Deltra Muoki, PhD, APRN, AGNP-C, CMSRN, CNE, NE-BC, joined Houston Methodist Sugar Land (HMSL) Hospital as a PhD-prepared nursing scholar and adult geriatric primary care nurse practitioner with more than 15 years of nursing experience. She received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Prairie View A&M University, a Master of Science and a PhD in Nursing Science from Texas Woman’s University. Dr. Muoki’s first job as a registered nurse was at Houston Methodist. She has since served as a registered nurse and nurse practitioner at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She also has academic experience as faculty at Texas Woman’s University and adjunct faculty at San Jacinto College South. Before coming to HMSL, Dr. Muoki was most recently in a leadership role as the Undergraduate Nursing Program Director at Texas Woman’s University for the Houston campus. She is currently involved in several research studies and enjoys mentoring other nurses.

Pinky Shani, PhD, MSN, RN, is the nurse scientist at Houston Methodist West (HMW). She has a diverse research, teaching, and writing background with more than 16 years of experience as a nurse working towards bridging the gap between research and practice. Dr. Shani completed the first Integrative Therapies Post Doctoral Research Fellowship at Harvard University and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Phyllis F. Cantor Center for Research in Nursing and Patient Care Services, where she gained expertise in developing and implementing research and scientific writing. Her research career focuses on the multi-disciplinary evaluation of interventions, objective and subjective measures of symptom outcomes and health disparities within a bio-behavioral approach to survivorship and caregiver well-being. She has served as Principal Investigator for several research grants, including the National Institutes of Health Clinical Trial Planning grant (R34) training. Dr. Shani’s leadership and mentorship in interventional research have been recognized internationally through invitations to give keynote talks at national and international conferences. She has served on several committees, including her work with the Belize Cancer Society, where she is involved with implementing a survivorship program for the underserved population of Belize. Her passion for teaching is reflected in her previous roles as an Assistant Professor at Texas Woman’s University and the University of Houston. Furthermore, Dr. Shani’s support for the professional growth of nurses is evident in her dedication to the guidance and implementation of projects to improve patient care and the well-being of nurses.