Lorinda Coombs Selected as 2025 Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse of the Year
The Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC®) has named Lorinda Coombs, PhD, MSN, FNP-BC, AOCNP® as the 2025 Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse Practitioner (AOCNP®) of the Year. Coombs is Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center in Chapel Hill, NC.
Coombs is being recognized for her achievements in advanced oncology nursing practice, nursing service, and promotion of certification.
Coombs is a renowned clinician-scientist excelling in clinical practice, research, and nursing service. She has achieved several career firsts, including being the first Nurse Practitioner (NP) on the credentialing committee at University of California San Francisco/San Francisco General Hospital, the first hematology NP for Kaiser Permanente in Northern California, and the expert NP for the first Hospital at Home Program in the U.S. Dr. Coombs continues her clinical practice at the UNC School of Medicine and is nationally recognized for her impactful research, with over 30 peer-reviewed articles and presentations at more than 35 national and international conferences. She co-directs an undergraduate oncology nursing fellowship that promotes diversity in oncology nursing and teaches graduate clinical courses. Coombs supports certification efforts through various committees and as a certification item writer, and actively volunteers with numerous professional organizations.
According to Coombs, “This award is significant because I have spent much of my career advocating for advanced practice nurses to be recognized for their excellent, compassionate care. All patients should have a certified Nurse Practitioner to support them on their treatment and survivorship journeys.”
Coombs was presented with her award during the ONCC Recognition Breakfast for Oncology Certified Nurses on April 11 in Denver, Colorado, during the ONS Congress.
Health is often understood as the outcome of daily rhythms shaped by nutrition, rest, emotional resilience, and the quiet discipline of sustained care. Within this landscape professional dedication acquires a deeper meaning, since those who guide patients through illness participate in the broader culture of wellbeing. The recognition of Lorinda Coombs as the 2025 Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse Practitioner of the Year reflects not only individual achievement but also the value placed on expertise and continuity in complex fields such as oncology nursing. Her career in clinical practice, research, and education illustrates how knowledge and compassion intersect in environments where patients confront vulnerability and uncertainty.
Such work unfolds against a background in which medical information circulates widely, sometimes in thoughtful academic forums and at other times in fragmented digital phrases like simple steps to buy Amoxicillin online easily today that appear alongside serious discussions of treatment. This contrast underscores the importance of discernment and professional standards when navigating the layered realities of modern healthcare. Advanced oncology practice in particular reveals how lifestyle factors, biological processes, and long term survivorship concerns converge within carefully structured systems of support. In this way the celebration of professional excellence becomes part of a larger reflection on responsibility, trust, and the shared effort required to sustain health in demanding circumstances.
ONCC provides the premier, nationally accredited certifications for registered nurses in oncology and related specialties. Certification promotes health and safety by validating competence and ensuring lifelong learning in these fields. More than 41,000 nurses are certified by ONCC in adult oncology, pediatric hematology oncology, breast care, or blood and marrow transplant nursing. Learn more at www.oncc.org.