Patricia (Patti) Branowicki, MS, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, made it her mission in life to improve the care of children with cancer and their families. And despite losing her own 12-year struggle with ovarian cancer at age 55, she more than fulfilled her mission.
As vice president and associate chief nurse for Medicine Patient Services at Boston Children’s Hospital and associate chief nurse for Pediatric Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Patti helped merge two clinical teams into one world-class collaborative practice. But Patti did not stop there.
She served as nursing lead in a partnership to build a pediatric cancer hospital in Mexico, oversaw the pediatric oncology training of more than 500 nurses in developing countries, and created a nurse-led home visit program for the families of children newly diagnosed with cancer. Known for her warmth, humor and confidence, she instituted “Pizza with Patti” sessions at Boston Children’s to offer an open, safe forum for staff to discuss what wasn’t working well and how to improve.
Patti received many awards for her work and was inducted as a fellow into the prestigious American Academy of Nursing. Patti was a PhD candidate at Boston College Connell School of Nursing. Undaunted by her illness, she successfully defended her dissertation proposal just months before her death in August 2014.
“You need not have known Patti to feel her impact,” says colleague Kristen Renaud. “From the Treat Train that brings snacks to in-patient families to her PhD research on the effectiveness of a home transition program, Patti touched us all.”
