by Tom Wilemon
Karline Peal, MBA, BS, AS, RTT, was recently named associate operating officer of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC).
Peal is responsible for the administrative operations, oversight and leadership of the Cancer Patient Care Center.
She works in collaboration with the associate nursing officer and other top medical leaders to lead performance improvement and key strategic partnerships across Vanderbilt University Medical Center to facilitate and achieve goals for the continuum of cancer care.
She came to VICC from Northwestern Medicine’s North Market Region in the suburbs of Chicago, where she served and advanced in several leadership positions, including regional director of Cancer Services, where she had full oversight of three comprehensive accredited cancer centers and integration with the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Prior to her 17 years at Northwestern, she served more than eight years with the Advocate Health Care System across the metropolitan area as a manager of Radiation Oncology Services and clinical instructor at National Louis University in Chicago, where she mentored and trained radiation therapists.
Peal has an MBA in finance and human resources from North Park University, a BS in health arts from the University of Saint Francis and an AS in radiation therapy from Indiana University Northwest. She recently received a Data Analytics certification from the University of Chicago Graham School for Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies Data Analytics Program.
She began her work in cancer care before thinking about a career path in the field. At age 19, she became the primary caregiver for her mother, who had been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, and quickly learned the challenging journey cancer patients and families face daily.
“I know how hard it is to see the suffering and feel helpless because I have felt it, and that feeling drives me every day to make sure other families don’t feel the same as I once did,” she said.