Brenda Dyal, Ph.D., D.N.P., APRN, FNP-BC, a family nurse practitioner with a strong background in rural health care, has been named clinical director of the UF Health Cancer Center’s Mobile Cancer Screening Connector.
In this role, she will oversee all clinical operations on the mobile vehicle, which aims to expand access to lifesaving cancer screenings and essential health care services in North Central Florida’s largely rural areas. Services include 3D mammograms and cervical, colon and prostate cancer screenings, as well as a range of cancer education.
“Nurse practitioners are in a perfect position to reach people in rural areas, whether that’s in-person or telehealth,” said Dyal, a clinical associate professor and interim chair in the Department of Family, Community and Health Systems Science in the UF College of Nursing. “We’re perfectly aligned through our education, training and experience to be that connector informing health policy, gathering and communicating data, and reaching people to inform them of services available, such as cancer screenings.”
Dyal’s expertise will expertly advance the mobile vehicle’s mission, said Ramzi Salloum, Ph.D., associate director for community outreach and engagement at the UF Health Cancer Center.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Dyal as the clinical director of the Mobile Cancer Screening Connector,” Salloum said. “Her expertise and commitment to cancer prevention and early detection will be invaluable as we expand access to lifesaving screenings in the communities we serve and reduce barriers to care.”
Dyal earned her Master of Science in Nursing from Florida State University and her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Florida. She also earned her Ph.D. at UF and completed postdoctoral training in the Center of Palliative Care, Research and Education in the UF College of Nursing.
She has worked in rural health clinics serving the working uninsured and occupational health settings serving rural populations. Growing up in a rural community in Central Florida informed her approach to patient care.
“I think everyone is entitled to have everything that is available to optimize their health and have the option of participating in that care,” she said. “I’m very interested in engaging people and reaching them where they are.”
At the UF College of Nursing, Dyal teaches health promotion at the graduate level and population health and community health at the undergraduate level. The new role will help her foster nurses’ engagement in the community, expanding the clinical reach of nursing students.
“This position meshes with my personal philosophy and clinical experience and where I see myself as an educational leader of nursing students,” she said.
Dyal’s research interests focus on the development of behavioral interventions using novel communication techniques and approaches that results in improved patient adherence and improved pain in patients with cancer, sickle cell disease and other chronic pain conditions. Her pain research focuses on tailored multimedia educational programs developed from her clinical experience as a family nurse practitioner, where she frequently encountered patients from underserved, mostly rural areas with unrelieved pain.
Dyal was also previously involved in designing a study with the Florida Academic Cancer Center Alliance to characterize the area the UF Health Cancer Center serves, with the goal of addressing cancer health needs.
The Mobile Cancer Screening Connector is now offering 3D mammography. For more information and upcoming events, visit go.ufl.edu/connector.
Reducing Barriers to Care
Mobile Cancer Screening Connector
The UF Health Cancer Center's mobile cancer screening bus is outfitted with leading-edge technology to bring a range of cancer screening and health care services directly to the communities it serves.
