Elizabeth DiTavi, RN, BSN, OCN, goes the extra mile for her patients—literally. Every year she puts on her running shoes and takes off along Carson Beach in South Boston in the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition’s (NOCC) annual 5K Run/Walk.
Her participation in the NOCC event is just one of the many ways Elizabeth demonstrates her profound commitment to her patients at the Center for Gynecologic Oncology at the Mass General Cancer Center. Recently, she and a colleague organized, “An Evening for Women Living with Cancer,” featuring author and ovarian cancer survivor Katya Lezin and MGH gynecologic oncologists Don Dizon, MD, and Annekathryn Goodman, MD.
But, it is the heartfelt interest she takes in each individual patient that makes her so deserving of recognition. As patient Sally O’Shea says, “She always makes me feel like a priority. I feel cared for, which is different from being taken care of, and far from just being an oncology patient.”
For the past three years, Elizabeth has worked alongside Marcela del Carmen, MD, in the Center for Gynecologic Oncology treating women with gynecologic cancers and ensuring they receive the highest quality care.
“Elizabeth routinely checks in with patients and, if they are having a bad day, she will follow-up with them,” says Dr. del Carmen. “She has a gift for making us all feel better through her actions, her smile and her attitude. It’s contagious and I learn from her every day.”
