Woman in a facemask and vest, with a stethoscope around her neck, holds a glass award to her chest
Nicki Coates, RN, OCN, Clinical Nurse III, Medical Oncology, Duke Cancer Center North Durham, accepts her DCI Superstar Achievement Award.

Fanfare for Three DCI Superstars

Published

Duke Cancer Institute leadership has presented the coveted DCI Superstar Achievement Awards once again. The annual event celebrates and recognizes the achievements and exceptional service of DCI faculty, providers, and staff. Awardees are nominated by their colleagues and managers during the fall and the awards are presented in December and January.

Three deserving recipients were surprised in person at their workplaces by Executive Director of DCI Michael B. Kastan, MD, PhD, and DCI Chief Administrator Robin Famiglietti, PhD. Other senior leaders also joined the festivities, including DCI Chief Medical Officer Ted Alyea, MD; Senior Director of Research Strategy and Operations David Darr, MBA, MSc; Assistant Vice President of Community Oncology David Nalepinski; and DCI Chief Human Resources Officer Jeff Chitester, MS, MA.

Each "Superstar" was honored with a special crystal award engraved with their name. The fanfare at each personalized ceremony included bright gold and black balloons, flowers, cake, and most importantly an assemblage of colleagues, friends, and family showing their support.

The celebrations this year were held at Duke Raleigh Cancer Center, Duke Raleigh Hospital; Duke Cancer Center North Durham at Duke Regional Hospital; and Duke Cancer Center Durham (main campus).

Everyone (probably) managed to keep the award winners and proceedings a secret up until the very last moment.

Kastan, who marked his 11th year as executive director and is beginning his 12th, looks forward to these awards each year: “The superstar award is just a small token to recognize those people who go above and beyond. I realize that we have such extraordinary faculty and staff that everyone goes above and beyond all the time, but the DCI superstar award is to recognize those individuals who go even further.”

Catherine Sellers, MSN, RN, AGPCNP-BC, OCN
Lead Nurse Practitioner
Wake County Radiation Oncology

Nurse practitioner Catherine Sellers
Nurse practitioner Catherine Sellers has been part of the Wake County Radiation Oncology team since Dec. 2016. She works in the Duke Cancer Center Raleigh Outpatient Clinic and in the Oncology Inpatient Unit at Duke Raleigh Hospital. Executive Director of DCI Michael Kastan, MD, PhD (at right) presented a 2022 DCI Superstar Achievement Award to her.

Nominators: John Nelson, MD, and Heather Spencer, MHA; Sarah Riley, RN; Radiation Oncologist Grace Kim, MD, PhD; and Radiation Oncology Staff Assistant Wendy Dickersheid 

Supervisor: Heather Spencer, MHA

John Nelson, MD, and Heather Spencer, MHA
John Nelson, MD, and Heather Spencer, MHA
Sarah Riley, RN
Grace Kim, MD, PhD
Wendy Dickersheid

Nicki Coates, RN, OCN
Clinical Nurse III 
Medical Oncology
Duke Cancer Center North Durham

Nurse Nicki Coates and DCI Executive Director Michael Kastan
Nurse Nicki Coates can't believe her eyes as DCI Executive Director Michael Kastan invites some "surprise" guests to the stage.

Nominators: Erika Hannigan, MSN, APRN, AGNP-C; Candace Gentry, MHA, BSN, RN, CPHQ; Jana Linsenmeyer, BSN, RN, CMSRN, CNML; and Kelsey Ellis

Supervisor: Jana Linsenmeyer, BSN, RN, CMSRN, CNML, Nurse Manager of Operations, Duke Cancer Center North Durham

Candace Gentry, MHA, BSN, RN, CPHQ, and Jana Linsenmeyer, BSN, RN, CMSRN, CNML
Erika Hannigan, MSN, APRN, AGNP-C
Kelsey Ellis

Emily Bolch
Assistant Research Practice Manager (ARPM) 
Melanoma and GI Oncology Clinical Trials
Duke Cancer Center Durham

Emily Bolch Assistant Research Practice Manager (ARPM)
Emily Bolch

Nominators: Georgia Beasley, MD, MHSc; April Salama, MD; John Strickler, MD; Wanda Wray; Carol Ann Wiggs

Supervisor: Wanda Wray

Wanda Wray / Research Practice Manager
Carol Ann Wiggs / Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator
April Salama, MD / Director, DCI Melanoma Disease Group
Georgia Beasley, MD, MHSc / Co-Leader, DCI Melanoma Disease Group
John Strickler, MD / Member, GI Oncology Disease Group; Co-Leader, Molecular Tumor Board; Co-Leader, DCI Precision Cancer Medicine and Investigational Therapeutics Research Program
This page was reviewed on 02/19/2023