Kate Castro RN, MS, AOCN® Clinical Nurse Specialist castrok@cc.nih.gov

Kate Castro is an Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist within the Research and Practice Development Service of the Clinical Center Nursing Department at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She received her Bachelors in Nursing from the University of North Dakota in 1987.  Kate started her career in oncology nursing at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Denver, CO and has worked in oncology for the past 20 years. She specialized in the field of Bone Marrow Transplantation during the late 1980’s at the University of Minnesota.  In 1991, she received her Master’s degree in Nursing from the University of Minnesota and then relocated to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.  Kate worked as a Transplant Coordinator at George Washington University and Oncology/BMT CNS at Georgetown University. She came to the NIH in 1999 as a Transplant Coordinator for the National Cancer Institute, and transitioned to the CNS role in 2005. Kate was a recipient of the Oncology Nursing Foundation Josh Gottheil BMT Career Development Award in 1998. 

Program Interests

Oncology Nurse Internship Program
The Oncology Nurse Internship (ONIP) is a two year program for new graduate nurses in pediatric and adult oncology. The internship incorporates leadership content, professional development, simulation and didactic content in the oncology nursing specialty. The program outcomes have been modified to include OCN certification and leadership measurements.

Preceptor Support Program
Developed an EBP project to provide support to staff willing to serve as preceptors to new staff which includes a structured program and monitoring.  Continue to evaluate the program and make modifications to current program.

Committees

CRN 2010: Leader of Clinical Research Nursing Domain of Practice
Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee

Research Activities

Principal Investigator: OHSR #4315 Clinical Research Nursing Domain of Practice Validation Study.

Associate Investigator: 08- CC-0220 A Phase II Clinical Trial to Determine the Effectiveness of Problem Solving Education in Caregivers and Patients During Allogeneic HSCT.

Associate Investigator:  07-CC-0067 A Feasibility Study to Test an Individualized Dyadic Problem-Solving Education Intervention to Improve Problem-Solving Skills of Patients and Family Caregivers During Allogeneic HSCT.

Associate Investigator: 05-CC-0216 Prospective Assessment of  Functional Status, Psychosocial Adjustment, Health Related   Quality of Life and the Symptom Experience in Patients Treated with Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant.

Associate Investigator: 02-NR-0133 Evaluation of Efficacy and Mechanisms of an Antiinflammatory Intervention for Chemotherapy Related Mucosal Injury.