Sharon Gentry, RN, MSN, ONN-CG, AOCN, CBCN, CBEC
Novant Health
Ms. Gentry is part of an ongoing successful breast nurse navigator program at the Novant Health Derrick L. Davis Cancer Center. She is an interdisciplinary team member connecting 2 hospitals, a breast mammography clinic, a regional cancer center, a community surgical office and a variety of community resources in Winston-Salem, NC. She received her bachelor’s degree in nursing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her master’s degree in nursing education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has been a member of the Academy of Oncology Nurse and Patient Navigators Leadership Council since its inception in 2009 and speaks at their annual and regional conferences on nurse navigation issues. In 2012-2017, she co-chaired the annual AONN+ conferences.She serves on the editorial board of The Oncology Nurse-APN/PA and CONQUER and is the breast editor for the Journal of Oncology Navigation & Survivorship (JONS). She has authored articles in JONS, Cancer, The Oncology Nurse-APN/PA, Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, and CONQUER as well as authored chapters in the books Delivering Patient-Centered Care Across the Continuum and Nurse Navigation Case Studies.
She has been a member of the Oncology Nursing Society since 1983. She was a founding member of the Piedmont Triad Oncology Nurse Chapter in 1988 and has served in a leadership role since its inception. She was a participant on the inception of the Oncology Nursing Certified Breast Care Nurse examination and chaired the Oncology Nursing Certification Breast Care Committee 2010-2012. She holds certification as Oncology Nurse Navigation Generalist Certification, Certified Breast Care Nurse, Advanced Oncology Practice Nurse, and Clinical Breast Examination Certified. On nursing navigation commitment, she assisted in organizing the state navigation association—North Carolina Oncology Navigator Association as well as participated on the Standardized Navigation Metrics Task Force, under the AONN+ Evidence into Practice Committee, and assisted in the development of the 35-national evidence-based navigation metrics that all navigation programs—no matter the model of navigation chosen—can utilize to measure success and sustainability of their program. Ms. Gentry travels nationally lecturing on the navigation concept. On the local level, she is a Northwest North Carolina Susan G. Komen volunteer, serves on the board of the local hospice and participates in the Derrick L. Davis Forsyth Regional Cancer Center Oncology Breast Advisory Committee.