I am honored to nominate Jami Gattuso for the DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her extraordinary contributions to nursing care and nursing research throughout her distinguished career.

Jami has dedicated 40 years to St. Jude, starting her St. Jude journey as an inpatient nurse, where she found her passion and quickly became an exceptional bedside nurse. Her clinical expertise, deep knowledge, and remarkable assessment skills consistently enabled her to identify and respond to changes in a child’s condition with speed and precision, influencing critical outcomes.

Beyond her clinical excellence, Jami possesses a heart of gold. Her compassion and unwavering commitment to her patients have been hallmarks of her practice. Even today, she reflects deeply on the children and families she cared for, acknowledging the profound impact they had on shaping her career, her values, and her life

Jami completed her master’s degree in nursing in 1988 and soon afterward became a Clinical Nurse Specialist at St. Jude, working with children diagnosed with leukemia. This role allowed her to maintain the close patient and family relationships she valued, while also expanding her influence on the professional development of staff.

Jami became a trusted resource for both new and experienced nurses, teaching advanced clinical skills, sharing up-to-date evidence-based knowledge, and elevating standards of care across the institution.

This practice transition also allowed Jami an opportunity to become active as a member of the Association of Pediatric Hematology Oncology Nurses (APHON). Her involvement grew to include key leadership roles as listed below, culminating in her service as APHON President.

This year, she will play an important role as APHON celebrates its 50th anniversary, with the national conference being held in Memphis.

2007-2010
Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses, Director-at-large

2010-2013
Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses, Mentoring Committee, member

2010-2014
Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses, Steering Committee, member

2012-2016
Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses, President

2016-2021
Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses, Chair – Advocacy and Health Policy Committee

2017-2022
Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses, Global Outreach Committee, member

2016-present
Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses, Advocacy and Health Policy Committee, member

For her role in St. Jude nursing and national nursing leadership, Jami has been well recognized with the following awards

1993
APHON Excellence in Nursing Practice Award

1993
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Employee of the Quarter

1994
Celebrate Nursing, Top 100 and Excellent Eleven

2011
APHON Dr. Patricia Green Leadership Award

2012
APHON Counts Writing Award

2017
APHON Dr. Casey Hooke Service Award

2021
University of Tennessee Health Science Center, College of Nursing Advanced Practice Nurse Hero Award

2023
APHON Dr. Cheryl C. Rodgers Excellence in Evidence Based Practice Award

2023
Inducted as a Fellow of the Association of Pediatric Hematology Oncology Nurses (FAPHON)

2025
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Living our Values honoree

In 1996, Jami joined the Division of Nursing Research as a Nursing Research Specialist, a role she continues to hold today.

In this position, Jami has been instrumental in advancing nursing science at St. Jude. She has contributed to numerous research studies, working directly with patients and families, and is especially skilled in conducting qualitative interviews that capture the depth and nuance of patient and caregiver experiences.

Her commitment to scientific rigor and excellence in dissemination is evident in her extensive scholarly output as she has co-authored more than 100 manuscripts and has presented her work at local, national and international conferences.

Another significant area of Jami’s impact is her leadership of the Evidence-Based Practice Fellowship. This fellowship has been transformative in advancing nursing practice across the institution.

Through Jami’s guidance, staff nurses gain a deep understanding of EBP principles, learn how to systematically evaluate existing evidence, and develop skills necessary to implement and share practice-changing findings both within St. Jude and beyond.

Jami has led this program since its inception and has played a pivotal role in expanding it into a global fellowship, now in its third cohort. Through this initiative, St. Jude nurses mentor colleagues worldwide as they implement their own evidence-based practice improvement, extending Jami’s influence far beyond the hospital’s walls.

Jami has also taken a key leadership role in coordinating the annual Nursing Research and Psychosocial Symposium. This symposium creates a valuable platform for nurses to share their scholarly and clinical work with the internal St. Jude community and supports the Magnet “new knowledge, innovations, and improvements” pillar.

Through her leadership, the symposium has continued to elevate the visibility of nursing inquiry and promote a culture of evidence-based practice and professional growth across the institution.

In 2025, Jami received a “Living Our Values” award for value #1 at St. Jude which is “Always recognize that advancing treatment for children with catastrophic diseases is at the center of everything we do.”

This honor perfectly reflects Jami’s enduring contributions to the institution.

As her nominator wrote, “Jami has dedicated her 40-year career at St. Jude to enhancing treatments for kids facing catastrophic illnesses. Her expertise amplifies the voices of nurses and other clinicians, giving them confidence to drive meaningful change.”

These words capture the essence of Jami’s impact.

Her unwavering commitment to children, families, and the nursing profession exemplifies the spirit of a St. Jude nurse and underscores why she is deeply deserving of the DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award.