As a psycho-oncologist, I help cancer patients and their families beat cancer, adapt despite multiple challenges, and draw closer to one another. Anxiety, depression, problem-solving, and survivorship are examples of areas that I might address during therapy with a patient. I use cognitive therapy (a type of psychotherapy) or medications (such as antidepressants and antianxiety agents) to help my patients. I work particularly closely with leukemia, lymphoma, and stem cell transplantation patients, both in the Counseling Center and as a leader of the leukemia and lymphoma patient care teams.
I am a member of the Communication Skills Research and Training Laboratory (Comskil), where I teach physician-patient communication. Our aim is to help physicians, nurses, patients, and families communicate more effectively, and therefore make better decisions. My research is focusing on developing better ways for Intensive Care Unit physicians to communicate with families on the subject of palliative care. I am also developing cognitive therapy approaches for psychiatrists and psychologists working with hospitalized patients.