Cfarku Joins DCI as AVP and Chief of Oncology Nursing Services
Published
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Monica Cfarku RN, MSN, BMTCN, CCM, NE-BC
Monica Cfarku RN, MSN, BMTCN, CCM, NE-BC, has been named Assistant Vice President and Chief of Oncology Nursing Services, Duke Cancer Institute. She joined DCI on October 19.
Cfarku, who’s certified as both a nurse executive and a bone marrow transplant nurse, has more than 17 years of progressive experience in oncology services.
Most recently, Cfarku was the director of Nursing, Ambulatory Oncology at the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon, with direct responsibility for eight infusion centers across the city and surrounding area and indirect oversight of five community clinics, two academic clinics, radiation oncology, research, and home infusion. She managed more than 300 front line staff in these settings. Before this, she served as manager and interim director at Knight.
Cfarku earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from the University of San Francisco and her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from San Francisco State University. She began her nursing career in 2000 as a medical/surgical-oncology nurse at Kaiser Hospital in San Francisco, and served as assistant clinical nurse manager of Bone Marrow Transplant, Hematology, and Apheresis at Stanford Hospital and its associated clinics in Stanford, California, before joining Knight Cancer Institute.
“Monica will provide leadership for the oncology nursing across Duke University Health System in the areas of quality, safety, care redesign and enhanced patient outcomes,” said Robin Famiglietti, PhD, MBA, FACHE, chief administrator of DCI and associate vice president and assistant dean, DUHS Oncology Services. “Please join us in welcoming Monica to Duke Cancer Institute.”
More than 300 patients, caregivers and family members gathered for the 2026 Genitourinary Cancers Community Education Event, an opportunity to learn directly from experts belonging to the Duke Cancer Institute’s Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers. Presentations focused on longer, healthier lives for people living with GU cancers.The event brought together more than 23 specialists representing medical oncology, urology, radiation oncology, radiology, clinical psychology and cancer support. Speakers included Andrew Armstrong MD, Mike Abern MD, Hannah Fisher PhD, Jeff Gahan MD, Daniel George MD, Paul Koffer MD, Tim Dougherty MD, Diana Kozman MD, and Danielle Kruse MD, who shared their expertise on topics ranging from new treatments and clinical research to imaging, surgery and Duke’s multidisciplinary approach to cancer care.The keynote address was delivered by Robert M. Califf, MD, whose career has included leadership in clinical research at Duke and service as commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Califf spoke about “Clinical Research Improves Patient Care,” highlighting the connection between rigorous research, advances in treatment and the care patients receive. His career at Duke included leadership of the Duke Clinical Research Institute, and his work has spanned clinical research, patient care and health policy.The program also recognized that living well with cancer involves more than medical treatment. Hannah Fisher, MD led an interactive session exploring mind/body approaches to coping with cancer. Keegan Zavodnik discussed nutrition and diets for people living with cancer, while Alexis Monks addressed the role of fitness and physical activity. These sessions complemented the medical presentations with practical approaches to supporting patients throughout their cancer journeys.One session, called The Great Wait, focused on building a personal philosophy for living life to the fullest in the post-treatment phase of cancer, when a person is in remission. “Some of you in the audience today probably have only a 5% chance of your cancer recurring, but you’re still living every day in fear. Instead, go out and enjoy life. Let us tell you if it is ever time to worry again,” said Dan George, MD, who gave the talk along with Sarah Wood, MSN ANP-CH.The event's emphasis on hearing from a variety of cancer experts, with opportunities to interact with those experts, was reflected strongly in post-event survey responses from attendees.One participant wrote, “It’s a gift to the community. Love hearing about the latest developments in research particularly.” Another shared, “This event has been life changing for me. A cancer diagnosis for my husband was devastating. This event help to enlighten, encourage and ground me. I will be forever grateful for that.” Another said: “I appreciated the warm, respectfulness, and candidness of the healthcare professionals.”For others, the opportunity to connect with fellow patients was just as meaningful: “What I liked best is the connection with patients and learning their stories.” Another said “I appreciated the community-building nature of this event. It’s very gratifying to see the GU Cancer Center making this effort to engage us beyond the clinic visits.”Held for the second time at North Carolina Central’s student center, the event was made possible through the efforts of 13 volunteers from the GU Patient Advisory Council, who staffed registration tables, welcomed attendees at the entrance and helped direct patients and families from parking areas to the event hall. More than 65 people gave scholarships or made donations so that anyone could attend for free.Other expert presenters: Sarah Wood MSN ANP-CH, Sundhar Ramalingam MD, Jordan Infield MD, Michael Superdock MD, Dominic LaBella MD, Christopher Hoimes DO, Mike Harrison MD, Joe Park MD, and Dillon Cockrell MD, Jeff Shevach MD, Matt Labriola MD, and Jennifer Freedman, PhD.
