Jack E. Burkhalter, PhD

I am a clinical health psychologist who specializes in cancer prevention, with a focus on smoking cessation and treatment of psychological distress in patients with lung cancer. I provide care to patients through our Smoking Cessation Clinic, where I help smokers to quit and to avoid smoking in the future. I am also the psychological liaison to the Thoracic Disease Management Team.

I am also affiliated with the health behavior change and cancer risk reduction laboratory in the Center’s Behavioral Sciences Service. Members of the lab examine the psychological and behavioral factors at work in cancer prevention and early detection. My research interests include developing and testing innovative treatments for tobacco dependence among cancer patients and those at high risk for the disease; conducting research that evaluates the quality of life of lung cancer survivors; and identifying and reducing cancer-related health disparities among the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender populations.

I am a member of various scientific and medical societies including the American Psychological Association, Society of Behavioral Medicine, and Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, all organizations of specialists in my field. Additionally, I am a member of the Quality of Life Subcommittee of the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB), a large cancer clinical trials group.