The following speakers were selected for their profound leadership and accomplishments in the areas of liver cancer research and patient care.
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Professor of Psychology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science
Consultant, Department of Psychiatry and Psychology. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
Dr. Ehlers is the President of the Society for Health Psychology. She is a Professor of Psychology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, and board-certified in Clinical Health Psychology, specializing in cancer survivorship.
Within Mayo Clinic, Dr. Ehlers is a faculty member of The Center for Clinical and Translational Science, Director of Behavioral Health for the specialties of Oncology and Hematology and serves on the Executive Committee of the Population Science and Community Interventions Program for the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Dr. Ehlers’s research focuses on improving our understanding of psychological, social, and behavioral prognostic risk factors in cancer outcomes, and translational trials of best-evidence interventions targeting these factors in real-world practice settings.
She also examines how care givers can work with patients to promote proactively healthy behaviors and to fully engage each patient in the process of his or her own medical care. She hopes that her research will contribute to improving both quality of life and overall outcomes.
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Carrie A. Bronars, Ph.D., L.P.
Assistant Professor of Psychology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science
Consultant, Department of Psychiatry and Psychology. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
Dr. Bronars is a licensed psychologist and behavioral scientist in the area of psycho-oncology through the development of innovative, novel interventions focused on promotion of psychological health and wellbeing among patients living with cancer. For the past 10 years, she also has worked as an independent, licensed psychologist with a specialization in health psychology, which gives her a solid foundation of clinical theory and practical training.
She has provided clinical supervision to community health workers, trainees and colleagues in the delivery of evidence-based behavioral treatments such as motivational interviewing, acceptance and commitment therapy, mindful self-compassion and cognitive behavior therapy.
Dr. Bronars leads a randomized controlled pilot study, “Development of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Cancer Distress among Rural and Urban Patients with Hepatobiliary Cancers (ACT-HBC).” This study aims to establish the feasibility and acceptability of an eight-week, remotely delivered, group-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention specifically adapted for patients with hepatobiliary cancers.
She also collaborates with Dr. Ehlers and her multidisciplinary team on “Launching the era of melanoma survivorship: defining treatment targets in quality of life and mental health,” a project grant helping improve the lives of individuals with cancer.
Other speaker photos and bios will be posted as they are available.