A Duke-led study published in iScience provides new insights into the tumor microenvironment of brain metastases, identifying distinct macrophage populations associated with patient survival and highlighting potential targets for future therapeutic intervention.Brain metastases remain a significant clinical challenge across multiple tumor types, including breast cancer, lung cancer, and melanoma. Despite advances in systemic therapies and local treatment approaches, outcomes remain poor for many patients, underscoring the need for a deeper understanding of the biological mechanisms driving disease progression.Using an integrated multi-omic approach, investigators analyzed 23 human brain metastasis specimens through single-nucleus RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomic profiling. The study leveraged these complementary technologies to characterize cellular heterogeneity within the tumor microenvironment and define spatial relationships between immune and tumor cell populations.The analysis revealed substantial macrophage heterogeneity and demonstrated that macrophage-associated transcriptional programs differ significantly between patients with favorable and unfavorable survival outcomes. Specifically, inflammatory macrophage populations localized at the tumor boundary were associated with improved survival, while macrophage populations characterized by extracellular matrix remodeling signatures and TGFβ1 expression were associated with poorer outcomes.These findings suggest that distinct macrophage subtypes may play context-dependent roles in brain metastatic progression, functioning as either tumor-restrictive or tumor-supportive components of the microenvironment. The results further emphasize the importance of spatial cellular organization in shaping disease biology and clinical outcomes.Importantly, the study extends current understanding of immune-tumor interactions in brain metastases by linking specific macrophage subtypes and locations within the tumor ecosystem to survival-associated phenotypes. The identification of these distinct cellular programs may provide a framework for the development of novel therapeutic strategies aimed at modulating macrophage function or disrupting protumor signaling networks within the metastatic niche.As the incidence of brain metastases continues to increase and therapeutic resistance remains a critical barrier to long-term disease control, these findings represent an important step toward the development of more precise, microenvironment-directed treatment approaches. Further investigation will be needed to validate these observations and assess their translational potential in prospective clinical studies.This work was a joint research collaboration among Duke Center for Brain and Spine Metastasis (DCBSM) members: Dr. Ann Marie Pendergast (Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine), Dr. Carey Anders (Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology), and Dr. Simon Gregory (Department of Neurosurgery, and Duke Molecular Physiology Institute), and first-author Dr. Aaditya Khatri (Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine).
More than 300 patients, caregivers and family members gathered for the 2026 Genitourinary Cancers Community Education Event, an opportunity to learn directly from experts belonging to the Duke Cancer Institute’s Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers. Presentations focused on longer, healthier lives for people living with GU cancers.The event brought together more than 23 specialists representing medical oncology, urology, radiation oncology, radiology, clinical psychology and cancer support. Speakers included Andrew Armstrong MD, Mike Abern MD, Hannah Fisher PhD, Jeff Gahan MD, Daniel George MD, Paul Koffer MD, Tim Dougherty MD, Diana Kozman MD, and Danielle Kruse MD, who shared their expertise on topics ranging from new treatments and clinical research to imaging, surgery and Duke’s multidisciplinary approach to cancer care.The keynote address was delivered by Robert M. Califf, MD, whose career has included leadership in clinical research at Duke and service as commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Califf spoke about “Clinical Research Improves Patient Care,” highlighting the connection between rigorous research, advances in treatment and the care patients receive. His career at Duke included leadership of the Duke Clinical Research Institute, and his work has spanned clinical research, patient care and health policy.The program also recognized that living well with cancer involves more than medical treatment. Hannah Fisher, MD led an interactive session exploring mind/body approaches to coping with cancer. Keegan Zavodnik discussed nutrition and diets for people living with cancer, while Alexis Monks addressed the role of fitness and physical activity. These sessions complemented the medical presentations with practical approaches to supporting patients throughout their cancer journeys.One session, called The Great Wait, focused on building a personal philosophy for living life to the fullest in the post-treatment