Meet Our Chair

Dr. Amy J. Clara is a licensed clinical health psychologist specialized in psychosocial oncology care. She joined the Center for Psychiatric Oncology & Behavioral Sciences at Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute in 2020 and APOS in 2021. She is a global health clinician and researcher with a primary focus on interdisciplinary oncology care, non-pharmacological palliative care, and mental healthcare delivery in low-resourced populations. Dr. Clara is an instructor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, adjunct associate professor of Genetic Counseling at the MGH Institute of Health Professions, co-leader of a multidisciplinary psychosocial clinical consultation group at the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute, and a co-director of training for the psychosocial oncology program at MGH.  

Dr. Clara’s interest in grief and bereavement started several years ago after a wave of related clinical experiences with oncology patients and their loved ones. She has since developed resource lists, consultation opportunities to trainees and peers, and has been invited to give talks on grief, bereavement, and post-traumatic growth after loss. She has particular interest in the role anticipatory grief plays in bereavement, i.e., cognitive-behavioral changes in emotional expression, practical and preparatory actions, and temporal influences on decision making.