Chief Nursing Officer and Senior Vice President Carol Porter, D.N.P., formed her first impressions of MD Anderson as a Magnet appraiser in 2010.

“Before the visit, I read through MD Anderson’s application, which was several thousand pages, and I remember thinking, ‘this is amazing – it can’t be real,’” Porter recalls. Over her five-day survey, she witnessed the interdisciplinary teamwork, leading professional practices and evidence-based...