Gail W. Probst, MS, RN, AOCN, NE-BC, is director of Cancer Services at Huntington Hospital, Huntington, New York. She has dedicated her entire career to the nursing profession and the last 27 years exclusively to oncology nursing. Ms. Probst was instrumental in the hospital obtaining certification and re-certification since 1997 as a Comprehensive Community Cancer Program from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.
While at Huntington Hospital, Ms. Probst instituted the hospital’s first oncology unit. With the help of several medical oncologists, the Cancer Committee was organized and all policies and procedures for the care of cancer patients were established and implemented. Support groups were developed as well as a robust screening and outreach program. She developed an oncology nursing orientation and competency program for all nurses joining the oncology staff. She has taught extensively on chemotherapy, biotherapy, and many subjects related to cancer nursing and cancer care.
She has contributed to ACCC’s journal Oncology Issues on “A Community-Based Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Model.” She has also served on the Advisory Committee for the ACCC Molecular Testing education initiative.
Ms. Probst believes that we are in a dynamic period of healthcare where education will play a vital role in patients receiving optimal cancer care. Further, she believes that in the era of personalized medicine, it is important that we educate physicians, nurses, and patients about the role genetics and genomics will play in the new evolving diagnostic tools, prognostic biomarkers, and medical treatments. She believes it is incumbent on healthcare professionals to strive to educate patients on wellness so that they are better able to advocate for good health for themselves.
Ms. Probst received her MS degree in Nursing from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.