image: Terri Lynn Dunn (left) and Kimberly Vanderhorst (right) received The Brown Foundation Award on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
Credit: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center yesterday honored Kimberly Vanderhorst, MSN, RN, CAPA, and Terri Lynn Dunn, DNP, APRN, WHNP-BC, CPHQ, with the 2025 Brown Foundation Award for Excellence in Oncology Nursing. As the institution’s highest nursing honor, this award celebrates outstanding achievements in oncology nursing, including exceptional patient care and a commitment to excellence in clinical practice.
The Brown Foundation expanded the award to recognize two recipients — one clinical registered nurse (RN) and one advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) — marking the first time both categories have been honored in the same year. Vanderhorst received the clinical RN award, and Dunn received the APRN award.
“We are incredibly grateful to The Brown Foundation for 44 years of unwavering support and commitment to honoring excellence in oncology nursing,” said Kim Slusser, Ph.D., RN, MSN, NEA-BC, CHPN, chief nursing officer ad interim at MD Anderson. “This year’s expansion allows us to celebrate even more of our remarkable nurses — not only our awardees but all of our finalists — whose compassion, expertise and leadership help us achieve our mission every day.”
Finalists exemplify nursing excellence
Vanderhorst and Dunn were selected by a panel of MD Anderson clinical faculty, nursing leaders, patient care administrators and members of a patient family advisory committee. Each awardee received $15,000, a pin and a commemorative crystal plaque. Two additional finalists in both categories received $5,000 each, bringing the total amount awarded to $50,000 across six finalists. Thanks to The Brown Foundation’s generosity and renewed investment, this is twice the number of recipients and cash prizes awarded than in previous years.
The clinical RN finalists include:
- Awardee: Kimberly Vanderhorst, MSN, RN, CAPA, Outpatient Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC), Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU)
- Runner-up: Holly Clark, BSN, RN, CNOR, Brachytherapy, Radiation Therapeutics
- Runner-up: Leonard Pulido, BSN, RN, CMSRN, Outpatient Brain and Spine Center
Vanderhorst is a clinical nurse specializing in outpatient pediatric anesthesia care. Since joining MD Anderson in 2013, she has embraced numerous leadership opportunities, including the role of charge nurse. She has contributed to multiple committees and had a pivotal role in establishing Code Blue Operations at the Proton Therapy Center. Her nominators describe her as someone who fully embodies the healing spirit of MD Anderson, and whose philosophy of care is guided by human connection.
Clark is an assistant nurse manager specializing in brachytherapy in Radiation Therapeutics, where she has worked since 2010. According to her nominators, Clark exemplifies servant leadership and strategic vision as a pillar leader in Shared Governance and a 2025 participant in the Meyers Institute for Oncology Nursing’s Wheeler Nurse Leadership Academy. “To be a nurse at MD Anderson is to stand at the intersection of hope and science,” Clark said.
Pulido has been a clinical nurse at MD Anderson since 2017, currently serving in the Brain and Spine Center. He provides specialized care for patients with complex neurological cancers, coordinates multidisciplinary treatment plans and serves as both an informatics resource and charge nurse. He also is a dedicated preceptor and mentor for new nurses, providing hands-on training and ongoing education to support their professional growth and clinical expertise.
The APRN finalists include:
- Awardee: Terri Lynn Dunn, DNP, APRN, WHNP-BC, CPHQ, General Oncology
- Runner-up: Tomar Foster-Mills, MSN, APRN, AGPCNP, Radiation Oncology Gynecology
- Runner-up: Susy Varghese, DNP, FNP, APRN, CMSRN, Pain Medicine
Since joining MD Anderson in 2009, Dunn has advanced from clinical roles in Gynecologic Oncology to a leadership role as an advanced practice provider (APP) manager in General Oncology. She has implemented nurse navigation systems, expanded clinical trial opportunities for underserved patients and developed mentorship programs to strengthen care delivery. “Nursing is not just about treating disease,” Dunn said. “It’s about restoring dignity, building trust and walking alongside patients and families during some of their hardest moments.”
Foster-Mills is an APRN in Radiation Oncology. Her career at MD Anderson began in 2010 in the pre-operative and post-anesthesia care unit, and she now leads clinical workflows and brachytherapy coordination as an APP lead. A mentor, ambassador and clinical coach, she is known for her compassion and dedication to patient-centered care.
Varghese is an APRN in Pain Medicine, where she has served since 2015. She provides evidence-based care for cancer-related pain across inpatient and outpatient settings, while also mentoring students and fellow APPs. She plays a key role in clinical leadership, research and quality improvement, including contributions to the Enhanced Recovery Program and the Pain Task Force. “Each encounter is both a responsibility and a privilege — one I hold sacred,” Varghese said.
MD Anderson’s elite cancer nursing program
With more than 5,000 registered nurses and the world’s largest cancer clinical trial programs, MD Anderson offers a unique, collaborative environment for nurses to lead in the administration of research and management of cancer care. The institution recently earned its sixth consecutive Magnet Recognition Program® designation — with distinction — from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the highest honor for nursing excellence. This achievement is awarded to health care organizations that demonstrate quality patient care, as well as excellence and innovation in professional nursing. This designation contributes to MD Anderson’s consistent ranking as the nation’s No. 1 hospital for cancer care in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Hospitals” survey.
In 2023, MD Anderson established the Meyers Institute for Oncology Nursing, a pioneering institute designed to shape the future of nursing by empowering oncology nurses and nurse scientists through specialized education, professional development and work-life well-being programs throughout their careers.
The institute’s focus areas, including the Wheeler Nurse Leadership Academy, are further enhancing the positive environment MD Anderson has cultivated for nurses, who play a leading role in research administration, professional development and technology integration. These transformational efforts will continue to establish MD Anderson as a leader in oncology nursing.
“By creating an environment where our nurses can thrive, we ensure that our patients receive the best cancer care in the nation," said Rosanna Morris, chief operating officer at MD Anderson. “As a nurse by training, I am so incredibly grateful to and proud of our nurses for their continued dedication to our patients and caregivers.”
Honoring a legacy of philanthropy
Herman and Margarett Root Brown, together with George R. and Alice Pratt Brown, established The Brown Foundation in 1951. Since then, the foundation has distributed more than $1.6 billion in grants aimed at charitable public initiatives, with a focus on supporting education, the arts and community service.
In 1982, The Brown Foundation established The Brown Foundation Award for Excellence in Oncology Nursing, formerly known as the Ethel Fleming Arceneaux Outstanding Nurse-Oncologist Award. This year marks the 44th anniversary of the award. Through the ongoing support and continued generosity of The Brown Foundation, MD Anderson honors and acknowledges the vital contributions of oncology nurses in advancing the institution’s mission to end cancer.
“The Brown Foundation has been a longtime supporter of MD Anderson’s mission to end cancer,” said Nancy O’Connor Abendshein, president of The Brown Foundation Board of Trustees. “MD Anderson’s nurses exhibit empathy, compassion and expertise, dedicating their careers to caring for patients during a cancer diagnosis and treatment — arguably one of the most challenging times in a person’s life. They are truly the gold standard.”