phase of cancer, when a person is in remission. “Some of you in the audience today probably have only a 5% chance of your cancer recurring, but you’re still living every day in fear. Instead, go out and enjoy life. Let us tell you if it is ever time to worry again,” said Dan George, MD, who gave the talk along with Sarah Wood, MSN ANP-CH.The event's emphasis on hearing from a variety of cancer experts, with opportunities to interact with those experts, was reflected strongly in post-event survey responses from attendees.One participant wrote, “It’s a gift to the community. Love hearing about the latest developments in research particularly.” Another shared, “This event has been life changing for me. A cancer diagnosis for my husband was devastating. This event help to enlighten, encourage and ground me. I will be forever grateful for that.” Another said: “I appreciated the warm, respectfulness, and candidness of the healthcare professionals.”For others, the opportunity to connect with fellow patients was just as meaningful: “What I liked best is the connection with patients and learning their stories.” Another said “I appreciated the community-building nature of this event. It’s very gratifying to see the GU Cancer Center making this effort to engage us beyond the clinic visits.”Held for the second time at North Carolina Central’s student center, the event was made possible through the efforts of 13 volunteers from the GU Patient Advisory Council, who staffed registration tables, welcomed attendees at the entrance and helped direct patients and families from parking areas to the event hall. More than 65 people gave scholarships or made donations so that anyone could attend for free.Other expert presenters: Sarah Wood MSN ANP-CH, Sundhar Ramalingam MD, Jordan Infield MD, Michael Superdock MD, Dominic LaBella MD, Christopher Hoimes DO, Mike Harrison MD, Joe Park MD, and Dillon Cockrell MD, Jeff Shevach MD, Matt Labriola MD, and Jennifer Freedman, PhD.
A Duke-led study published in iScience provides new insights into the tumor microenvironment of brain metastases, identifying distinct macrophage populations associated with patient survival and highlighting potential targets for future therapeutic intervention.Brain metastases remain a significant clinical challenge across multiple tumor types, including breast cancer, lung cancer, and melanoma. Despite advances in systemic therapies and local treatment approaches, outcomes remain poor for many patients, underscoring the need for a deeper understanding of the biological mechanisms driving disease progression.Using an integrated multi-omic approach, investigators analyzed 23 human brain metastasis specimens through single-nucleus RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomic profiling. The study leveraged these complementary technologies to characterize cellular heterogeneity within the tumor microenvironment and define spatial relationships between immune and tumor cell populations.The analysis revealed substantial macrophage heterogeneity and demonstrated that macrophage-associated transcriptional programs differ significantly between patients with favorable and unfavorable survival outcomes. Specifically, inflammatory macrophage populations localized at the tumor boundary were associated with improved survival, while macrophage populations characterized by extracellular matrix remodeling signatures and TGFβ1 expression were associated with poorer outcomes.These findings suggest that distinct macrophage subtypes may play context-dependent roles in brain metastatic progression, functioning as either tumor-restrictive or tumor-supportive components of the microenvironment. The results further emphasize the importance of spatial cellular organization in shaping disease biology and clinical outcomes.Importantly, the study extends current understanding of immune-tumor interactions in brain metastases by linking specific macrophage subtypes and locations within the tumor ecosystem to survival-associated phenotypes. The identification of these distinct cellular programs may provide a framework for the development of novel therapeutic strategies aimed at modulating macrophage function or disrupting protumor signaling networks within the metastatic niche.As the incidence of brain metastases continues to increase and therapeutic resistance remains a critical barrier to long-term disease control, these findings represent an important step toward the development of more precise, microenvironment-directed treatment approaches. Further investigation will be needed to validate these observations and assess their translational potential in prospective clinical studies.This work was a joint research collaboration among Duke Center for Brain and Spine Metastasis (DCBSM) members: Dr. Ann Marie Pendergast (Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine), Dr. Carey Anders (Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology), and Dr. Simon Gregory (Department of Neurosurgery, and Duke Molecular Physiology Institute), and first-author Dr. Aaditya Khatri (Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine).
