Galveston County Daily News (Internet / Print) 03/25/06 http://news.galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=bfc1de3c085f06f3 Gail Kwarciany, a clinical educator at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, is the 2006 recipient of the Oncology Nursing Society Pearl Moore Making a Difference Award. The award recognizes the contributions of registered nurses to the oncology nursing profession at local and regional levels. In 2004, Kwarciany played a leading role in establishing an inpatient unit specializing in the care of incarcerated hematology/oncology patients in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice hospital at UTMB. Kwarciany converted what had been an inpatient medical surgical unit into a medical oncology unit to meet patient needs. She trained all 22 nurses on the TDCJ oncology unit. “Often it seems that few people care about prisoners who are suffering with the burden of cancer or the nurses who dedicate their career to providing treatment and support to this population,” Kwarciany said. “It really has been a privilege and an opportunity to work with these patients and their nurses.”