides excellent support to vulnerable populations within the research environment. Marci also provides expert ‘infusion’ support to the bedside nurses on the day of transplant to further develop their BMT-related nursing skills and team approach to care.

As part of the BMT team, Marci’s unique combination of expertise in clinical skills, communication and interpersonal skills, research process, safety, and joy of caring for children and their families is an undeniable assess to our department and the institution as a whole. I am proud to work alongside her and call her my colleague. By and large, I can think of no better candidate for the DAISY Award, than Marci Moriarty, RN