Information

Date & Time

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

  • Generate at least two ideas for new research projects in psychosocial oncology based on clinical practice gaps.

  • Identify one or more strategies for brainstorming and refining a research question that aligns with clinical interests and evidence-based practice.

  • Identify at least two common obstacles in research integration and explain how to overcome them.

Educational Goal

The educational goal of this webinar is for participants to learn strategies for integrating research and clinical care and identify diverse career paths in psychosocial oncology research.

Description

This webinar is a continuation of the APOS 2025 Symposia: Extending the Reach and Impact of Psychosocial Oncology: Leveraging Applied Research to Advance Cancer Innovation and Advocacy. Join us for an insightful discussion featuring clinicians in psychosocial oncology who have successfully integrated research into their practice. Whether you're exploring research opportunities or preparing your first external funding proposal, this session provides invaluable guidance from experienced clinician-researchers. Learn from experts who started with small projects and program development efforts and are now launching their own initiatives. The panel comprises skilled speakers who will provide real-world examples of their own successes and challenges in their respective roles at the intersection of clinical care and research. The panel will also engage in a question-and-answer session following their presentations, addressing relevant programmatic and research-related inquiries.

Target Audience

  • Counselor
  • Marriage & Family Therapist
  • Nurses
  • Physicians
  • Psychologist
  • Social Worker
  • Substance Use Disorder Professionals

Presenters

​​Anao Zhang, PhD, LCSW, ACSW, OSW-C, ACBT
Anao Zhang, PhD, LCSW, ACSW, OSW-C, ACBT, is associate professor of social work at the University of Michigan, where he also directs the clinical research programs at the Michigan Medicine Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Program. Dr. Zhang is a health and mental health intervention researcher with a primary research interest in psycho-oncology and adolescent and young adult cancer survivorship. An intervention researcher by training, Dr. Zhang contextualizes his work using the social determinants of youth health framework and aims to develop and deliver integrated and empirically supported mental health treatment to individuals with co-morbid physical and mental health conditions, e.g., AYA cancer survivors with depression. Dr. Zhang is also an applied quantitative methodologist who uses advanced statistical methods to support his research, including meta-analysis, structural equation modeling, analyzing experimental data, causal inference, and machine learning.
Amy J. Clara, PsyD
Amy J. Clara, Psy.D., is a clinical health psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, MA. She developed and co-leads the Multidisciplinary Psychosocial Oncology Service and is the Co-Director of Training for the Center for Psychiatric Oncology and Behavioral Sciences. At MGH, she is a supervisor to psychiatry and psychology trainees, is an interventionist in the Cancer Outcomes Research and Education Program and maintains a cross-discipline electronic repository of mental health resources and referrals for patients with complex medical needs. She volunteers her time with the Mass General Brigham Outreach Program with Native American Communities, specifically the Diné, which has led to a research interest in developing a multidisciplinary palliative care program that offers culturally informed resources for patients of a rural community health center. In addition, Dr. Clara is an adjunct professor at the MGH Institute of Health Professions and teaches advanced counseling techniques to Master Level genetic counseling students.
Shannon La Cava, PsyD
Dr. Shannon La Cava is a clinical psychologist and the Center Director of the Simms/Mann UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology. She specializes in the areas of integrative and psychosocial oncology and leads a team of 30+ clinicians, nutritionists, psychiatrists, chaplains, and mind-body practitioners dedicated to delivering quality, whole-person care to individuals and families impacted by cancer at UCLA Health. In addition to being an active member of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society, Dr. La Cava participated in on the inaugural Health Equity Committee of the American Psychological Association where she was appointed as the 2022 Committee Chair by her peers. In 2024, she received The Wellness Award for her work in the field of psycho-oncology and for co-creating CSCLA’s HEART (Healing Equitably through Action Resilience and Teamwork) program.
Kerri Murphy, PhD
Dr. Kerri Murphy is a clinical psychologist in the Psychosocial Oncology Department of Psychiatry within the Cancer Center, where she is also the Co-Director of the Psychosocial Oncology Training Program. She is an Instructor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (HMS). Dr. Murphy received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology in 2010 from Boston College and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at McLean Hospital/HMS in the Women’s Treatment Program. Dr. Murphy’s clinical practice focuses on compassionate, person-centered, evidence-based care for oncology patients and their caregivers. Dr. Murphy’s clinical and research interests include young adult mental health, trauma, vocational and identity development, transitions, caregiver burden, grief and bereavement. Dr. Murphy is interested in patient and caregiver resilience and well-being, mindful self-compassion, trauma and post-traumatic growth. She is dedicated to helping patients and their families receive dignified, meaningful and collaborative care.
Kathryn Post, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, Moderator
Dr. Post is a nurse scientist at the Massachusetts General Hospital’s (MGH) Cancer Outcomes Research & Education (CORE) Program, Co-Director of the MGH Reich Oncology Nurse Fellowship, and an Instructor at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Post’s research is funded by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society, and others and centers on enhancing adherence to treatment, optimizing self-management of symptoms, and improving quality of life for patients with cancer through evidence-based interventions.
Jamie Jacobs, PhD, Moderator
Dr. Jamie Jacobs, a clinical psychologist, is the Program Director for the Center for Psychiatric Oncology & Behavioral Sciences at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and an Associate Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She is a clinical researcher and the Director of Caregiving Research in the MGH Cancer Outcomes Research & Education Program (CORE). Dr. Jacobs’s research encompasses 1) enhancing adherence to cancer treatment and symptom self-management for patients, 2) reducing anxiety and improving coping for cancer caregivers, and 3) improving equity in cancer care by creating culturally sensitive behavioral interventions.

Financially Sponsored By

  • American Psychosocial Oncology Society