Anne Gross, PhD, RN, FAAN, is senior vice president for patient care services and chief nursing officer. Dr. Gross is responsible for adult and pediatric nursing practice across all sites of care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, The Phyllis F. Cantor Center for Research in Nursing and Patient Care Services, and the Center for Clinical and Professional Development. She also oversees a variety of other clinical services, patient and family programs, and Volunteer Services.

•       Since joining Dana-Farber in 2002, she has led implementations of a primary nursing care model and a residency training program for newly licensed nurses, and secured funding for programs and research to support inclusion, diversity and equity, positive practice environments, and self-care and renewal programs. She also is involved in committees, boards, and initiatives nationally and internationally and is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.
•       Dana-Farber continues to grow, and Nursing and Patient Care Services is continually evolving to meet the increasing need for our services with an inclusive and welcoming environment. Dana-Farber recently opened the International Patient Center in the Yawkey Center for Cancer Care. At our regional campuses, collaborative efforts among clinical teams led to increased enrollment in clinical trials and the first regional campus-specific trial. In Patient Care Services, there was a notable rise in requests for interpreter services and support through the patient-volunteer One-to-One Program.
•       These initiatives, and many others, have contributed to Dana-Farber’s Magnet culture, resulting in the organization’s fifth consecutive designation in 2024. Out of an estimated 6,200 hospitals and health systems nationwide, fewer than 1% have achieved a total of five Magnet designations. Dana-Farber’s Inpatient Hospital also recently received two awards from Press Ganey for excellence in patient experience.
•       Nursing and Patient Care Services offers many educational and career development opportunities for current staff and future hires to advance their careers and ensure a highly skilled workforce.
•       Anne is touched by the stories she hears every day of the amazing work of our nurses and patient care services staff who often go above and beyond. Some examples include:
  • Staff at our Milford campus who recently organized and celebrated a high school graduation with a party for a patient.
  •       Our Brighton campus recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary of caring for patients.
•       Adults with cancer experience a significantly higher level of anxiety compared with the general population and so a group led by nurses launched a project to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of using medical-grade weighted blankets to reduce patient anxiety. They found that patients felt much less anxious using the weighted blankets, and now these are available in almost every infusion area across the institute.

·   This year, the Institute celebrates 25 years of our all-volunteer adult and pediatric Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACs).