Amanda McIntyre is working to bring virtual reality to the bedside.

Seeking meaning and purpose after a cancer diagnosis and difficult Whipple procedure, Amanda McIntyre, MFA, BSN, RN, decided seven years ago to switch careers and enroll in nursing school at 47 years old.

“At my age, people don’t often do that, but I decided I was at the beginning of a new journey,” said McIntyre, a mother of three. “What I had been through left me with a need to somehow pay forward the incredible gift of life I was afforded. Nursing is where I turned to fulfill that.”

Fast forward seven years, and McIntyre is now living her dream. She is a Brigham oncology nurse who has nearly completed her doctorate degree and is preparing to improve the experience of patients with immersive virtual reality technology.

“Ever since I decided to become a nurse, things have kept unfolding in ways I never expected,” said McIntyre, who now works on Braunwald Tower 11D, an Oncology unit.

‘Intense need’ for meaning and purpose

McIntyre, who holds a master’s degree in art, began her career teaching college art courses and creating life-size ceramic sculptures. She later worked on the founding teams of venture-backed biotech startups — a path that blended creativity, innovation and healthcare long before she turned to nursing.

Everything changed when McIntyre learned she had a tumor in her pancreas. Although the initial biopsy showed it was benign, the tumor was making her seriously ill, and she agreed to a Whipple procedure — a complex surgery in which the head of the pancreas, the gallbladder and the duodenum are removed and the digestive system is rerouted.

‘Surprisingly, at the end of that process, the pathology of the tumor revealed it had been cancerous, and this physician and team had saved my life,’ she said.

As she recovered over the next few years, she set sight on a new career path.

“I had this intense need after this experience to have meaning and purpose in my life,” she said. “What was I going to do with the rest of my life to make surviving this make sense?”

Nursing came to mind, and McIntyre enrolled in programs at two community colleges to take as many prerequisites as possible. She was accepted the following year to the BSN program at Northeastern University and began immediately. She knew from the start where she most wanted to work.

“I had my eyes on the Brigham,” she said. “I had several follow-up surgeries here, and I had one of my sons here. It’s always been my favorite hospital.”

Patient connection inspires innovation

McIntyre forms special bonds with her patients, sharing her own cancer journey when she thinks it will be helpful. “I know how it is to have to lay in bed and not feel well,” she said.

While working on Tower 6BCD one Christmas Eve, McIntyre cared for a patient who was very despondent. “I always try to get my patients to engage in something – TV, music, conversation, anything that might help,” she said. “I couldn’t get her to engage in anything. I wished I could just take her to the beach, which is my happy place.”

McIntyre felt that what the patient really needed was a change of scenery for her mental well-being. “Can’t I bring the beach to her with virtual reality?” she wondered.

McIntyre discussed her idea with Susan Ayers, DNP, RN, OCN, NEA-BC, her nursing director at the time, and immediately began research. “It was a lot of work, but I was determined to do it because I believe that experiences can be transformational,” she said.

Initially, McIntyre envisioned VR simply as a way for patients to escape the hospital room. But as she dug into the research, she found a growing evidence base supporting immersive virtual reality as a legitimate, non-pharmacologic intervention for pain and anxiety — and her idea evolved into a more comprehensive, nurse-led project for oncology care. Encouraged by a former Brigham nurse, she decided to pursue her doctorate with the virtual reality project as the foundation of her scholarly practice work.

From there, the pieces began falling into place, with support from Pamela Linzer, PhD, RN, associate chief nursing officer, Audra Lewis, PhD, MSN, RN, CHSE, nursing director of the Patricia A. Chin Nursing Simulation Lab, and Annie Lewis-O’Connor, PhD, NP-BC, MPH, FAAN, director of Research and Innovation for Nursing.

From concept to (virtual) reality

Amanda McIntyre in BWH’s Patricia A. Chin Nursing Simulation Lab

To better understand how virtual reality could be integrated into oncology care, McIntyre developed and led an educational project for oncology nurses, introducing them to the technology and gathering their feedback.

“Overwhelmingly, they were all excited about the use of this technology to support patients,” she said.

Her next steps are to identify an oncology unit where immersive virtual reality can be piloted and thoughtfully integrated into care. She also plans to expand education across other specialties at the Brigham to better understand how nurses in different settings view the technology and where it may have the greatest impact.

McIntyre’s work has begun to gain visibility beyond the bedside. She served as a panelist at Harvard XR 2026 in April and has been selected as a speaker for the Brigham’s Karsh Nursing Scholars Day on May 27, an annual conference focused on research and innovation for BWH and BWFH nurses.

McIntyre believes her many life experiences led her to nursing.

“I do feel like it’s a calling for me,” she said. “And I never could have imagined when I was starting out, getting my degree in art, that I’d be where I am now. I pinch myself that I get to work at one of the best hospitals in the world and may bring to fruition an innovation that changes the experience of our patients. I can’t believe that I get to do the work that I’m doing here.”