Seeing The Bigger Picture: Alum Advances Nuclear Medicine Career

With an athlete’s discipline and a focus on patient care, Haley Cammarata is an emerging leader at Shields Health, bringing imaging services across New England.

In the summer of 2004, Michael Phelps won his first Olympic gold medal. Around the same time, Haley Cammarata was also working toward Olympic dreams. She showed promise in the pool, breaking records, swimming at nationals, even qualifying for the Junior Olympics.

Her training was peaking, but something was holding her back. A distinct pain in her shoulder during the butterfly stroke prevented her from keeping her arms up and reaching far enough in front of her.

“I hadn’t told anybody I was having pain, but my coach and my dad could see the exact point where pain impacted my stroke,” Cammarata remembered. What followed was a string of doctor appointments, scans, tests, and finally, a diagnosis: torn cartilage and damage to the bones in her shoulder joint. It was the end of her swimming career.

Throughout the ordeal, she found comfort in the healthcare providers who made her feel heard, calm, and seen, especially the technologists who conducted and reviewed her countless X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans. Today, Cammarata, MBA ’26, BS ’13, is Senior Director of Operations at Shields Health and has spent the last decade improving the imaging experience for patients and her fellow technologists.

“Knowing that I am having an impact on patients’ lives like others had on mine is huge for me,” she said. “We’re making sure the patient is getting the right care at the right time. That’s what I love about what I do.”

A Foot in the Door

Cammarata started her career at Shields shortly after completing the nuclear medicine technology program at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS). At the time, the job market was competitive, so she accepted a front desk position. She took the first opportunity to work as a per diem PET/CT technologist.

“When I first started, we had a lot of downtime,” she remembered. “In between patients, I did research, adjusted workflows, organized worksheets and paperwork, basically anything that needed to be done to improve the experience for patients and technologists.”

Cammarata was promoted to Lead Technologist, then Chief Technologist. She joined the leadership team as Director of Operations in 2021 and was promoted to Senior Director last year. After years of swim training, it was the only way she knew how to work.

“You have to have vigorous discipline to be an athlete at that level, driven by the passion behind it,” she said. “Being an athlete taught me how to do what it takes, and even though it might be hard in the moment, it will pay off in the end. Now, that payoff is the impact I have on patients’ lives.”

In operations, Cammarata oversees chief technologists and fosters relationships with healthcare facilities across New England to bring imaging services to as many patients as possible. She also leads outreach and education about PETCT and radiopharmaceuticals.

“We work with our referring community on how to best utilize these tools based on the patient’s condition, which is especially important in oncology, my area of expertise,” she explained. “That’s why it’s been so easy to grow with this company. I’m doing the right thing for the patients.”

As she climbed the leadership ladder, Cammarata felt like she was hitting her limit of knowledge and comfort, so she returned to MCPHS.

“I always want to better myself personally and professionally,” she said. “I’m getting very deep into the business aspects of patient care, and I’d like to be a better leader and make more educated decisions.”

Putting Coursework into Action

In the fall, Cammarata began pursuing her master’s degree at MCPHS. Since the program approaches business from a healthcare perspective, she has already been able to apply her studies in the workplace.

“I’m taking a course with Dean [Michael] Spooner on conflict negotiation and conflict resolution, and the content is so relatable,” she said. “It’s motivating to implement what I’m learning in real life before I’ve even finished the degree.”

As she advances her knowledge, Cammarata said the nuclear medicine field is expanding. Patient demand is on the rise as PET/CT scans are diagnosing patients faster and more accurately. Nuclear imaging is also being used in emerging fields, such as precision medicine, and is helping to forge a path toward finding a cure for diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Cammarata is confident her MBA will help her unlock these new possibilities and inspire the next generation of nuclear medicine technologists.

“I’ve heard stories from our patients about how their PET scan changed their plan of care and got better results because of it,” she said. “We play an important part in getting patients better diagnostic results and better treatment, and it’s incredible.”