Coffee Chat: mental health in the oncology clinic
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In the past two years alone, several global events have posed challenges to people’s mental health. The impact of these events are significant for healthy people, but patients with cancer must also reckon with the additional challenges of living with their disease and the effects that this can have on mental health. Oncologists must support their patients through these challenges by not just treating the disease, but the person with the disease too.
For World Mental Health Day 2021, Oncology Central and Future Science Group are facilitating a roundtable discussion between oncologists and patients to explore these challenges and consider ways to improve mental healthcare in the oncology clinic.
What will you learn?
- Patient perspectives on the impacts of cancer on their mental health
- How the COVID-19 pandemic has added to the mental health concerns of patients
- Where clinicians find most difficulty in treating their patients’ mental health
- How clinicians can foster better discussions with their patients regarding their mental health
- The resources and advice available to support clinicians in discussing mental health
Who may this interest?
- Clinicians
- Consultants
- Nurses
- Patients and families
- Patient advocates
- Carers
- Mental health practioners/researchers
- Transaltional researchers
Speakers
Narjust Duma
Associate Director of the Cancer Care Equity Program and Assistant Professor of Medicine
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute & Harvard Medical School (MA, USA)
Dr Duma is a thoracic oncologist, having graduated from the Universidad Católica Nordestana Medical School (San Francisco de Macorís, Dominican Republic), after which she completed her hematology and medical oncology fellowship at the Mayo Clinic (MN, USA). She has a particular focus on women with lung cancer and is currently the principal investigator of the Sexual Health Assessment in Women with Lung Cancer (SHAWL) study. In her role at the Cancer Care Equity Program, Dr Duma works to develop strategies to diminish healthcare disparities and enhance the delivery of cancer care to the greater Boston community.
Henry Ddungu
Consultant in hematology/oncology
Uganda Cancer Institute (Kampala, Uganda)
Dr Henry Ddungu is an hematology consultant at the Uganda Cancer Institute, where he focuses on ensuring all those in need have access to quality palliative care. He has worked with palliative care organizations in Uganda and Africa, initially as a clinician providing palliative care services to terminally ill cancer and AIDS patients and later as an Advocacy Manager for Africa. Dr Ddungu is also passionate about teaching and has given lectures and guidance in many African countries. His current research interest is in supportive care interventions that would help improve cancer patients’ quality of life.
Ginny Mason
Patient Advocate and Executive Director
IBC Research Foundation (IN, USA)
Following diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) in 1994, Ginny became involved in breast cancer advocacy while working as a full-time mental health nurse. Following work in local community support groups for women with cancer, she co-founded the IBC Research Foundation, a grassroots organization dedicated to advancing research and increasing awareness of IBC. Ginny is now the Executive Director of the Foundation, has served on numerous advisory committees, mentors new patient advocates and is currently helping to develop better diagnostic criteria for IBC so future research into the disease has a more stable foundation.
Imogen Cheese
Director of Business Development
Imperial Clinical Research Support/Melanoma Patient Conference (MI, USA)
Imogen Cheese was diagnosed with Stage 2c Melanoma in 2013 and, following the challenges of her new diagnosis and its impact on her daily living, started the Melanoma Rollercoaster blog 3 months later. Imogen advocates the value of being an informed patient to gain quality cancer care and her blog’s readership regularly reaches out to ask for her support, advice and education on Melanoma. She has spoken at numerous international conferences and is also director of the Melanoma Patient Conference, which provides a friendly opportunity to learn about Melanoma, current treatment options & access to support all over the UK.