Gilanie De Castro

Gilanie De Castro has nearly 25 years of nursing experience and specializes in oncology and leadership. She is currently an interim nursing director at the National Cancer Institute.

Gilanie is deeply committed to empowering nurses to advocate for themselves, their profession, and their communities. She believes that nurses, as natural advocates, should lead in decision-making for their profession. Extending nursing influence into public and health policy spheres is central to her mission of improving health outcomes for all.

She holds several leadership positions, including 2024 President-Elect of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Oncology Nursing Society (GLAONS), 2023-2025 Legislative Director for the American Nursing Association\California (ANA\C), and member of the 2025-2026 Philippine Nurses Association of America (PNAA) Legislative Committee.

Gilanie is also an alumna of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) Nurse Manager Fellowship, the American Nurses Association Advocacy Institute, and the Vot-ER Civic Health Fellowship. Gilanie has been honored with the 2023 ANA\C Elizabeth “Betty” Curtis Nursing Advocacy Award and the 2024 ANA Advocacy Award for being a Champion for Nurses. She is also a social media ambassador for AONL.

Known as “CitizenNurse” on social media, Gilanie creates educational content on civics, politics, and government functions. In 2024, she launched a video podcast on YouTube called “CitizenNurse & Friends,” which highlights the role of nurses in health policy and features interviews with nurses active in advocacy.