A climate knowledge gap in cancer care

Ryne Wilson’s advocacy instinct led him to take on the issue of climate change and its implications for oncology nursing.

Clinical Assistant Professor Ryne Wilson, DNP, RN, OCN, CNE, has spent his career at the intersection of science and compassion — two forces he sees as inseparable in oncology nursing.

Now, as president-elect of the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS), he is channeling that same dual commitment into one of the most urgent challenges facing health care today: the health impacts of climate change.

Wilson describes oncology nursing care as having two distinct but equally vital dimensions — what he calls the art and the science of the profession.

On the science side, oncology nurses command a highly specialized body of clinical knowledge. From the safe delivery of hazardous medications to the complex monitoring of patients undergoing cellular therapies and immunotherapies, the field demands expertise in pathophysiology, disease management and pharmacology. As treatments grow more sophisticated — bone marrow transplants, targeted biologics, next-generation immunotherapies — that clinical knowledge base continues to expand.

Wilson is equally passionate about what he calls the art of oncology nursing: the deeply human dimension of the role. Oncology nurses frequently serve as care coordinators and navigators, walking alongside patients through an emotionally intense journey.

“Being a part of a patient’s journey, regardless of the outcome, is such an incredible privilege,” Wilson says. It is that sense of purpose — of being a stable force, an advocate, a guide through uncertainty — that Wilson believes defines the oncology nursing community and fuels its commitment to patients.

His advocacy instinct led Wilson to take on the issue of climate change and its implications for oncology nursing. Extreme heat events, worsening air quality, disruptions to health care infrastructure, and the rising burden of environmentally linked cancers are already affecting patients — and nurses need to be prepared.

Wilson’s planetary health work encourages nurses to think about the whole context in which their patients live — the air they breathe, the water they drink, the neighborhoods they come from — and how those factors intersect with cancer risk, treatment and recovery.

He has been instrumental in advancing this conversation within ONS and its 35,000 members, where he has led the efforts focused on raising awareness among oncology nurses about climate change and its effects on patient health outcomes. His research in this area examines how prepared — and how aware — oncology nurses currently are when it comes to recognizing and responding to climate-related health impacts in their patients.

Last year, he co-authored the ONS white paper The Impact of Climate Change Across the Cancer Control Continuum: Key Considerations for Oncology Nurses about the increasing impact of climate change across the cancer control continuum and the pivotal role of the oncology nurse in education, research, clinical practice and advocacy.

The white paper, written with ONS colleagues AnnMarie Walton, PhD, MPH, RN, OCN, CHES, FAAN, Stacy Stanifer, PhD, APRN, AOCNS, and Deborah Allen, PhD, RN, CNS, FNP-BC, AOCNP, outlines the implications of climate change for oncology nursing practice and offers guidance for how nurses can integrate environmental health awareness into their care.

The white paper and additional publications generated interest at conferences, but there was little data about the perceptions, attitudes or behaviors of oncology nurses as they relate to climate change. 

To address the gap, Wilson conducted a cross-sectional, exploratory study using convenience sampling and an open-access, anonymous online survey. The study, published in the December 2025 issue of Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, found that most participants were concerned about the effects of climate change on health and were motivated to respond but need additional knowledge and skills to act.

“It was clear that nurses are motivated and they want to do something, but they don’t know what to do. They need more information and support,” says Wilson.

While that work unfolds, Wilson’s election as president-elect of ONS places him at the helm of one of the country’s leading professional nursing organizations, where he will have the platform to continue advancing climate and planetary health as concerns for the field, as well as issues like cancer therapy affordability and workforce development.

“Being an oncology nurse carries with it a deep sense of responsibility to both care for and protect those affected by cancer,” says Wilson. “Engaging in climate action to ensure safe, flourishing environments for those we care for and the people who love them is an act of service towards that responsibility.”