Mary Lesh, CPNP-PC, RN, MSN, PHN, CNS

Mary Lesh, CPNP-PC, RN, MSN, PHN, CNS

• Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Division of Pediatric Hematology 

• Volunteer Faculty UCSF School of Nursing 

• Allied Health Professional 

• Institution: University of California San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital 

Allied Health Sub-Committee of HTRS 2025 Planning Committee 

“I’m excited to be part of how HTRS is incorporating all voices in the H/T community.  It is enlightening for investigators to see the various professionals involved in caring for patients affected by hematologic conditions, including nurses, advance practice providers, physical therapists, social workers, lab technicians, pharmacists, and pharm techs – all working together as team with input from all groups to provide positive outcomes.” 

National Bleeding Disorders Foundation Service 

Past Chair, Nurse Working Group 

Also active in the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), providing equitable health care to high-need communities in western states in the area of maternal child health. 

I am fascinated by the process of growing and harvesting lavender.  Living in San Francisco (west toward the Pacific Ocean) we get a lot of fog, so it’s not the most ideal place to grow but lavender is resilient, and the sun breaks through just enough.  I ascribe to the relaxing qualities of lavender oil, which really intrigue me about this beautiful plant.  Though I’m an amateur, I have enjoyed attending various lavender festivals here in northern California and Southern Oregon. 

Our spaniel Rosie has been a beautiful gift to our family – spaniels are great dogs with good dispositions. She loves to chase butterflies, which motivates me to capture the light each day!  We also have two teenage kids who keep us very busy. 

I love reading mystery novels, especially the Canadian author Louise Penny who is married to a physician.  Her detective series reminds me of staging a good hematologic evaluation.  There are parallels with our work: we discover unknown things and work to solve mysteries on a daily basis. 

After graduating from Biola University’s nursing school in Southern California (and then earning graduate degrees at UCSF), I started my career as a bedside nurse in the pediatric ICU and was drawn to hematology. I was fascinated and always wanted to learn more about the various hematologic factors impacting critically ill patients.   

I have had the great fortune to work alongside a number of inspiring individuals across professions who have influenced me and continue to inspire my work in hemostasis and thrombosis for more than 18 years later.  Susan Karp, one of nurse coordinators who started the hemophilia program at UCSF, was very influential in my training.  There have been so many.  When you dip yourself into this H/T world, so many talented individuals keep you going.  It is a great community.  

It is easy to stay.  We have tough days but we are a collective community making a difference.  This field is moving forward.  We’re seeing patients’ lives improving.  We are a community moving in the right direction, which is ultimately very rewarding. 

Being a trainee during COVID and seeing the clinical relevance of thromboinflammation was particularly eye-opening; I was fortunate to be able to contribute to the body of intense research into this early in the pandemic. My initial paper as a first author focused on the association of D-dimer and death among ICU patients with COVID, which was also educational and impactful to my career choice. Further, the mentorship of Neil Zakai, MD, MSc for this project was equally key -- especially his eye to the complex interpretation of nonspecific markers such as D-dimer to try to make timely clinical recommendations.

Woody Allen once said: “80% of success in life is just showing up.” I know this to be true.  It's vital to show up even when you don’t have the answers or think you have the time.  The unknown answers come when you start and do the work. 

Being in a field filled with experts doing amazing work can sometimes be a bit intimidating, and you can feel you have to be perfect to make an impact.   But at the end of the day, you don’t have to be perfect.  What’s more important is to be present, willing to work with all of your colleagues – that's where success happens.  Rely on and trust each other. We all set the bar for excellence and we do it together. 

If you’re committed to your work and show up – not hindered by your fears – you’re going to be able to do things.   In my yoga practice, I have learned to recognize that caring for myself is part of being present and showing up – extending that gentleness to myself...showing up even when I don’t have the answers.