Shari B. Goldfarb, MD

My research focuses on ways to improve patient experiences and quality of life during cancer treatment and throughout survivorship by improving management of symptoms. My research interest is in supportive care for patients and in survivorship issues facing women with breast cancer. By studying the impact of treatment on sexual function and fertility, I hope to enhance the scientific understanding of these important issues leading to improved outcomes for patients. My current projects are an evaluation of specific interventions to alleviate sexual dysfunction, an assessment of ovarian function, and the development of strategies to optimize fertility preservation.

My work integrates clinical trial methods as well as health outcomes research. I am involved in clinical trials evaluating the effects of breast cancer treatment (e.g. chemotherapy or tamoxifen) on ovarian reserve in premenopausal women. This type of work will assist in determining the likelihood of infertility from a given treatment regimen and the impact of common therapies on menstruation and future pregnancy. In postmenopausal women, I am evaluating the use of low dose vaginal estrogens to improve vaginal dryness, atrophy, recurrent urinary tract symptoms and sexual dysfunction. As part of my health outcomes research, I am developing methods and instruments to better measure symptoms, such as sexual health. A goal of this work is to develop additional interventions to decrease the burden of treatment on patients.

In addition, I am an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health (ISSWSH). I am also an active member of the survivorship working group for the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC), an international organization devoted to the understanding of side effects in cancer patients.