In Memoriam: Joyce Bradley, RN, Pain Management CenterBWH Nurse - For and about the Nursing Staff of Brigham and Women's HospitalIn Memoriam: Joyce Bradley, RN, Pain Management CenterBWH Nurse - For and about the Nursing Staff of Brigham and Women's Hospital

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In Memoriam: Joyce Bradley, RN, Pain Management Center

Joyce Bradley

BWH and the Pain Management Center mourn the loss of Joyce Bradley, RN, who worked at the hospital for 14 years. She died on Jan. 4 after a four-month battle with breast cancer. She was 45.

Nursing Director Elizabeth Scanlan, RNC, NP, MSN, said when she began in the Pain Management Center, Ms. Bradley was the one who helped to orient her in pain management procedures.

"I knew nothing about pain management, and Joyce was an expert teacher," Scanlan said. "She enjoyed having fun at work, and her laugh was infectious. She cared deeply about our patients."

Ms. Bradley, of Dedham, was a graduate of Boston Latin Academy and Boston College School of Nursing. Before beginning at BWH, she worked at Mount Auburn Hospital. Ms. Bradley enjoyed skiing, spending time with family and friends and vacationing on Cape Cod.

Nurse-in-Charge Diane Palombi, RN, Ms. Bradley's longtime coworker, said she had an amazing presence in the department and always made her patients feel special. "She had an uncanny memory of details about people," she said. "When patients returned, she always remembered aspects of their family lives and upcoming celebrations. The enormity of the impact she had on her patients was profound."

Palombi said she'll miss Ms. Bradley's personality the most and described her as a vibrant and intelligent person.

"I considered her my right-hand nurse," she said. "She always had a sense of what needed to happen, and she either brought it to our attention or got it done."

Ms. Bradley is survived by her parents, John and Nancy; brothers, John and Robert; sister, Susan; dear friend Kyle McCabe; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

The Pain Management Center has established a scholarship fund in honor of Ms. Bradley for students enrolled in undergraduate nursing programs. Scanlan said the center decided to honor Ms. Bradley's memory with a fund for undergraduate nursing students because she strongly encouraged one of the center's medical assistants to apply to nursing school.