In healthcare, we talk a lot about treating the disease. But what happens when you shift the focus from simply treating an illness to truly caring for the person sitting in front of you?
For Cyndi Miller, ACHPN, NP-C, a hospice and palliative medicine nurse practitioner, that shift is the heart of palliative care and at the core of Mary Bird Perkins.
As we celebrate National Nurse Practitioner Week, stories like Cyndi’s remind us of the incredible impact nurse practitioners make every day. They are clinical leaders, compassionate counselors, and fierce advocates who manage complex medical treatments and human-centered care.
Cyndi shares, “Reflecting on my journey in oncology and palliative care, I’m constantly reminded of why I do what I do, why I circled back to Mary Bird Perkins, and what makes our team feel less like a workplace and more like a family.”
Every healthcare provider has a story—a pivotal moment or person that shaped the clinician they became. For Cyndi, that journey started in 1997 when Ghenet “GG” Ghebretatios (an oncology registered nurse at the time) was her preceptor coming out of nursing school into inpatient oncology.
GG joined the Mary Bird Perkins team in 1999 and Cyndi followed in 2000 as a registered oncology nurse in the infusion area.
“GG has been a guiding light in my life for decades,” Cyndi said with great affection. “She was the one who encouraged me to go back to school to become a nurse practitioner, and she remains a major part of who I am today, both personally and professionally.”
Cyndi graduated from nurse practitioner school in 2012 and knew one thing with absolute certainty; she wanted to work in oncology. But at the time, Mary Bird Perkins did not have an opening, leaving her unsure about where her career would take her. Enter Dr. Frederic Billings, a longtime oncologist and foundational pillar at the Cancer Center (now retired).
Dr. Billings helped her secure a role in palliative care elsewhere. That single twist of fate changed everything. She fell completely in love with the specialty, worked alongside amazing physician mentors, and has been practicing in supportive and palliative care ever since—approaching nearly 15 years in the field.
Cyndi eventually circled back to rejoin Mary Bird Perkins in July 2022, noting that coming back felt like home. She had always deeply admired the high standard of cancer care at the Cancer Center and is proud to be associated with an organization that constantly moves the needle in community cancer care.
Cyndi works with Dr. Andre Bonnecaze, director of Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center’s Riley-Billings Supportive and Palliative Care Clinic, honorably named in part after Dr. Billings for his great work and philanthropic support in the fight against cancer.
Whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually, as a supportive and palliative care nurse practitioner, she dedicates the extended time needed with patients to understand their values, improve their experiences, and help them thrive despite a cancer diagnosis.
“That same commitment to thriving extends to us as Mary Bird Perkins team members,” Cyndi says. “The organization values work-life balance, encourages open-minded process improvements, and fosters a team effort where we work hard for our patients and still make time for our personal lives.”
Healthcare is evolving and so has Mary Bird Perkins by embracing fresh perspectives and new technology. Part of that evolution means breaking down geographical barriers for our patients. Cancer treatment is challenging on its own without the burden of a long commute, so Cyndi travels regularly to Covington to expand her services to the Northshore area, ensuring patients can get specialized care closer to home.
For new nurse practitioners stepping into a community-based organization from a larger hospital system, Cyndi’s advice is simple: take initiative. She encourages them to reach out, ask questions, and lean on their team.
No matter what department they work in, Mary Bird Perkins nurse practitioners share a singular common goal: to support their physicians and stand by patients so they can live longer, fuller lives after a cancer diagnosis.
As the very first nurse practitioner ever hired at Mary Bird Perkins, Ghenet “GG” Ghebretatios, DNP, FNP, AOCNP, a hematology and medical oncology nurse practitioner, helped shape a brand-new era of cancer care in Baton Rouge. GG initially came to Mary Bird Perkins in May 1999 as an oncology registered nurse administering chemotherapy and later obtained her nurse practitioner license.
At the time, a nurse practitioner in oncology was still uncharted territory locally and she helped her physicians utilize her advanced skill set, demonstrating firsthand how vital advanced practice nurses are to comprehensive cancer care.
GG’s dedication to the community has always extended far beyond clinic walls. While still a student in the spring of 2002, she piloted crucial early prevention and education initiatives in Port Allen, Plaquemines, and Donaldsonville, coordinating with the Oncology Nursing Society of Baton Rouge to guide individuals toward life-saving mammograms.
Her leadership in the Baton Rouge Oncology Nursing Society (active since 1996, serving as President from 1997 to 1999 and later as program chair for years) helped bridge the gap between clinical care and community health screenings.
GG actively encourages talented RNs like Cyndi Miller and others to pursue becoming a nurse practitioner. “School is different now, and I look up to the newer nurse practitioners who come to Mary Bird Perfects,” she reflects. “Anyone can learn from anyone.”
With a career defined by resilience, leadership, and boundless heart, GG embodies the very best of oncology nursing—leaving an indelible mark on Mary Bird Perkins and the countless lives she has touched.
This Nurse Practitioner Week, we celebrate trailblazers like Cyndi, GG, and the entire nurse practitioner team at Mary Bird Perkins who bring unmatched expertise, heart and dedication to the fight against cancer every single day.
