Gisele Tlusty

Gisele Tlusty is a MSN to PhD student in UNMC’s College of Nursing. She is also a Graduate Research Assistant for Dr. Robin Lally and Dr. Windy Alonso.


Current credentials and degrees: MSN, RN
Hometown: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Program Start Date: August 2019
Anticipated Graduation Date: December 2023
Research interest: Physical activity interventions for patients with hematologic malignancies undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant.
Plans after graduation: Post doc.


Why I chose a PhD in nursing:


I became interested in nursing research while working on a quality improvement project as a nurse in the Special Care Unity at Nebraska Medicine. In my research to develop an incentive-based walking program to improve outcomes in for our hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients, I discovered very few studies exploring physical activity in this patient population. I had the opportunity to speak about the walking program at the Oncology Nursing Society Congress in 2019, where I met several nurse scientists and learned about their influential work. I enrolled in the PhD program at UNMC last fall to develop the skills necessary to pursue a career in nursing research and contribute to the oncology nursing field.

Research/professional interests:


My research focus is on understanding the barriers and facilitators of adherence to physical activity interventions for patients diagnosed with hematological malignancies in the acute recovery phase of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

What I like about UNMC:


I have excellent professors and mentors at UNMC. Everyone I have met here has been invested in my success and has helped me with anything I have needed from day one. My classmates have become close friends and continue to be a great support system.

Professional memberships:


  • Oncology Nursing Society
  • Midwest Nursing Research Society
  • Sigma Theta Tau International
  • Council for the Advancement of Nursing Physical activity interventions for patients with hematologic malignancies undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

Three things people may not know about me:


  • I’ve run nine marathons, including Chicago and Boston.
  • My first language is Portuguese. I learned English in three months when I was nine years old, thanks to my excellent ESL teacher!
  • I have two Japanese Chins, Rosie and Smeagol.