Tina Baggott, RN, PhD, discovered her calling in the most unlikely of places — a waiting room.
In the early 1980s, Baggott, then a college freshman, was waiting to speak with her academic advisor when she stumbled upon a Time magazine article about nurse practitioners, a profession she had never heard of before. That chance discovery would shape the next four decades of her life.
Now retiring from Stanford, Baggott leaves behind an indelible legacy in pediatric oncology. She was instrumental in developing and expanding clinical trials at the Stanford Cancer Institute, bringing groundbreaking treatments to children and young adults with cancer, and raising the bar for care at Stanford and across the globe.
Pioneering cellular therapy
In 2015, alongside Stanford Cancer Institute member Kara Davis, DO, associate professor of pediatrics, Baggott treated Stanford’s first-ever patient on a chimeric antigen receptor-T cell (CAR-T cell) clinical trial, positioning her at the forefront of one of the most pioneering advancements in cancer treatment. CAR-T cell therapy involves modifying a patient’s own immune cells to more effectively target and attack cancer cells.
“Tina’s role cannot be overestimated”, said Crystal Mackall, MD, director of the Stanford Center for Cellular Therapy and associate director for
Cancer Immunotherapy at the Stanford Cancer Institute. “In 2016, a time when our team was just being formed and had essentially no infrastructure of learning in place to conduct complex first-in-child clinical trials of cancer cell therapy, Tina brought to the table a wealth of expertise, institutional knowledge, talent, and commitment that enabled us to put in place the foundations of a first-class clinical research operation.”
Baggott led the efforts to secure Stanford’s accreditation from the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy, which sets national standards for quality and safety in cellular therapy and bone marrow transplant programs, and developed standard operating procedures that became the backbone of the Pediatric Cellular Therapy program, protecting patients and optimizing treatment success.
“Tina’s passion for clinical research has sustained and built our program to what it is today, and I can state with certainty that without her tireless efforts, our cellular immunotherapy program would be a shell of what it is today,” stated Davis. “She has remained a cornerstone of our program, a source of deep knowledge and a constant motivator to keep going, to do better for our patients, and to teach others.”
Working alongside Mackall, Davis, and the pediatric cellular therapy team, she helped transform Stanford from a center treating its first CAR-T into one of the nation’s leading centers for cancer cell therapy.
Finding her path
As a newly minted nurse in 1986, Baggott did not initially set out to work in pediatric oncology, but again, chance intervened.
She began her career working with cystic fibrosis patients, where children with cancer were cared for on the same unit. It was here that Baggott’s interest in pediatric oncology first took root. The following year, a colleague nudged her to attend the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses (APHON) annual conference, which ignited her passion and transformed her understanding of the profession.
“It was eye-opening to see the professionalism in the field,” Baggott remembered. “I became deeply engaged in pediatric oncology nursing then.”
Soon after, Baggott attended a keynote by Emory professor Marilyn Hockenberry, PhD, RN, a leading figure in pediatric oncology nursing. Inspired by her work, Baggott moved to Atlanta to enroll in Emory’s graduate nursing program, where Hockenberry became her mentor. Hockenberry opened doors for Baggott, including enabling her to join APHON committees where she met nurses shaping the future of pediatric oncology. One such nurse was Pamela Hinds, RN, PhD, whose innovative idea to pair nurses with doctoral researchers sparked Baggott’s devotion to clinical research.
“The idea was that advanced practice nurses would have their finger on the pulse of clinical needs and could connect with nurses in academia,” shared Baggot.
Through APHON, Baggott was paired with UC San Francisco researcher Marilyn Dodd, RN, PhD, to study mucositis, which is painful sores caused by cancer treatments. Under Dodd’s mentorship, she honed her research skills and committed herself to helping patients experience fewer treatment-related side effects.
Advancing clinical trials
Baggott began working at Stanford in 1991. Every morning, the team met to discuss each patient scheduled in the clinic.
"We’d hear pearls of wisdom,” she says, from mentors like Bertil Glader, MD, PhD, Gary Dahl, MD, and Michael Link, MD.
Over the years, Baggott has watched Stanford’s clinical trials evolve from a decentralized system into a highly structured program.
“The vast majority of our pediatric oncology patients are on clinical trials,” she said, adding that while she was already well-versed in pediatric oncology research, there were no dedicated research nurse roles when she started at Stanford.
