The interdisciplinary team of the Psycho-oncology in Aging and Cancer Laboratoryopens in new window at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (PAC MSK) in New York City is the 2020 recipient of the American Psychological Association Prize for Interdisciplinary Team Research.
The mission of the team is to conduct research that leads to improvements in the care of older adults with cancer and their loved ones. It investigates the nature and prevalence of mental health symptoms in older adults with cancer, their clinical needs and gaps in care, and the effectiveness of interventions for depression and anxiety tailored for older adults with cancer. Team members represent diverse disciplines including psychology, psychiatry, nursing, health communication, oncology, and geriatrics.
The members of the team, and their main areas of research, are:
Kelly Trevino, PhD, (principal investigator and associate attending psychologist in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences)—efficacy and implementation of psychosocial interventions to reduce anxiety and increase engagement in advanced care planning in older adults with cancer and their caregivers.
Yesne Alici, MD, (attending psychiatrist and director of clinical services in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences)—assessment and management of cancer- and treatment-related cognitive changes.
Smita Banerjee, PhD, (associate attending behavioral scientist and health communications researcher in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences)—message framing for cancer prevention and control as well as the development, implementation, and evaluation of patient-clinician communication skills training.
Kristen Fessele, PhD, (nurse scientist in the Office of Nursing Research)—identification of demographic, clinical, and genomic predictors of severe cancer treatment-related symptoms and treatment tolerance.
Beatriz Korc-Grodzicki, MD, (chief of the geriatrics service)—delirium and cognitive changes in older adults with cancer.
Christian Nelson, PhD, (chief of the psychiatry service in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences)—depression in older adults with cancer with a focus on assessment and treatments.
Patricia Parker, PhD, (attending psychologist and director of the communication skills laboratory in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences)—effective communication strategies for medical encounters and communication training for physicians and other health care providers.
Andrew Roth, MD, (attending psychiatrist in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences)—interventions for depressed older adults and the psychosocial needs of patients with prostate cancer.
Rebecca Saracino, PhD, (assistant attending psychologist in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences)—assessment and treatment of depression in older adults with cancer with a focus on cancer survivors.
