Meet a few nurses of VA’s National Oncology Program

VA’s oncology nurses are health care professionals who specialize in providing cancer care for Veterans. These highly skilled nurses work alongside physicians and other health care providers to deliver personalized treatment and support to patients and their families across the cancer care continuum.

With their specialized knowledge of cancer treatments and therapies, oncology nurses play a critical role in helping patients manage their symptoms, cope with the emotional and psychological effects of cancer and navigate the complexities of a cancer diagnosis. Their dedication and compassion make them a vital part of the oncology care team, providing Veterans with the highest quality of care throughout their cancer journey.

Meet some of the nurses of VA’s National Oncology Program:

Nurse leadership: Gina McWhirter

Gina McWhirter is the director of National TeleOncology (NTO) at VA. NTO services are enabling Veterans to receive word-class cancer care from the comfort of their own homes.

“With National TeleOncology, we’re able to serve Veterans in a way that meets their needs. We can ensure they get best-in-class care even if they’re miles away from a major VA facility,” she said.

Over her 15 years in VA, McWhirter has served in several patient care and leadership roles. Her wide range of experience ensures patient care and patient experience is at the heart of her leadership of NTO. She has served on multiple academic advisory boards for their schools of nursing and she is also a recipient of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing End of Life Care for Veterans Award.

Innovative and high-reliability nursing: Jade Brooks

Jade Brooks is a thoracic cancer nurse with VA National TeleOncology. She has 12 years of oncology nursing experience, and champions innovation and equity in cancer care for Veterans.

Recently, Brooks was a VHA Diffusion of Excellence Fellow, which further demonstrates her commitment to modeling high reliability in her care delivery and being a connective thread for Veterans and facilities. 

“With the assistance of modern technology, we’ve expanded our commitment to provide specialized cancer care at your footstep. Our team is dedicated and ready to serve you from coast to coast,” she said.

Long-standing commitment and service: Eileen Foti

Eileen Foti joined VA in 1997. Her 25 years of dedicated service to Veterans and their families encompasses Inpatient and Outpatient Hematology/Oncology care, case management and program coordination. She initiated and managed the implementation of Salt Lake City’s VA Vista Chemotherapy Management platform and served as the facility’s Bone Marrow Transplant coordinator. She led the SLC VA National Lung Cancer Quality Improvement program and participated in the VA National Colon Cancer Care Quality Improvement initiative.

Before joining NTO, Foti acted as care coordinator for one of seven sites chosen to assist with implementation of the National Lung Cancer Screening Project and served as liaison to patients and staff for the Virtual Care Manager national roll out during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Foti says her favorite thing about VA has and always will be the Veterans. “I love their diversity, humor, grumpiness, control issues, their vulnerability, their stories and everything else that makes them human. They fought for us and our country and deserve the very best. It is my honor to serve them. I met my husband, a Navy Veteran, at VA, too,” she said.

Learn more about cancer care and VA

Veterans are strongly encouraged to talk to their VA provider about the need for different cancer screenings and what screening options are available.

Visit My HealtheVet to learn tips and tools to help you partner with your health care team, so together, you may work to manage your health.