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Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Survivorship Research & Professional Education

The clinical survivorship programs at the Lurie Cancer Center provide exceptional opportunities for multidisciplinary clinical and translational research, and for transforming scientific discovery into state-of-the-art, evidence-based survivorship care.evidence-based cancer care.

The Cancer Survivorship Institute (CSI), collaborates with more than 90 faculty members from our Population Science Programs' Cancer Control & Survivorship and Cancer Prevention Programs to study environmental, biobehavioral, psychosocial and genetic factors in survivorship. In addition, we study the psychosocial and physical concerns of cancer survivors, their families and the community, as well as behavioral interventions to improve patient-reported outcomes.

We also work closely with the Behavioral and Psychosocial Research Training Program in Cancer Prevention and Control, an NCI-funded postdoctoral program designed to equip participants to work at the interfaces between behavioral and social science, technology, clinical oncology and cancer biology.

Events for Researchers

Videos from our most recent Cancer Survivorship Symposium are now available.

For upcoming events, please visit the Lurie Cancer Center Professional Education Event calendar.

 

Featured Survivorship Studies

  • STELLAR: Scalable TELeheaLth Cancer CARe — telehealth-based intervention for smoking, obesity, and lack of physical activity.
  • OPT2MOVE — smartphone-based intervention to help adolescent and young adult cancer survivors become more active
  • SKIP-Arthralgia — pain coping skills for arthralgia, a common side effect AI medications.
  • My WellBeing Guide — interactive website/smart phone app to enhance wellbeing and quality of life for patients at the Lurie Cancer Center

Research Initiatives

Survivorship Clinical Trials

We frequently offer clinical trials that are specific to survivorship and supportive care. Visit our Clinical Trials page to learn more.

Lurie Cancer Center Screening Initiative

Routine monitoring of patients’ symptoms and concerns using self-reported questionnaires can improve symptom management, quality of life, satisfaction with their care experience, and in some cases, even survival. Patients are encouraged to complete a brief online Symptom and Needs Assessment of their fatigue, pain, physical function, depression, anxiety and psychosocial needs. Results are immediately available in their electronic health records, and providers are notified so they can make any necessary referrals and /or care decisions in real time. In addition to promoting high-quality cancer care, the Lurie Cancer Center Screening Initiative is allowing investigators to study how regular symptom assessments and systematic follow-up impact patient care and health outcomes across Northwestern Medicine.

Survivorship Care Planning Initiative

Patients who have completed primary cancer treatment receive Survivorship Care Plans with individualized information to promote optimal continuity of care and health outcomes. Investigators use these plans to study their clinical impact on patient-reported outcomes.

Community-Engaged Research

Melissa Simon, MD, MPH, director of the Center for Health Equity Transformation and associate director, Community Outreachand Engagement, Lurie Cancer Center, leads our community-engaged survivorship research and clinical initiatives. Dr. Simon's primary research interests are aimed at eliminating health disparities among low-income, medically underserved women across the lifespan.