Alumna shows what’s possible when practice, policy and problem-solving drive a nursing career

When Petrina Harrison, DNP ‘25, APRN, AGCNS-BC, CIC, began working as a medical assistant at a women’s health clinic in New York City more than 20 years ago, she never foresaw herself becoming a leading expert and national advocate for ovarian cancer detection and treatment.

Harrison decided to pursue Nursing because she recognized it as the most impactful role for improving individual patient outcomes and reducing systemic health disparities in her community and beyond. As an Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist and Certified Infection Preventionist, she has worked in acute care, critical care, women’s health, home care, and long-term care. These versatile experiences with vulnerable patient populations have shaped her passion for patient advocacy and health literacy initiatives.

“You see the disparities in health care in different settings,” Harrison said, “who can afford what care, how it affected their outcomes, and other barriers, including health literacy.”

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, she was the sole infection preventionist at her New York City facility, the same place she began her nursing career in 2002. Coincidentally, she found herself practicing under the same supervisor in 2020, who offered her words of encouragement that would transform her as a nurse leader and patient advocate.

“I remember when I re-entered that facility as an infection preventionist clinical Nurse Specialist, my former boss said to me: ‘I expect to report to you one of these days,’” Harrison said. She realized at that moment that she wanted to earn her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree.

“And at that point, I wrote on a piece of paper: ‘Petrina Harrison, DNP.’ I wrote it into existence.”

Harrison chose the University at Buffalo because of the post-master’s DNP track and the option of specializing in adult-gerontology primary care. The flexibility of the program also enabled her to continue teaching at St. Paul’s School of Nursing. She graduated in 2025 with an award-winning DNP project, “Providers’ Strategies for Timely Diagnosis and Treatment of Patients with Ovarian Cancer.”

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, ovarian cancer is the second most common gynecologic cancer in the U.S. and the deadliest of all cancers of the female reproductive system. Its symptoms can include bloating, loss of appetite, nausea, indigestion, pelvic pressure and fatigue, which are frequently associated with more common and benign conditions. These general symptoms contribute to it being known as “the whispering disease.”

In July 2020, Harrison began working as a lead infection preventionist for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, an era when many individuals were engulfed in fear. She observed women were not addressing gynecologic concerns, including her own family members. Once out of the pandemic, she noted an increased incidence of late-stage ovarian cancer diagnoses.

“When I did my study, I realized that during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals were not going to get tested. Even if they had symptoms, they did not go. They were afraid,” she explained. “The cancer then is detected at a later stage where the recovery is less than 25%.”

Harrison noted that the population of women veterans is growing, and her research informs the evidence-based practices she has developed to ensure ovarian cancer is detected as early as possible. She has also noticed that women are receiving ovarian cancer diagnoses at younger ages, so their providers often do not perform diagnostic testing early enough for the disease.

“The data, the stats are showing now that the younger population are at risk,” Harrison said. “Now we're looking at urine or blood samples to address ovarian cancer.”

Harrison is working closely with the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, the world’s largest organization dedicated to fighting ovarian and gynecologic cancers, on gathering data to support further research funding and advocacy, including on Capitol Hill. She is developing an innovative and evidence-based proposal for improving early detection of ovarian cancer based upon the common symptoms patients report.

“I have proposed implementing a clinical decision support system in the electronic health records with an algorithm that will trigger an alert that provides some guidance to the provider to go much deeper with more testing,” she said.

Harrison plans to pursue her PhD in nursing science at UB to further develop her program of research on ovarian cancer detection and treatment. She sees the doctorate as an opportunity to maximize the impact of her work.

“I intend to publish my work and be an advocate for my patients, for the community,” she said.

Patient advocacy and health literacy remain at the core of her research and practice. As a Sigma Theta Tau International Global Advocacy Scholar, she co-developed a Health Literacy Advocacy Action Plan to promote clear, equitable health information worldwide. As a UB alumna, she represented UB’s Gamma Kappa Chapter, which was honored with the 2023–2025 Chapter Key Award, the organization’s highest chapter honor. She will be presenting and speaking on her research at Sigma’s 37th International Nursing Research Congress in Toronto, Canada in July 2026 and at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network 2026 Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida in March 2026.

Harrison has presented her work at several national conferences, including the American Academy of Nursing 2025 Health Policy Conference and the 2025 California Association of Clinical Nurse Specialist Annual Conference held at the University of California Los Angeles, Santa Monica Medical Center. She was featured and acknowledged for her impactful presentation by the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS).

She values conferences and conventions as she seizes the opportunity to network, connect, learn, and advance her career.

In recognition of her outstanding research and advocacy for veteran women’s health, Harrison was a featured speaker at a 2025 Veterans Day webinar hosted by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and the American Nurses Association. The American Nurses Credentialing Center also spotlighted Harrison as part of their "Stories of Inspiration" newsletter in September 2025.

Reflecting on these achievements, Harrison credits years of hard work and dedication that led to her career success. She encourages nursing students to embrace the challenges that come with joining the nation’s most trusted profession.

“Challenges build strength, and you will be rewarded. Your reward will be seeing that patient, seeing that population, receiving the care that they need,” she said. “Persevere. Your challenges, your obstacles, look at them as that foundation”.

BY SHANNON O'SULLIVAN