Sonia Zapata Alizzi, RN

Sonia Zapata Alizzi entered healthcare with a passion for helping others, but it was an early role in an in-office pharmacy that introduced her to infusion nursing. As she began administering antibiotics and other medications, she discovered something uniquely rewarding about the setting: the ability to spend meaningful time with patients and build relationships throughout their treatment.

Sonia says her first experience with infusion nursing changed the way she viewed the field.

“It was there that I truly fell in love with infusion nursing—not only because I was helping patients, but because I had the opportunity to get to know them, build meaningful relationships, and spend quality time with each of them.”

Those relationships became the foundation for a career that would eventually bring her clinical expertise and business instincts together. Entrepreneurship gave Sonia a sense of ownership and the ability to shape her company.

“Being my own boss and having the ability to make decisions that shape the direction of my company is incredibly fulfilling.”

That ownership has also given her something she felt was missing earlier in her career: a stronger voice.

Sonia recalls knowing that she had both clinical and business ability while working in the corporate environment, yet not always feeling that her voice carried the weight it deserved. She also experienced being underestimated as a woman in business.

Rather than allowing those experiences to define what she could accomplish, Sonia developed greater confidence, resourcefulness and resilience. Today, she intentionally pays those lessons forward.

Her advice to women considering healthcare entrepreneurship is practical: seek out women with expertise, find mentors, do the research and surround yourself with professionals who understand areas you don’t. She particularly emphasizes understanding the legal and business risks early rather than trying to learn everything alone.

Sonia’s entrepreneurial experience has also given her an opportunity to support physicians transitioning from larger organizations into their own practices. She has seen exceptional clinicians discover that establishing an infusion suite requires an entirely different set of operational and business skills.

Helping bridge that gap allows Sonia to combine the two sides of her own experience while giving other healthcare professionals greater confidence in building something of their own.

For Sonia, patient-centered infusion care begins well before treatment. Referral, scheduling, financial review and infusion should feel connected rather than fragmented, with patients informed and supported throughout the process.

Looking ahead, she is also interested in how technology can empower teams and improve efficiency while preserving the relationships that first drew her to infusion nursing.

Creating opportunity for herself, then helping others confidently build their own path.