PITTSBURGH, PA—September 22, 2023—The Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) has appointed Joni L. Watson, DNP, MBA, RN, OCN®, as editor of the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing (CJON), effective January 1, 2024. Watson began serving as editor-elect in September to facilitate the transition.
An RN for more than two decades, Watson is the chief vision officer of the Creating Collective, LLC, with a consulting associate faculty appointment in the School of Nursing at Duke University in Durham, NC. Watson succeeds outgoing CJON Editor Ellen Carr, PhD, RN, AOCN®, who has served in the role since July 2017.
“ONS is pleased to welcome Joni Watson as our next editor for CJON,” ONS CEO Brenda Nevidjon, MSN, FN, FAAN, said. “She is continuing the high standards set by previous editors to fulfill CJON’s mission of publishing clinically relevant, evidence-based content for oncology nurses in diverse roles and practice settings. Joni has served ONS in many capacities and is well-known for her passion in supporting nurses to develop their voices and influence.”
Watson’s experience in the nursing profession includes working at the acute care bedside while a full-time graduate student to directing the Nurse Oncology Education Program at the Texas Nurses Association/Foundation, serving as the clinical nurse manager for the cancer care and oncology clinical trials teams at Seton Healthcare Family, and holding senior and executive healthcare leadership positions at Baylor Scott and White Health and Ascension.
As an independent contractor, Watson has worked with a variety of organizations on creating innovative healthcare programs and care models that include oncology, reviewing evidence across disciplines and data sources to create and analyze strategic efforts, supporting executive coaching and leadership development, and identifying program and process improvement opportunities. At Duke, Watson teaches in the doctor of nursing practice executive leadership specialty.
Watson said that ONS is her professional home and its organizational mission is near to her heart. She served on the ONS Board of Directors and the ONS Leadership Development Committee and contributed to various ONS publications through book chapters, journal articles, and blog posts.
“I am humbled to serve ONS and my oncology colleagues as the CJON editor,” Watson says. “CJON is an important journal, personally and professionally. The CJON archives hold my first peer-reviewed article and my doctoral work. I’ve mentored oncology nurses in adding their professional work to the foundational journal, and I’ve relied on the varied content more times than I can count, improving work and care.
“The past CJON editors, associate editors, and authors have mentored me—knowingly and unknowingly—for two decades. Their journalistic dedication and voices have challenged and shaped my practice. I also want to thank Ellen Carr, PhD, RN, AOCN®, for serving CJON so well and teaching me for so long; stepping into the role behind you is poetic and daunting. I am honored to join a long list of previous CJON editors, editorial board members, and ONS Publications Department team members in upholding and propelling CJON, benefiting oncology nurses and those we collectively impact.”
CJON is an official ONS publication directed to the practicing nurse specializing in the care of patients with cancer. CJON is a vehicle to promote ONS’s mission is to advance excellence in oncology nursing and quality cancer care.
ONS is a professional association that represents 100,000 nurses and is the professional home to more than 35,000 members. ONS is committed to promoting excellence in oncology nursing and the transformation of cancer care. Since 1975, ONS has provided a professional community for oncology nurses, developed evidence-based education programs and treatment information, and advocated for patient care, all in an effort to improve quality of life and outcomes for patients with cancer and their families. Learn more at ons.org.