In 2004, Baggott became the first nurse hired to the pediatric oncology research team within the newly established Stanford Cancer Institute Clinical Trials Office (SCI-CTO). The office was created to centralize and standardize cancer clinical research across the university.
“There were just a few employees without any dedicated space, and few standard operating procedures,” she recalled.
In the office’s infancy, Baggott helped establish guidelines and standard operating procedures and played a pivotal role in improving the tracking of pediatric study toxicities.
"Back in the day, we were resource-limited and happy to get any information about patient toxicities,” Baggott reflected. “Now, understanding the patient's subjective experience is front and center.”
In 2006, Baggott stepped away from Stanford to pursue her PhD at UC San Francisco under the guidance of Christine Miaskowski, RN, PhD, where she was awarded a prestigious Betty Irene Moore Doctoral Fellowship in Nursing.
After earning her PhD and teaching nursing for several years, Baggott returned to Stanford in 2014 with a deeper knowledge of the field and a sharpened focus on research. However, Baggott never lost sight of the heart of her work, her patients.
Finding joy amidst sorrow
"We have to make each day count. Nothing is promised," Baggott said.
Casey Carr, MHA, executive director of the Stanford Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, said that Baggott has a gift for making children feel at ease, safe, and seen, even in the most uncertain of times.
Baggott recalled a patient she met through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program. The 11-year-old girl became the honoree for Baggott’s marathon team. Runners who had never set foot in a hospital learned her story, celebrated her small victories, and carried her with them mile after mile.
However, when the cancer recurred, she had one wish: to meet then-President Bill Clinton. She had already exhausted her Make-A-Wish, so Baggott and her colleagues made it happen.
“We made calls,” Baggott remembered.
Clinton happened to be dropping off his daughter, Chelsea, at Stanford, where she attended school, and he agreed to stop by. Baggott was there when the president pulled up a chair to the girl’s hospital bed. She spoke to Clinton about politics, the environment, and her own hopes and aspirations.
“She was wise beyond her years,” Baggott said.
As her cancer progressed, the family brought her home and held a celebration of life. The ability to find joy amidst sorrow is a strength Baggott has seen in families time and time again.
A lasting impact
Baggott has helped shape clinicians' professional development, both locally and internationally. Her mentoring has reached nurses around the globe, including in Japan and Thailand, where she served on dissertation committees.
“When I started at Stanford, Tina was a mentor to me,” said Nancy Sweeters, RN, associate director of pediatric hematology oncology research group and clinical operations at the SCI-CTO. “We shared an office, and for the first six months, every few minutes, I’d ask, ‘Tina, how does this work?’ She has been the backbone of our structure, and it will take four people to replace her.”
Her advice to the next generation of pediatric oncology nurses is to embrace their curiosity, always look for ways to improve care, and seek out mentors, regardless of their academic degrees.
Baggott said, "We share in the tough times and sadness with families, but don't forget to take joy in the small moments, like a child learning to ride a scooter. These are the moments that matter. And always keep your promises. Families are counting on you."
Beyond Stanford
Baggott’s influence extends well beyond Stanford. She co-edited the Nursing Care of Children and Adolescents with Cancer, affectionately known as the “Purple Book,” a landmark textbook in the field.
Through her work with the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) and the Sanofi Espoir Foundation, Baggott has worked to improve care for pediatric cancer patients in low- and middle-income countries. As chair of SIOP’s nursing committee, she secured grant funding that enabled nurses in these regions to carry out their own process improvement, education, and research projects.
“Eighty percent of pediatric cancer patients are in countries with low-resource settings,” Baggott explained. "We have so much to learn from medical teams in these countries about how to do a lot with limited resources," she added.
The next chapter
As Baggott retires from Stanford, she plans to continue her work with SIOP and on improving treatment toxicities.
But it’s not all work. She is also looking forward to traveling with her husband and embracing new experiences, just as she has always done.
“It is hard to overstate the impact Tina has had in pediatric oncology.”
“It is hard to overstate the impact Tina has had in pediatric oncology,” said Davis. “It’s impossible to imagine the program without her. She’s been there from the beginning, and while she’s retiring, I know she’ll stay busy with a new set of activities. My gratitude for her contributions and friendship is endless.”
Baggott may be retiring, but her impact on pediatric oncology is far from over. That is the mark of a true pioneer.
