Avera Transplant Institute Nursing Staff

Transplant Coordinators

Lacey Roberts, RN, Manager
Sarah Schuster, RN
Lori Sternhagen, RN
Our coordinators arrange for and follows patients' transplant care in concert with the patient and multi-disciplinary team members throughout all transplant phases across a continuum of care including various inpatient and outpatient settings. Once referred to transplant, the Coordinator meets with the transplant physicians and patient to develop the transplant calendar of events, delineating care from transplant evaluation of the recipient, search and evaluation of donors (if applicable), to pre-transplant mobilization and cell collection, to transplant infusion, to post-transplant follow-up.

Transplant Outpatient Nurses

Nurses in the outpatient setting assist patients with Hematology and Nephrology physician exam visits, medication transfusion, and dialysis as needed for the patient's underlying disease leading up to, and following transplant.

Transplant Inpatient Nurses

Nurses with specialized preparation in transplantation care for the transplant recipients and donors day in and day out throughout the hospital transplant stay. These nurses also provide care to transplant patients for any hospital stays needed before transplantation for their underlying disease management, or after transplantation for monitoring or adjustment of post-transplant care. Inpatient nurses are also specialized in apheresis procedures to collect cells and provide therapy for transplant patients. Inpatient nurses have specialty certifications in transplantation and oncology.

• Karen Miller, RN, OCN – 3E Transplant and Oncology Services Manager
• Lola Twedt, RN, OCN – Clinical Nurse Educator Bone Marrow Transplant
• Rochelle Rentschler, RN - Apheresis Coordinator
• Heather Hubble, RN - Clinical Nurse Educator Solid Organ Transplant