Megan J. Shen, PhD - Improving Advance Care Planning Among Advanced Cancer Patients, 1-27-2023Megan Shen is a social psychologist and an Associate Professor at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. She received her PhD from Baylor University, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and faculty appointment at the Center for Research on End-of-Life Care at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. Her research focuses on health communication and decision-making, looking at how our cultural and social environments influence how we interpret information and make decisions around advance care and end-of-life planning. Much of her research focuses on understanding and developing tools to support patients and families in making informed healthcare decisions at the end of life and coping with advanced illness. She has received numerous NCI awards as PI, including a K07 Career Award, R01/R37 MERIT award, numerous R21s, and a SBIR R44 Fast Track. Her work and contributions have been recognized by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) as a Research Scholar. Dr. Shen has a strong passion for communicating her science to the public, and her writing has appeared in multiple outlets such as HuffPost, the Hill Reporter, Invisible Magazine, and the Thinking Republic. She is a regular contributor to Harvard's Bill of Health Blog and has a column at Psychology Today entitled, "How to Grow Hope."