Research Abstract

My research aims to connect psychological mechanisms of well-being to health outcomes. I have extensive experience in complementary and alternative medicine during my experience at the National Institutes of Health; specifically examining the respective contributions of exercise and meditative aspects of mind-body medicine and the effective dose of these approaches. My Postdoctoral Fellowship in Palliative Care and Aging studied the physiological markers of stress in caregivers, the effectiveness of supportive caregiver interventions and made important contributions to how patient and caregiver well-being overlaps. After being primarily focused on clinical care as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology at the University of Colorado, I joined the Faculty at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in 2019 to further my research career. I continue to have ongoing collaborations (in a Consultant role) with the University of Colorado. My start-up funds at Dana Farber will allow me to hone novel methods to engage those most impacted advanced cancer, such as caregivers; in addition to investigating links of psychological well-being to health outcomes in neuro-oncology through the Oppenheimer Fund. As I progress in my research career, membership to DF/HCC will allow for greater networking and collaboration within the greater Boston community and access to important resources available through this membership.