ASU alum brings care to health innovation

When Nicole Magdziarz was 4 years old, she watched her grandfather battle cancer. During that difficult time, she also witnessed the care and kindness of Julie, his hospice nurse.

“I thought she was incredible. I decided then that I wanted to be a nurse,” Magdziarz said. That childhood decision stayed with her, and years later, she began her career as an oncology nurse.

Magdziarz cherished the close relationships she built with patients and their families. Then, more than a decade after becoming a nurse, she was offered a chance to step into a role in health care innovation — a field she hadn’t planned on, but one that sparked her curiosity.

“I was willing to take a chance, even though it wasn’t something I had envisioned for myself,” she explained. “I wanted to see how I could contribute in a different way.”

To help gain a better understanding of the new side of health care she was entering, Magdziarz turned to Arizona State University, enrolling in the Health Care Innovation Graduate Certificate program through the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation.

Magdziarz credits her time in the program with shaping how she thinks about leadership and adaptability. She said it prepared her not only to deliver care but to think bigger about how systems impact people’s lives.

“ASU really instilled in me the importance of leadership. It’s not just about having a title — it’s about showing up, taking initiative and empowering others to do the same. The program also showed me how collaboration, both within and outside your organization, can drive innovation.”

Today, she is a vice president of precision therapy solutions at Concert, a position that bridges her background in nursing with her passion for improving health care, leading to better outcomes.

Even as Magdziarz immersed herself in new skills like data analysis, systems thinking, project design and more, years in oncology gave her a unique perspective to understand patients’ needs and the realities of the health care system. Her clinical experience didn’t disappear; it became the backbone of her approach.

“No matter how technical the work gets, I never forget there’s a human being at the center. Being a nurse has always helped me keep perspective,” she said.

Looking back, Magdziarz sees her work as both intentional and serendipitous: a childhood experience, a meaningful start in oncology and a career that expanded in ways she couldn’t have predicted. What remains constant is her drive to connect compassion with innovation. For her, the two are inseparable.

“It’s not about leaving the bedside behind. It’s about asking how we can make care better at every touchpoint,” she said, emphasizing that one informs the other in every role she undertakes.

She encourages students and alumni to embrace the unknown as an opportunity. “Uncertainty has often been the spark for my most rewarding work. It forces you to adapt, to listen and to create solutions you might never have considered otherwise. Don’t be afraid if your career takes a turn you didn’t plan for. Every step you take builds on the last, even if it looks completely different from where you started,” she said.

By approaching unexpected challenges as chances to learn and grow, Magdziarz has been able to expand her impact while staying true to her core values as a health care provider.

Written by Aastha Negi