Cancer Institute

Marilyn Holmes, RN
Marilyn Holmes’ has amassed considerable experience in the field of breast cancer, nursing for more than four decades. She has worked specifically in breast oncology for the past 27 years, including work as a protocol nurse, assisting patients participating in the groundbreaking clinical trials taking place through West Penn Allegheny’s National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP).

Marianne Jeffries, RN, BSN
Marianne Jeffries has worked in the field of oncology for 20 years, beginning her career in cancer research and continuing as a staff nurse at Allegheny General Hospital’s Breast Care Center. She has also coordinated the hospital’s High Risk Breast Program, enrolling and managing patients with a strong family history of breast cancer, as well as served as the Informed Decision Making Nurse for Early Stage Breast Cancer patients, providing support and education for newly diagnosed patients.

Heather Kennihan, RN
Heather Kennihan’s oncology experience spans nearly two decades; she has spent 7 years nursing bone marrow transplant patients and nearly 12 years working with medical hematology/oncology patients. During the past three years, she has focused specifically on staff and oncology education, assisting staff and patients in better understanding cancer. She is currently earning her Master’s degree in Nursing Education.

Karen Schwaderer, RN, BSN, OCN
Karen has been a nurse for 33 years. She has experience with both inpatient and outpatient oncology, helping found Forbes Regional Hospital’s inpatient oncology unit in 1988. Since 2004, Karen has dedicated her work to the field of Patient Navigation, developing a research-based Patient Navigator program and, most recently, initiating the Patient Navigator Breast Program at Forbes Regional Hospital. She assists patients with abnormal findings on breast imaging through the diagnostic and treatment journey.