Tammy Brown, MS, ANP-C – Oncoplastic and Reconstructive Surgery Nurse Practitioner
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As a nurse practitioner who assists Dr. Stephen Ray, Tammy Brown cares for patients who undergo plastic/reconstructive surgical procedures, such as breast reconstructive surgery following a mastectomy. She keeps patients well informed and educated about their procedure, and offers comforting guidance to help lessen any anxiety they may have about surgery.
Among her many responsibilities, Brown obtains patients’ medical histories, performs physical examinations and aides Dr. Ray and his surgical team during procedures.
Before patients undergo reconstructive surgery, Brown meets with them to explain what they need to do to prepare for the procedure. She also discusses what they should expect during and after the surgery. Following surgery, she cares for the patients and provides additional education.
Brown says, “I understand patients’ needs change as their immediate concerns change. As so, patients need attentive care. I listen to their concerns and assist as able, or lead them to those persons who can best assist them when necessary.”
She says cares for every patient as though are a close family member. In Brown’s own family, her grandfather is a lung cancer survivor and her aunt is undergoing treatment for breast cancer. She has helped both of them in their battle against cancer.
Brown completed a bachelor's degree in nursing at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. She then attended North Park University in Chicago, where she earned a master's degree to become an adult nurse practitioner.
Brown is certified as an adult nurse practitioner by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.
Before her current position at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) at Midwestern Regional Medical Center, she served as the hospital’s lead nurse in the Radiation Oncology Department, and as a staff nurse in the Surgical Services Department. Of note, she was the first surgical nurse at Midwestern to obtain national certification for operating room nurses.
Prior to joining CTCA in 2005, Brown garnered experience as a registered nurse in the Surgical Services Department at a hospital in Waukegan, Illinois, and Doctor’s Hospital in Groves, Texas. Her nursing career began at St. Mary’s Hospital in Port Arthur, Texas, where she practiced in both the Emergency and Intensive Care Departments.
Honor societies Brown is a member of include Cambridge Who’s Who, Phi Kappa Phi and Sigma Theta Tau (the Honor Society of Nursing). She is also a member of a number of professional organizations, including the Dermatology Nurses’ Association, Oncology Nursing Society, American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, Association of Operating Room Nurses, and Illinois Society for Advanced Practice Nursing.
In June 2008, Brown participated in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Chicago. She says with the support of many friends and family members, as well as the marketing and administration teams at Midwestern, Brown and her teammates were able to raise the required funds to take part in the event.
She says, “It was an experience of a lifetime! I became so acutely aware of how many lives are affected by breast cancer. You see the numbers, ‘one out of eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer.’ But when you see 4,000 of them in one location, it gives you a completely different perspective.”
Brown has also participated in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life in Antioch, Illinois and Kenosha, Wisconsin.