It truly takes a team to keep Yale Urology successful. Please join us as we regularly feature some of our nurses and advanced practice providers who, with our residents and attending physicians, bring world class care to our patient community.
PATRICIA [PAT] LUCIA, RN, 1946-2023
“Compassionate.” “Resilient.” “Committed.” “Remarkable.”
Just some of the words used to describe Yale Urology’s longtime nursing leader and educator Patricia [Pat] Lucia, RN. She died after a series of health complications on March 19, 2023. She was 77.
“She loved being a nurse. She loved coming to work,” says Yale Urology clinical program director Diana Glassman, RN, BSN, MBA.
In fact, Lucia worked the day before her son took her to the hospital. She would die unexpectedly just a few days later.
“I saw her become a renal failure patient, then a dialysis patient, then a transplant patient … she moved through each phase gracefully,” said WalterJohn Lucia, Pat’s son.
He says she would regularly undergo dialysis from 6 to 9 a.m., then push through an 8 to 9-hour day at work.
“Very few knew she was sick,” says David Hesse, MD, who worked with Lucia during her Yale Urology years. “You never heard her complain … I will remember her strength.”
Lucia’s willingness to dig in not only made a difference on behalf of patients, but also with those she worked with.
“Pat was fair, feisty, and a team player who didn’t mind getting her hands dirty on the floor[s],” says Nahomie Alexandre, a Yale Urology tech who recently graduated from nursing school. “She always encouraged me … gave me life advice and didn’t let me give up. Her words of wisdom, availability, and support helped make me who I am today,” Alexandre says.
“We were better because of her,” continued Hesse. “I have been in practice 32 years and she is one of the few nurses I will never forget for the kindness she showed to her peers and her effectiveness and compassion when dealing with patients.”
And the “calling” was life-sustaining for Lucia herself in many ways, says her son. He saw it give her new meaning and purpose after his dad, Walter Lucia, MD, died in 2018. The only thing that was more important than work were her grandkids, he recalls.
“It was never about her. It was always about the patient, a friend, a colleague, others.”
In honor of Lucia, a special designation has been set up within the Urology Program Fund at Yale New Haven Hospital, which will specifically go toward the professional development of our urology techs. Checks may be written to Yale New Haven Hospital with “in Memory of Patricia Lucia” or “Urology Tech” on the memo line. Mail to Yale New Haven Hospital, Office of Development, P.O. Box 419176, Boston, MA 02241-9176. Or you may contribute online at givetoynhh.org [choose the “Urology Program Fund.”]
She is the longest serving Yale Urology advanced practice provider [APP], who started her YNHH career as a student nurse intern in the late 1980s. Cynthia Curto, MSN, FNP, APRN, says she knew early on, as a member of the nurse float pool, that urology was her favorite area for its longevity of care, the diversification of procedures, and the people.
“I have many families of patients, meaning I see many husbands and wives for different urological complaints, as well as mothers and daughters. I truly love it all!”
In 1996, Curto went back to school to complete her master’s and became board certified as a family nurse practitioner three years later. Her thesis was on the quality of life of bladder cancer patients after urinary diversion. She began her APRN work with several faculty members when they were still in private practice and describes how “fate” connected her with our team for the long haul.
“I had taken some time off after having my first baby, but was called to work on September 11, 2001, as the hospital increased staffing in anticipation of an influx of patients. I bumped into Dr. [David] Hesse that day and he told me they were looking to add to their practice. I interviewed and started my first APRN job with them. I have been with the group ever since.”
Curto primarily sees her own panel of patients in the Madison and Hamden clinic locations, as well as at the Yale Health Center, providing urological care to Yale University faculty, staff, and grad students.
The married mother of three says she continues to feel fulfilled at work because every day is different and she is constantly learning. She especially chalks up her love of the job to great mentors – particularly Drs. [Richard] Dean, [Thomas] Martin, and [David] Hesse.
“I am very appreciative of their clinical expertise and the way in which they have generously shared their knowledge with me.”
Outside of work Curto is involved with several non-profit causes and organizations, including the Foster Love Project, The Breast Friends Fund, Walking with Purpose, ZERO—The End of Prostate Cancer, Sandy Hook Promise, and Moms Demand Action.
“Nursing has always been my dream!” says Melissa Matias, BSN, RN, and her entire nursing journey has been with Yale Urology. She was hired as an LPN in 2013 through a temp agency and became an official Yale employee a year later. She now serves as a nurse coordinator.
Her commitment to the department was anchored early on. Without management support and the approachability of the physicians, she says she would never be able to juggle family, full-time work, and school. She graduated with her BSN in May 2021.
Matias directly supports Yale Urology Chair Isaac Y. Kim, MD, PhD, MBA, during his clinic time – following up on referrals and procedure/medication orders and jumping in elsewhere when nurses may be short that day. Prior to Kim, she worked most closely with sexual medicine and reproductive health division chief Stanton Honig, MD. “I feel like I am still learning something new every day. I have specialized in men’s health and am now getting more acclimated to the prostate cancer side of things … Helping to give someone the opportunity to start a family or easing them into a new diagnosis is very gratifying for me.”
Outside of work, Matias volunteers with the Dominican American Coalition of Connecticut, a non-profit that participates in social service assistance programs, cultural celebrations, and advocating for educational options. She also loves music, dancing, and baseball, and is an avid Yankees fan.
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