Colleen Anderson Excellence in Cancer Care Award

Once each year, the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance will award $2,500 to one individual in the cancer care continuum who provides exceptional care to women with ovarian cancer.

The Colleen Anderson Excellence in Cancer Care Award is not limited to health care professionals and is specifically open to those in frontline positions who interact with ovarian cancer patients and their care providers.

The awardee may be a nurse, doctor, office worker, lab technician, therapist, or any other individual who demonstrates deep compassion and exceptional professionalism while working with ovarian cancer survivors in a professional care setting during the course of their treatment.

The cash award is unrestricted and may be used for any purpose.

This award was established in 2020 by the family of Colleen Anderson, who recognized that everyone involved in the cancer care continuum has an important role to play in supporting patients and their families emotionally and physically.

Nominators for the award may be patients, family members, or professional colleagues.

Applications for the Colleen Anderson Excellence in Cancer Care Award are due Friday, October 13, 2023. Find the application form, here.

Past recipients include:
2020: Dona Maki, retired oncology nurse, MHealth
2021: Lisette Anderson, MSN, RN, Mayo Clinic; Jody Mattson, RN, BSN, OCN, MHealth Fairview-Maple Grove; Akia Smith, DNP, APRN, WHNP, Minnesota Oncology-Coon Rapids
2022: June Schatz, Patient Services Representative, MN Oncology

Pederson Nursing Scholarship

Each year, MOCA awards the Pederson Nursing Scholarship in memory of Janet Pederson who passed away of ovarian cancer in 2015.

This $1,000 annual scholarship is awarded to an oncology nurse who works at the University of Minnesota on Floor 5A Oncology and provides care to women with ovarian cancer. The scholarship is intended to support continuing education costs.

Applications for the Pederson Nursing Scholarship are due Friday, October 13, 2023. Find the application form, here.

Applicants are ineligible if they have previously received an award from MOCA including the Lubov Arnold Travel Award.

For more information about nursing scholarships or to set up a scholarship in the name of a loved one, please contact MOCA Executive Director Kathleen Gavin at kgavin@mnovarian.org or call 612-822-0500.

The Lubov Arnold Conference Scholarship

The Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance (MOCA) is now accepting scholarship applications for Minnesota oncology nurses or physician assistants to attend relevant conferences aimed at enhancing the care of women with ovarian cancer.

This scholarship provides funding for oncology nurses and physician assistants to attend educational conferences that will help them improve their care of women with ovarian cancer, increase their knowledge of the disease and enable them to educate others about ovarian cancer.

This funding is made available through MOCA with support from the families of Anita Lubov, an oncology nurse who died of ovarian cancer in 1999 and Jan Arnold who died of melanoma in 2017 .

Oncology nurses and physician assistants currently practicing in Minnesota can apply for support to attend conferences that will help them:

• Improve their care of women with ovarian cancer
• Increase their knowledge of ovarian cancer
• Enable them to educate others about ovarian cancer

The funding can be used to support travel, conference fees, lodging and per diem. It is not meant to supplant funding available from employers or other sources. Individual scholarships range from $1,000 – $5,000 and multiple scholarships are awarded each year.

Applications can be found here and are accepted on a rolling basis. Applications must be received by the MOCA office at least 30 days prior to the start of the conference.