Joan O'Mahony

Joan O'Mahony is a nurse practitioner who cares for patients undergoing lung or heart surgery. She has expertise in non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, sarcomas (cancers that start in bone or tissues such as muscle and fat), thymomas (malignant cancers that start in the thymus, a gland in the upper chest that makes certain white blood cells) and mesothelioma (an aggressive cancer that forms in tissues that cover the lungs or other internal organs).

After earning a bachelor's degree in nursing at San Francisco State University, O'Mahony started her career at UCSF as a nurse in the cardiac intensive care unit. She completed her master's degree in nursing at UCSF, while also studying environmental and occupational health. After completing her training to become a nurse practitioner, she joined the UCSF teams in general surgery, thoracic (chest) surgery and cardiothoracic surgery (including procedures involving heart and lung support devices). After 13 years, she moved to New York City to work as a heart device specialist for several hospitals in the area. She returned to UCSF in 2019. She is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.