Kristen Pesa is the epitome of a compassionate nurse, a knowledgeable mentor, and a strong leader. She will bend over backward to lend a hand to help, without anyone even having to ask. She is also a wealth of knowledge as we all jokingly, yet lovingly, call her the "Encyclopedia of Peds Oncology." As I am one of the "newer" nurses on the unit, Kristen has been a tremendous educator and mentor. She is thorough and knows every single answer to all my newbie questions. Kristen also always goes above and beyond for her patients. She'll venture to the vending machine to get cool ranch Doritos for a kiddo who has zero appetite but will eat cool ranch. She works hard as our unit-based chair, and we are already rolling out so many fun new 2018 projects under her leadership. I can honestly say Kristen is the best nurse and an MVP on our Peds Onc team!