Division of Oncology

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Research

My clinical and research focus are centered on how the whole person integrative medicine approach to cancer patients (body, mind and spirit) improves cancer and cancer treatment related symptoms. The integrative oncology clinic will be collecting patient reported outcomes to help guide how to best achieve proposals with meaningful and relevant research.

My general research interest is to understand how to best design the combination of integrative modalities with the best potential to improve outcomes, quality of life and healing for a person with cancer.

The integrative modalities that I am most interested are acupuncture, mindfulness, tai chi/qigong, followed by anti-inflammatory diet, mindfulness-based interventions and physical activity. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF), is one of the major complaints cancer patients have, not only during treatment but it can persist for years. Studies have shown that many of the integrative modalities may have an impact on CRF, but there is need for stronger data. I am working on a proposal to shed more light on these therapeutic modalities.

Another of my research focus is lymphedema which appears to be more severe in black women with breast cancer. My plan is to prove that early intervention could help preventing or decreasing the development of lymphedema and its severity. Finally, disparities in cancer and cancer outcomes as well as in secondary cancer prevention is another of my interests, clinically and research wise both. I believe clinical trials should have a mechanism in place to work towards equality. This could be done with better targeted dissemination of information to all potential patients using ethnically appropriated conduits as well as with better retention strategies. The integrative oncology program is an ideal setting not only to improve patients’ symptoms related to the cancer and its treatments but to do the research needed to advance the scientific knowledge of all its modalities and to help decrease cancer disparities.