Nursing senior Beatrice Sierra has become the first student from Eastern selected for the Susan D. Flynn Oncology Nursing Fellowship, a competitive regional summer internship awarded to 35 nursing students annually.

The eight-week program provides high-quality experiential learning and research opportunities at leading cancer hospitals in four states. Sierra was placed in Connecticut Children’s Medical Center’s (CCMC) Hematology and Oncology Department, shadowing nursing professionals, gaining hands-on experience, and practicing research in a clinical setting.

“Having one of our students from our very first nursing cohort be selected for the Flynn Fellowship is incredibly meaningful,” said Lindsay Boucher, Eastern’s nursing clinical coordinator.

“It demonstrates that despite being a new program, we are preparing students who can compete with those from long-established nursing schools and who possess the knowledge, professionalism, and compassion expected in one of the most specialized areas of nursing.”

Sierra is part of Eastern’s inaugural nursing class. Since its launch in 2024, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program has become one of the University’s fastest-growing majors. During the fellowship, Sierra spent four weeks in CCMC’s Hematology and Oncology Outpatient Clinic and another four weeks in the Hematology and Oncology Inpatient Unit. She worked alongside nurse mentors, childhood cancer patients, and their families.

“This fellowship reinforced how valuable experiential learning is,” Sierra said. “Being at the bedside with children and their families during such vulnerable times completely changed my perspective on nursing and life. … Every patient I cared for was unique, incredibly resilient, and inspiring.”

Sierra assessed and monitored patients alongside her mentors, administered medications under supervision, and educated and informed patients and families. She also shadowed physicians, pharmacists, child life specialists, social workers, educators, and palliative care specialists to broaden her understanding of pediatric oncology and hematology care.

As part of the fellowship, Sierra also completed evidence-based practice research, exploring how photobiomodulation therapy, a form of low-level laser therapy, could help treat oral mucositis, a painful side effect of chemotherapy.

Her research suggested photobiomodulation therapy may reduce complications associated with oral mucositis and decrease costs stemming from complications. Although the treatment requires additional clinical study, Sierra’s work points researchers toward a possible treatment for oral mucositis.

The fellowship reinforced Sierra’s decision to pursue a career in nursing, deepening her appreciation for patient-centered care.

“[The nurses] provide such a great environment and emphasize the importance of fun,” she said. “It was evident that each professional gave a piece of their heart to every child they cared for.”

Lindsay Boucher, nursing clinical coordinator, commended Sierra on her commitment to the nursing field.

“I know firsthand that it takes a very special person to care for these children and their families,” she said, pulling from her own experience in pediatric hematology and oncology.  She explained that because cancer and blood disorders often take years to fight, pediatric hematology and oncology nurses become part of patients’ everyday lives.

“Medicine can certainly be taught. Compassion, resilience, emotional maturity, and the ability to build trust during a family's most difficult moments cannot,” she continued.

Those connections to patients and families touched Sierra during her time at CCMC. “Their stories and strength left a lasting impact on me and reaffirmed why I chose nursing,” she said. “The rapport and relationships I built with patients and their families were the best part of this entire experience.”

In addition to her work at CCMC, Sierra is also a student leader and mentor at Eastern. She founded the University’s Student Nursing Association and serves as its president.

“She has an authentic ability to connect with people,” added Boucher. “She brings positivity to challenging situations without minimizing their seriousness, and is the type of student every clinical instructor hopes to have.”

Following the Flynn Fellowship, Sierra earned the opportunity to continue to serve at CCMC as a student nurse intern. She hopes to begin her career in the same hospital post-graduation.

“I hope to continue learning from, growing with, and contributing to a team that has already had such a profound impact on my professional and personal development,” she said.

About the Flynn Fellowship

In 2010, Susan Flynn received a devastating cancer diagnosis. After three years of fighting stage four ovarian cancer, Flynn tragically succumbed to her illness.

Susan’s husband, Fred Flynn, although mourning the loss of his wife, was inspired by the level of care his wife received throughout her treatment. In 2014, Fred founded the Flynn Foundation and the Susan D. Flynn Oncology Nursing Fellowship in her memory.

Over the last 12 years, the fellowship has grown into the largest privately funded program of its kind in the United States. The fellowship partners with 12 hospitals in Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire and accepts fellows from university nursing programs across the region.

During the Flynn Fellowship’s eight-week internship, students are placed in leading oncology departments, mentored by experienced practitioners, and provided hands-on experiential learning and research opportunities.

The foundation has supported hundreds of nursing students pursuing careers in oncology, mentored by experienced practitioners and provided hands-on learning and research opportunities.