Congratulations to Ruth McCorkle, who was presented with the Yale Cancer Center Lifetime Achievement Award, given annually to a Yale Cancer Center member who has impacted the field of oncology both nationally and internationally. Cathy Lyons presented the award to Ruth, affectionately calling her the “Godmother of Oncology Nursing.” Ruth joined Yale Cancer Center and Yale School of Nursing in 1998 and focused her career on psychosocial oncology and quality of life research. She has been continually funded by the NIH for over 40 years and is the author of innumerable publications in her field. “Above all, she is a nurse in the noblest sense of the word, and as a nurse she continually mentors the next generation,” Cathy said.
In her remarks on receiving the award, Dr. McCorkle said, “My forty-five years in oncology as an advance practice nurse have been devoted to helping patients recognize, report, monitor, and intervene with their symptoms so they can remain as functional as possible…..There has never been a more exciting time to be in cancer care and experience.”