Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Resources: 2021

Frank Licciardi is the Chair Emeritus of the Patient & Family Advisory Council for Quality (PFACQ) at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). Following his successful treatment for metastatic gastric cancer, Mr. Licciardi began offering emotional support to patients via the Patient-to-Patient (“P2P”) counselling program. He subsequently helped with the development and launch of PFACQ—a partnership of patients, caregivers and staff focused on ensuring the patient and caregiver perspective is integrated in all that MSK does. Through PFACQ, Mr. Licciardi has led initiatives focused on improving communication about end-of-life issues, smoothing transitions from acute treatment to survivorship and ensuring that complex patient needs therein are fully met. Mr. Licciardi also serves on the Board of Directors for the DeGregorio Family Foundation (DFF)—a non-profit that funds innovative research focused on curing gastric and esophageal cancers. Mr. Licciardi is currently enjoying an extended sabbatical from a career in finance spanning more than 20 years in wealth management and private equity where he held various leadership positions at companies including JPMorgan and Merrill Lynch.

Charles Kamen, PhD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of Cancer Control, at the University of Rochester.  By training he is a clinical psychologist with a background in behavioral medicine, health disparities, and dyadic interventions. His program of research focuses on cancer-related health disparities affecting sexual and gender minority (SGM; e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, LGBT) cancer survivors.  He has also contributed to the development of a range of behavioral interventions with the goal of improving the health and well-being of cancer patients, survivors, and their caregivers.  He serves as Assistant Director of the Community Outreach and Engagement Program at the Wilmot Cancer Institute and as Chair of Health Equity Research for the University of Rochester NCI Community Oncology Research Program (URCC NCORP) Research Base.

Dr. Maria Venetis is an Associate Professor in the Communication Department of the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers University. Her research examines how relational partners manage ongoing communication concerning cancer and other non-visible health conditions. Recent research includes communicative behaviors that promote resilience among cancer patients and partners. She also examines supportive communication between cancer patients and partners during medical interactions. Dr. Venetis instructs undergraduate and graduate courses within the Communication Department. Courses include interpersonal communication, health communication, and graduate seminar that examine relational dynamics of health communication.

Lisa Dixon, M.D., M.P.H. is the Edna L Edison Professor of Psychiatry at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. She directs the Division of Behavioral Health Services and Policy Research within the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Dixon is an internationally recognized health services researcher with over 25 years of continuous funding from the National Institute of Mental Health and the VA. She oversees activities for the New York State Office of Mental Health in mplementing evidenced based practices for persons diagnosed with serious mental illness. Dr. Dixon's grants have focused on improving the quality of care for individuals with serious mental disorders. Dr. Dixon's work has joined individuals engaged in self-help, outpatient psychiatric care, as well as clinicians and policy makers in collaborative research endeavors. Dr. Dixon assumed the role of editor in chief of the journal, Psychiatric Services in January, 2017. She has published more than 250 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has received numerous awards including the 2009 American Psychiatric Association Health Services Senior Scholar Award and the Wayne Fenton Award for Exceptional Clinical Care. The National Alliance on Mental Illness has national recognized her with its annual Scientific Research Award. In 2016, the Mental Health Section of the American Public Health Association recognized her work with the Carl A. Taube Award. She has also served on two working committees of projects sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

Yuhua Bao, PhD is a health economist and associate professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine. Her research centers around aligning policies and incentives with evidence-based care for people with menta health or substance use disorders. One current area of research focuses on public and private policies addressing the opioid crisis, seeking to assess intended outcomes but also possible unintended consequences. This line of research has been supported by federal agencies including the NIH, CDC, and FDA and prominent private foundations and has produced a series of high-impact, widely disseminated publications in Health Affairs, JAMA, and other journals.

Dr. Reese is Associate Professor in the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center, a behavioral scientist and licensed psychologist. Her program of research focuses on developing evidence-based interventions that aim to improve sexual health outcomes, relationships, and quality of life for those affected by cancer. A key long-term objective of her work is to integrate sexual health into the care of individuals diagnosed with and treated for cancer. Several recent funded projects have focused on developing and evaluating provider-focused and patient-focused interventions to enhance clinical communication about sexual health for women with breast cancer. She currently has funding from the National Cancer Institute and American Cancer Society to evaluate couple-based interventions enhancing intimacy and interpersonal functioning for women with cancer. Dr. Reese received the 2021 New Investigator Award from the American Psychosocial Oncology Society. She serves as an Associate Editor of the journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine and on the Editorial Board of the journal Psycho-Oncology.

Scott A. Irwin, MD, PhD, is a board-certified psychiatrist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He strives to improve outcomes for those with cancer or other progressive, potentially life-limiting illnesses, and their families, through leading-edge clinical services, ongoing research, and program development, improvement and implementation. Dr. Irwin has received research funding from the NIMH, the National Palliative Care Research Center, the Archstone Foundation and the John A. Hartford Center of Excellence in Geriatric Psychiatry at UC San Diego. He is the author/co-author of over 100 articles, chapters and abstracts, is frequently quoted in the media, and has been recognized at many levels for his innovative research, teaching and clinical endeavors. Dr. Irwin earned his Bachelor of Science in psychobiology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and his PhD in neuroscience at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. In 2006, he successfully completed his psychiatry residency at UC San Diego as chief resident of Outpatient Psychiatric Services, as well as a two-year elective in hospice and palliative care at San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, with subspecialty certification in psychosomatic medicine. In 2014 he was named a fellow of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, and in 2015, he was named a fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.

Dr. Kruse is director of the UCLA Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry fellowship program, with clinical and research expertise in mood disorders. Her NIMH funded clinical research focuses on links between immune function, depression phenotypes, and depression treatment response, with long-term goals focused on improving depression treatment by translating findings into targeted and personalized treatment approaches.

Dr. Tom Strouse is Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and the inaugural holder of the Maddie Katz Chair in Palliative Care Research and Education. He is also Vice-Chair for Clinical Affairs in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. Dr. Strouse served as the Chief Medical Officer of the Stewart and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA from 2007 through 2021. Dr. Strouse is a Fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, a Fellow of the Academy of Consultation/Liaison Psychiatry, and an American Psychiatric Association Distinguished LIfe Fellow. He is board certified in general psychiatry, consultation/liaison psychiatry, and hospice/palliative medicine. Dr. Strouse has published many peer reviewed papers and book chapters and sits on the editorial boards of a number of important journals. In 2017 he became an Associate Editor for the Journal of Palliative Medicine. He lectures throughout the country on topics related to pain, palliative care, psycho-oncology, and psychiatric aspects of medical illness. He was educated at Pomona College and the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.