Trailblazer Spotlight: Assistant Professor Dr. Victoria Marshall

“As a nurse, you will never stop learning.”

Dr. Victoria Marshall has more than 23 years of nursing experience, most of which were spent in nephrology nursing and hospital administration.

She shared, “My paternal grandmother and aunt were both nurses, so it is in my blood I guess you could say!”

Marshall’s late father also encouraged her to pursue a career in nursing through many late-night discussions about her strengths in biology and experience working as a nursing assistant at an extended care facility.

After years of working on the frontlines, Marshall set out to get her Doctor of Philosophy. In 2018, she graduated from Michigan State University with her PhD in Nursing, where she was a behavioral cooperative oncology group pre-doctoral fellow. Marshall received the Outstanding Dissertation Award and Emiline Harrison PhD Dissertation Award Endowment for her dissertation, Medication Beliefs Among Advanced Cancer Patients Receiving Oral Oncolytic Agents.

That same year, she started at USF Health College of Nursing as an assistant professor on the tenure research track.

Professor Dr. Constance Visovsky works alongside Marshall and said, “Dr. Marshall consistently demonstrates excellence as a teacher, researcher and colleague.”

Marshall develops grants and publications to advance the science of medication and symptom management for older adults prescribed oral oncolytic agents. She also served as the first faculty research mentor for the inaugural Emerging Nurse Scientist Summer Fellowship at the college.

“Advancements in science will continue to expand and modify our nursing practice and we must be on the cutting edge of those developments through collaborative clinical and research initiatives,” Marshall said, adding that her career at the college allows her to do just that!

“[College of Nursing] Dean Menon has been especially inspiring as a mentor, providing me with opportunities that advance my career and my professional aspirations as a nurse scientist.”

In addition to Marshall’s accolades while achieving her PhD, she was a cohort recipient of the competitive and prestigious Harvard Medical School Center for Palliative Care Research Methods in Supportive Oncology Workshop. More recently, Marshall was awarded the College of Nursing’s grant for faculty research and educational innovation and was honored with the Outstanding New Investigator Award.

“This award was especially meaningful as my colleagues nominated me and recognized my research accomplishments,” she said.

Recently, she was recognized as a content expert in her field of research by the Oncology Nursing Society. In 2022, her written guidelines for cancer patients prescribed oral oncolytic agents will be published. Ultimately, it will help guide oncology nursing practice.

Starting in February 2022 until 2025, Marshall is expanding her research and will serve as the co-investigator on College of Public Health Dr. Dina Martinez-Tyson’s Patient-Centered Program for Latina Breast Cancer Patients and Partners.

“My favorite part about working at USF has been the ease of collaboration with colleagues across different disciplines.”

Story by Cassidy Delamarter