As a clinical psychologist, my primary research aims are to: understand patients’ cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and physical reactions to cancer and its treatment; to understand how psychological factors contribute to patients’ symptoms, side-effects, treatment experiences, and adherence; to develop and test psychotherapeutic and mind-body interventions to help cancer patients manage symptoms, side-effects, and emotional distress at across all phases of the cancer continuum – from diagnosis through metastatic disease; and to train students and providers in sensitive practice and evidence-based approaches to improve cancer care. My current research foci are how a history of sexual abuse influences patients’ reactions to cancer and its treatment; how hypnosis can reduce pain in breast cancer survivors taking aromatase inhibitors; how to help radiation therapists elicit patients’ treatment preferences (and reduce triggering) in the breast radiotherapy setting; and training psychosocial cancer care providers in evidence-based psychotherapeutic techniques (e.g., hypnosis and rational-emotive behavior therapy to manage cancer-related fatigue). Over the years, much of my work has centered on improving quality of life in women undergoing breast cancer treatment. I am particularly interested in the use of qualitative research approaches to understand patients’ lived experiences of cancer and its treatment.

The Integrative Behavioral Medicine Program