On this episode of WOCTalk, we’re joined by Eva Philippe, BSN, RN, CWON, recipient of the 2024 UOAA WOC Nurse of the Year Award. Eva shares how her involvement in ostomy support groups has shaped her clinical practice and patient care philosophy. She discusses the value of support groups and how they help people living with ostomies build confidence and long-term adaptation after surgery. Eva also explores practical challenges such as addressing misinformation in group settings, improving access through donation closets, and supporting ostomates as they transition back to everyday life. She reflects on how her volunteer work continues to inform her approach to teaching, mentorship, and patient-centered care.
If you’re interested in getting involved with or starting a support group in your own community, this episode is for you!
Resources:
United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA)
Find an ostomy support group near you
Ostomy Awareness Day / World Ostomy Day
The Youth Rally
Friends of Ostomates Worldwide-USA (FOW-USA)
Ostomy 101
About the Speaker:
Eva Philippe, BSN, RN, CWON, graduated as a nurse in 2012 from Saddleback College in CA. She then went on to complete a BSN program through University of Texas, Arlington. She realized her passion and interest in the role wound and ostomy while completing her capstone BSN project on healthcare staff’s impact on patients’ adaptation to ostomy in the early post-op phase. She completed her wound training through University of Washington and ostomy training through Emory University in 2019.
She currently works at Fred Hutch Cancer Care clinic in Seattle, WA. This is an outpatient oncology clinic where she works in the CWON role supporting patients with ostomy needs and a wide variety of wound etiologies (oncological and other). This is a small team of CWONs working in collaboration with over 20 teams of oncology subspecialties as well as surgical teams. Eva also works at Evergreen Healthcare in Washington in both the inpatient setting and outpatient wound and ostomy clinic where she collaborates with a larger team of infectious disease and various providers and nurses to the full scope of the role.
She participates in two local ostomy support groups: North Sound Ostomy Support Group and Greater Eastside Ostomy Support Group. Additionally, Eva has periodically attended Youth Rally since 2019. Eva is passionate about teaching. She has given presentations at the University of Washington nursing conferences and precepted clinical students from various programs.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.