Summary
Transplant Psychology and Psycho-Oncology: I conduct transdisciplinary patient-oriented research aimed at improving patient care and overall health. My research focuses on issues such as health behaviors (tobacco use, obesity-related behaviors, adherence/compliance to medical regimens), quality of life, adjustment to chronic illness, social support/caregiving, coping, and psychological factors affecting medical conditions.
My current work focuses on blood and marrow transplant (BMT) populations, combining my interests in transplant and oncology. In collaboration with the BMT team and several other interdisciplinary colleagues, I was the primary investigator (PI) of an CPI-10 to ensure continuous quality improvement in the pre-transplant psychological evaluation of BMT candidates. Currently, I am the PI of a NIH KL2 grant to examine the relationship between health behaviors and transplant outcomes in the BMT population. My previous and continuing research includes study of the above issues in all solid organ populations, dialysis, and head and neck cancer. I am also a NIH reviewer for studies of outcomes in living donation (transplantation).