Our Mission
Our Mission:
To advance the knowledge, research, and clinical practice of psychosocial care for patients with genetic cancer risk across the lifespan development and care continuum within oncology settings.
• To foster awareness of the emerging psychosocial needs related to genetic cancer risk as multilayered and intersecting across the lifespan and continuum of care.
• To facilitate the development and provision of psychosocial support aimed at optimizing coping for patients with cancer predisposition and their families within oncology settings.
• To promote research investigating psychosocial aspects of genetic cancer risk for patients, parents, siblings, and caregivers.
• To provide an interdisciplinary forum for networking, collaboration, professional development, and advocacy initiatives.
Meet Our Chair
Joan Hanania, PhD
Dr. Joan Hanania is an attending pediatric psychologist at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and an Instructor at Harvard Medical School, specializing in patient-centered psychosocial care for pediatric and young adult patients with cancer. Dr. Hanania completed her pre-doctoral internship at Boston Children’s Hospital and her post-doctoral fellowship at Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Hospital.
Hanania’s clinical care focuses on providing patient-centered and evidence-based psychosocial support with a special emphasis on pediatric and AYA psychosocial oncology care, parent wellbeing, and cancer predisposition syndromes. Hanania’s research interests include psychosocial aspects related to cancer predisposition, psychosocial outcomes in hereditary cancer, parent coping, and psychological flexibility in life-threatening illness. In addition, Hanania participates in teaching, training, community education, national and international scientific conferences. Hanania currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Psychological Association.