Greenwich Hospital Cancer Care Nurse Earns '40 Under 40' Honor

Information via Greenwich Hospital

GREENWICH, CT — Kristina Capretti, MSN, RN, of Armonk, N.Y., has been honored as one of Fairfield County's "40 Under 40" for her contributions as a leader at Greenwich Hospital. The award honors the county's most influential young professionals who are making a difference professionally.

Known as a "genuine and empathetic leader" dedicated to her patients and staff, Capretti is the clinical program director for the Smilow Cancer Hospital Care Center in Greenwich and the director of Greenwich Hospital's Medical Oncology unit. She is also a past recipient of the international DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, according to a news release.

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Capretti said she was honored to receive the award, especially at a time when the nursing profession faces many challenges.

"2020 was declared the year of the nurse long before COVID-19 hit," Capretti in a news release. "As a profession, we were pushed to new limits, became innovators and found ourselves at the frontlines. We joined forces with fellow healthcare workers, tirelessly working to care for patients. And while we were physically and emotionally exhausted, we did not back down. I am proud to be a nurse and even more proud to be a nurse at Greenwich Hospital."

"Kristina is a quiet and humble leader who has captured the hearts of all staff and always has our patients’ best interest at heart," Anna Cerra, DNP, chief nursing officer, Greenwich Hospital, said in a news release.

Capretti joined Greenwich Hospital as a bedside nurse on medical oncology. She was promoted to charge nurse and earned a palliative care nurse practitioners license. Capretti later earned a master's degree in nursing and is now pursuing a doctorate in nursing practice. The mother of two girls under age four, Capretti still manages to respond to night staff questions.

Last year, Capretti guided her team through the full assimilation to become a Smilow Cancer Hospital Care Center. During the pandemic, she helped to coordinate proper staffing in Medical Oncology and joined the labor pool to ensure appropriate staffing throughout the hospital. She accomplished this while making certain that cancer patients were treated despite the pandemic.

Her many accomplishments include securing $6,000 in grants to give $100 gift cards to breast cancer patients, getting free wigs for cancer patients through Cancer Care, starting a massage therapy program for chemotherapy patients and instituting scalp cooling treatment to reduce hair loss during chemotherapy.

She also lead an initiative to bring cancer patients together quarterly to learn about skin care and receive healing touch.

The "40 Under 40" event on Feb. 25 was sponsored by the Fairfield County Business Journal.