Lillie Shockney

Lillie D. Shockney, RN, BS, MAS, is the University Distinguished Service Professor of Breast Cancer and Professor of Surgery and Oncology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

A two-time survivor of breast cancer, Shockney works both as a nurse navigator supporting patients and as a medical advisor and administrator developing programs for improving patient quality of life, in particular for those with metastatic breast cancer.

Shockney has published at least 20 books and 350 articles dealing with cancer and patient care.

Lillian Dierker was born October 16, 1956, to Frank and Charmayne Dierker and grew up on a dairy farm in Maryland.

Having aspired to be a nurse from an early age, she received a three year diploma from the Macqueen Gibbs Willis School of Nursing in Easton, Maryland in 1974.

She earned a Bachelor's degree in Health Care Administration from St. Joseph's College in 1982.

In 1983, Shockney joined the Department of Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins as a nurse, working with patients who had glioblastoma, an almost-always fatal form of brain cancer.

From 1987-1997 Shockney served as the Director of Performance Improvement and Utilization Management.

In that role, she and her staff reviewed patient files to evaluate the quality of care they received, and determine ways to better serve them.

She earned a Master's in Administrative Science (M.A.S.) from Johns Hopkins University in 1988.

Shockney was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent mastectomies in 1992 and again in 1994.

Approximately ten years after her diagnosis, Shockney had DIEP flap reconstruction surgery.

The experience of being a breast cancer patient led Shockney to work with breast cancer patients and to develop programs to improve their care and quality of life.

Soon after her first mastectomy, a doctor she knew asked her if she was willing to talk to his secretary, who had just been diagnosed.

Shockney later said of that experience "I felt pain free for two hours, because I was helping somebody."

Shockney chose to combine her expertise and her personal experience as a breast cancer survivor in support of others.

She is a co-founder of the nonprofit Mothers Supporting Daughters with Breast Cancer (1995); the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+, 2009); and the Association of Chronic & Complex Care Nurse Navigators (ACCCNN, 2021).

She has helped to develop the Work Stride: Managing Cancer at Work employee benefits program at Johns Hopkins, which has been adopted by other employers.

She has been recognized for her work with awards at state, national and international levels.

The Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators has named its Lillie D. Shockney Lifetime Achievement Award in her honor.

In 1997, she testified before the U.S. Senate committee regarding the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act.

In 1997, Shockney became the Administrative Director of the Johns Hopkins Breast Center.

She managed programs for quality-of-care, patient education, and patient advocacy, as well as the center's survivor volunteers, community outreach, and web site, introducing many of the initiatives at the center.

Shockney has developed the nurse navigator program at Johns Hopkins, in which a nurse with expertise in both cancer treatment and counseling provides ongoing patient-centered support throughout a patient's experience within the medical system.

Nurse navigators play important roles in educating patients and families, and in providing continuity and support across the continuum of patient care.

After Shockney reported the impact of the program at Johns Hopkins Hospital on appointment completion rates and timeliness of care, breast cancer patients became a primary patient population for nurse navigation.

Shockney emphasizes the importance of identifying each individual's goals and focusing on what they hope to achieve.

Shockney has also developed small group retreats for metastatic breast cancer patients and their spouses or caregivers, to help them focus on quality of life throughout their lives, and to communicate about topics that may be hard to address, such as sex and death.

One of the practices suggested is writing cards and letters, to be given in the future for meaninful events such as birthdays, graduation, marriage, or the birth of a child.

In a situation where people feel vulnerable and overwhelmed, Shockney emphasizes the importance of enabling them to regain a sense of control in their lives.

In 2008, Shockney was appointed as the University Distinguished Service Assistant Professor of Breast Cancer at Johns Hopkins.

For the first time, a hospital nurse received the level of recognition of being designated for extraordinary distinguished service.

She has been the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Oncology Navigation & Survivorship (2012-2023).

Shockney has served on or advised numerous national-level organizations.

In 2016, she was appointed the University Distinguished Service Professor of Breast Cancer, and made a Professor of Surgery and Oncology.

Again she was the first nurse in the country to be appointed at such a level.

"I'm passionate about taking care of patients with metastatic breast cancer.... I want their quality of life preserved and not forfeited. I want them not to postpone joy. I want them to find something to laugh about every day. I want them to know they are not alone on this journey filled with uncertainty. -- Lillie Shockney, 2019"

Shockney's emphasis on identifying the things that each individual loves has inspired patients like Pat Artimovich.

Artimovich rediscovered her love of horseback riding, and eventually organized the Potomac Valley Dressage Association's Ride for Life.

Over 20 years, the Ride raised over $1 million, which has been used to support breast cancer research fellowships at Johns Hopkins as well as education and patient support.