By Laura Gasque
The Oncology Nursing Society has appointed University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing Professor, Interim Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship and Marie O’Koren Endowed Chair in Nursing Ellen Lavoie Smith, PhD, MSN, RN, AOCN, FAAN, as its Scholar-in-Residence. In this role, Smith will work with ONS to support those affected by cancer and to meet the increasing demand for nurse researchers in oncology. Smith also will engage with organizations and nurse scientists to address emerging national priorities for oncology research.
“ONS has been my professional home for more than 30 years. It’s a community where I have grown as an advanced practice nurse, leader and scientist,” Smith said. “ONS has supported every step of my journey, including funding my first research study in 2004, an investment that helped shape my career.”
For the past 25 years, Smith's research has focused on advancing the measurement and treatment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, a nerve disorder that can develop during or after chemotherapy treatment causing symptoms including numbness, tingling and pain in the hands and feet. This side effect commonly occurs in patients receiving neurotoxic chemotherapy treatments for numerous cancers, including breast cancer, colorectal cancer and multiple myeloma. While these chemotherapy drugs are effective at treating, controlling and potentially curing these cancers, these side effects can persist for years and often compromise the ability to deliver treatments as well as quality of life.
Smith has delivered lectures nationally and internationally on various cancer-related subjects and is the author of 115 peer-reviewed publications. Her contributions have earned her numerous national awards, including the 2025 ONS Distinguished Researcher Award and the 2018 Fellows of the National Institute of Nursing Research Welch/Woerner Path Paver Award.
As the Scholar-In-Residence, she will liaison with nurse researchers and clinicians within and beyond UAB to bridge connections. She plans to work with the ONS Board of Directors to redesign and expand ONS’s funding opportunities and impact in ways that align with the organization’s research priorities. Also, through her role as co-Director of UAB’s Cancer Prevention and Control T32 training program, funded by the National Cancer Institute, she will connect UAB’s pre-and post-doctoral trainees, individuals who are committed to becoming independent researchers in the areas of cancer prevention, early detection, cancer outcomes, survivorship and palliative care, to ONS-supported training and research funding opportunities.
“I am proud to represent the UAB School of Nursing through deeper engagement as a leader within the ONS,” Smith said. “Our School is home to many outstanding scientists whose research aligns closely with ONS priorities. Strengthening our connections with ONS will not only broaden our funding opportunities but also help advance science in an area that is critically important to the future of oncology nursing.”