Nancy Olsen Bailey, MBA, BSN, RN Neurosurgery, Neuro-oncology Ambulatory Care

In 14 years, Nancy Olsen Bailey rarely has missed the bimonthly support group she leads for brain tumor patients. “She even came in during her vacation to be here for the Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus Support Group,” said Donna Dello Iacono, PhD, MSN, RN, who works alongside Olsen Bailey.

That constant, reassuring presence Olsen Bailey offers not only to her patients, but also to her colleagues, is what sets her apart in her practice.

Patients and colleagues can even count on reaching Olsen Bailey at the same phone number she’s had for 16 years. “It gives patients comfort to know in an ever-changing society, they can always reach Nancy,” Dello Iacono said. “We receive calls from all over the world, from patients and even former residents, now attending physicians elsewhere, seeking Nancy’s advice.”

Olsen Bailey always goes the extra mile for patients. A 25-year-old woman with a brain tumor required multiple forms of treatment, and missed her friends at Second City during that difficult time. Sensing the patient’s distress, Olsen Bailey along with Nancy DiPerna, LCSW, applied for a grant to fly their patient to Chicago for a much needed visit with friends and family.

“Every one of our patients has some sense of loss,” Dello Iacono said. “They are worried before every scan and anxious at their appointments, but they know they will always get honesty and a caring response from Nancy.”

Olsen Bailey continually works to improve patient care. She recently collaborated with BWH and DFCI nurses, physicians, administrators and others to work out the best treatment plans for oncology patients by organizing their appointments to minimize patient trips and collaborating on their complex care needs.

Olsen Bailey’s commitment to the highest standards of care manifests itself in her research. Her pilot research in hydrocephalus years ago helped enable the current shunt to come to market. This year, it was updated with a device that uses ultrasounds to determine shunt pressures, eliminating the need for a skull x-ray, reducing patients’ time in the hospital and exposure to radiation with repeated radiographs.

“Nancy is quite simply one of the finest nurses I have ever known. She brings to her work a wealth of clinical expertise, an unparalleled commitment to the highest standards of professional practice and a profound appreciation for the dignity and worth of every human being,” said Lucy Feild, PhD, RN, who has worked with Olsen Bailey as both a staff nurse and research nurse.

Olsen Bailey joined Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 1991 as an ambulatory Neurosurgery Oncology nurse. Prior to that, she was associate director of Nursing at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island. She held multiple positions at New England Medical Center, including nurse manager of the Neurological/Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit. She received her MBA from Suffolk University and her BSN from Northeastern University.

Olsen Bailey is a member of the Scituate Health Service and the PTA for Scituate Public Schools.

Nancy Olsen Bailey was nominated by Donna Dello Iacono, PhD, RN, her colleague in the Neurosurgery and Neuro-oncology Ambulatory Practice.