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Marilyn J Hockenberry

Bessie Baker Distinguished Professor Emerita of the School of Nursing
School of Nursing
Box 2712, Hock Center Suite 405, Durham, NC 27710
Hock Center, Room 3057, Durham, NC 27710

Overview


Dr. Marilyn Hockenberry, PhD, RN, PNP-BC, FAAN, is the Bessie Baker Professor of Nursing at Duke University School of Nursing. Dr. Hockenberry, a distinguished leader in pediatric oncology and evidence-based practices and outcomes, is actively involved in the School’s cancer-related research initiatives and teaches in the DNP program. She also serves as one of the 11 chairs of the Duke Institutional Review Board.

Before coming to Duke, she was Professor of Pediatrics in the Hematology/Oncology Division at Baylor College of Medicine. She also served as the nurse scientist for the hospital and director of the pediatric nurse practitioner program in the Texas Children’s Cancer Center at Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) from 1994 to 2012. At TCH, she served as director of the Center for Research and Evidence-based Practice from 2002 to 2009 and director of the Evidence-based Outcomes Center from 2004 to 2009. Earlier in her career, she practiced as a hematology/oncology nurse practitioner at Duke University Medical Center and was a clinical associate in the Duke School of Nursing.

Dr. Hockenberry received her BSN from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, the Master of Science degree from Texas Woman’s University in Houston and her Pediatric Nurse Practitioner certification through Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia. She earned a PhD in nursing with distinction from the Medical College of Georgia. Her research focuses on treatment-related side effects experienced by children who have cancer and is the recipient of numerous research grant awards. Her latest NIH funded research grant evaluates phenotypic and genotypic characteristics and their associations with symptom clusters experienced during treatment for childhood leukemia. She has authored more than 80 publications, and has served for the past 10 years as senior editor for the Wong Pediatric Nursing Textbooks published by Elsevier. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. She was appointed as a member of the Children’s Oncology Group Scientific Council in February 2011. She received the 2011 Distinguished Nurse Researcher Award and the 2011 Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing Writing Award at the 35th national conference of the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Bessie Baker Distinguished Professor Emerita of the School of Nursing · 2018 - Present School of Nursing
Professor Emerita in the School of Nursing · 2018 - Present School of Nursing

Recent Publications


Factors Influencing Guardians' Health-Seeking Decisions for Children With Burkitt Lymphoma in Northern and Central Malawi.

Journal Article Pediatric blood & cancer · February 2025 BackgroundThe survival of children with Burkitt lymphoma (BL) in sub-Saharan Africa is disproportionately low compared to high-income countries. In Malawi, many of these children are diagnosed in advanced stages. Early and accurate diagnosis is cr ... Full text Cite

Symptoms, Physical Activity, and Biomarkers in Children at the End of Leukemia Maintenance Therapy.

Journal Article Journal of pediatric hematology/oncology nursing · November 2023 Background: Symptoms in children with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) change over the trajectory of treatment but little is known about their symptoms as treatment ends. Physical activity may help decrease symptom distress and is vital for ongoing ... Full text Cite

Assessment of proxy-reported responses as predictors of motor and sensory peripheral neuropathy in children with B-lymphoblastic leukemia.

Journal Article Pediatric blood & cancer · November 2023 Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), a common condition in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, can be challenging to diagnose. Using data from Children's Oncology Group AALL0932 physical function study, we sought to determine if paren ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


Duke CTSA (TL1) Year 5

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2018 - 2024

A Nurse-Led Parent Educational Discharge Support Strategies (PEDSS) for Children Newly Diagnosed with Cancer

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by American Nurses Credentialing Center · 2017 - 2020

Symptom Assessment during Childhood Cancer Treatment

ConferenceCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2018 - 2019

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Education, Training & Certifications


Medical College of Georgia · 1992 Ph.D.