Azra AI is proud to recognize Kristina Rua, MSN, RN, OCN, ONN-CG, Associate Vice President of Care Coordination at the University of Miami Health System, as our Oncology Hero of the Month for May 2025. With a career devoted to oncology and a heart for advocacy, Kristina embodies the resilience, empathy, and innovation that drive better outcomes for patients across the continuum of care.
“I've been in oncology my entire nursing career,” Kristina shared. From inpatient nursing to GYN oncology, and eventually to launching navigation programs at multiple institutions, her path has always been grounded in patient-centered care. But oncology wasn’t always her plan.
“When I went into nursing school, I was hardcore, 'I'm gonna be a pediatric nurse,” she recalled. That changed during her final clinical rotation—on an oncology unit she didn’t want to be in. “I went in completely negative saying, 'This is gonna be terrible. I'm going to absolutely despise it.'” Instead, Kristina found her calling. “It was a godsend. And I think again, oncology chooses you.”
At the University of Miami Health System, Kristina has played a pivotal role in expanding navigation beyond oncology. “We have a large oncology navigation program... and it just kind of spiraled into focusing on care coordination as a system.” She’s now leading efforts to replicate the best practices of oncology navigation across other disease states. “Patients with cardiovascular disease, with diabetes, with rheumatology issues... also deserve that handholding and that high-touch care.”
Her passion for navigation runs deep: “Anybody that's a nurse in essence has some navigator in them... it is our focus to make sure that the patient gets what it is that they need and that their care is coordinated.”
When asked what sets navigators apart, Kristina responded without hesitation: “It is the heart. It is the caring. It is the stubborn, ‘I am going to get my patient where they need to be with the resources that they need.’ There’s this determination that is innate to any navigator.” She believes all nurses have a navigator spirit and celebrates the growing recognition of navigation’s value—clinically, financially, and in terms of both patient and physician satisfaction.
Kristina is also at the forefront of digital transformation in healthcare, guiding her organization through widespread AI integration. “We have well over 150 different platforms that are artificial intelligence,” she noted, spanning everything from diagnostics to clinical decision-making and clinical trial identification.
But she’s clear about the role of technology: “AI only enhances what we do and that it is not a substitute of what the human body can do... incorporating it in our day-to-day workflows really is gonna just make us stronger.”
One of her favorite examples came during a technical failure at an AI presentation. “My slide deck disappears. And I have to wing it.” An audience member later told her, “This was really truly what we needed to see to show that the human brain will always be far superior to what AI can do.”
Kristina’s work doesn’t end at the hospital. She volunteers with Gilda’s Club of South Florida, a nonprofit supporting those affected by cancer. “We offer support to patients in the community so that we can ensure that nobody goes through cancer alone.” Through education, support groups, and care coordination, Kristina helps extend care far beyond clinical walls.
For those entering healthcare, Kristina offers this wisdom: “You’ve gotta love what you do. Healthcare is a calling... Don’t fixate on one thing.” She also encourages new professionals to join associations like AONN+ and ONS: “Be part of them. Engage in them. Because you have no idea what they can do for your nursing career.”
Kristina credits her own mentors for shaping her dual lens on clinical and administrative leadership. “I still have people that I latch onto that have value, that have expertise... because I think it’s important that we can always learn from each other.”
Hear our full interview with Kristina Rua in the video below:
In addition to the Oncology Hero recognition, Azra AI has made a contribution to the charity of Kristina's choice. Her charity of choice is the Gilda's Club of South Florida. Please join us in donating to this organization!