DNP, FNP-BC
Nurse Practitioner
When a patient completes treatment, their story does not end. My goal is to help establish clear guidelines for patients, so that when they ring the bell after their last radiation session or infusion, they know what comes next.
Rush University College of Nursing (Doctor of Nursing Practice), Chicago, IL
Family Nurse Practitioner – American Nurses Credentialing Center
Oncology Certified Nurse – Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation
Ashley Marenyi, DNP, FNP-BC, is a Nurse Practitioner at City of Hope® Cancer Care Downtown Chicago, where she supports patients before, during and after cancer treatment and into survivorship. A fierce patient advocate, she makes it her goal to ensure that everyone, no matter his or her cancer diagnosis, has access to long-term survivorship care that helps him or her achieve the best possible health outcomes for life after cancer.
Marenyi chose to pursue a career in medicine after being diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer at age 24. During treatment, she was deeply impressed by the individual attention and quality of care she received as a patient.
“The cancer care providers took their time explaining my treatment options and made me feel like I had a say in my care,” she recalls. “After navigating my own cancer diagnosis, I realized that I wanted to help other people going through similar experiences. While everyone’s oncology journey is different, my experience with cancer has allowed me to practice with more empathy and understanding.”
Marenyi went on to earn her doctor of nursing practice (DNP) at Rush University College of Nursing in Chicago. She is now a licensed advanced practice registered nurse in the state of Illinois, a board-certified family nurse practitioner and an oncology-certified nurse. Her passion is improving access to survivorship care for all patients.
“By empowering patients with the knowledge of short- and long-term side effects of their therapies and with support resources, I believe we can help minimize the long-lasting physical and psychosocial impacts of cancer for the patient and their caregivers,” Marenyi says.
Prior to joining City of Hope, Marenyi worked as a radiation oncology nurse at Rush University Medical Center, helping patients with breast, lung, prostate, gynecologic, gastrointestinal, skin and central nervous system cancers. During her time there, she also led a quality improvement project that increased access to survivorship care for people previously diagnosed with head and neck cancer.
“My hope is that all patients, regardless of cancer type, have long-term survivorship support after completing oncology treatment,” Marenyi says. “It is more important than ever to make sure patients who are five, 10 or 15-plus years out from treatment feel confident in what to expect and to remind them that there is life after cancer.”
Outside of the clinic, Marenyi enjoys traveling, spending time with family and friends and exploring new neighborhoods in Chicago.