Melissa Culligan, RN, MS, PhD candidate, director of Thoracic Surgery Research at Temple Health, was recently honored with the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer’s (IASLC) Lectureship Award for Nurses and Allied Health Professionals.
“It is an honor to have been nominated by my peers for my contribution to the field of thoracic oncology and specifically as a nurse,” said Culligan. “I’m humbled that I was nominated for this award and received it.”
The IASLC is dedicated to eliminating all forms of lung cancer by providing education and information to the medical community and the public through global conferences and research. The organization consists of over 8,000 lung and thoracic care specialists in more than 100 countries.
Culligan, who has been an active member of IASLC for several years, has also served as chair and as a member of the organization’s Nurses and Allied Health Professionals Committee. As an award recipient, she was invited to give a future-focused science lecture, “Optimizing the Health Experience and Quality of Life of Thoracic Oncology Patients Around the World,” at this year’s World Conference on Lung Cancer.
“My lecture looked at nursing and allied health and how we work as a team to take care of patients no matter what their treatment is,” said Culligan. “It highlights some of the scientific literature for nurses and speaks to the future based on what we’re doing now and where we can take it to provide better care for these patients.”
Culligan has more than 30 years of experience working in the field of thoracic surgery, with a special focus and expertise in caring for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma and advanced-stage lung cancer. She is the co-author of multiple peer-reviewed papers on lung cancer and mesothelioma, and has lectured nationally and internationally on the nursing care of patients undergoing thoracic surgery.
She has a special interest in clinical trial development and management for thoracic oncology patients and has led multiple surgery-based clinical trials at Temple University Hospital and Fox Chase Cancer Center.
Culligan presented her lecture at the 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer, which was held September 9-12 in Singapore.