Research Scientist
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Boston, Massachusetts
A research scientist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, I manage multiple federally funded research studies on interventions to improve symptom burden and quality of life in individuals with cancer. My research at the intersection of oncology and substance use has led me along parallel tracks. Through the Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, I design, implement and disseminate medicinal cannabis research in oncology. Through the Phyllis F. Cantor Center Research in Nursing and Patient Care, I co-lead smoking cessation interventions, as well as multiple lifestyle risk reduction studies to improve symptom burden and quality of life in cancer patients. Over the past decade, Dr. Ilana Braun and I have conducted socio-behavioral studies at the intersection of cannabis and oncology. Our first employed qualitative methods with key informants. The results led to a survey study of national oncologists. We learned that almost half recommend cannabis clinically, but only a third feel knowledgeable in their recommendations. In 2018, this original research was published in a high-impact journal and garnered considerable national press. Our team has gone on to explore oncology patients' experiences with medicinal cannabis and learned that, in the absence of robust clinical guidance, cannabis dispensaries sit at the fulcrum of cannabis care. These findings led to qualitatively exploration of cannabis dispensary personnel's experiences and voices, which are generally silent in scientific literature. Results from these studies have led us to develop medicinal cannabis education targeting lay and clinical audiences to improve communication in the cancer clinic.
Virtual
Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
