Christabel K. Cheung, PhD, MSW - Implementing and Embodying Antiracist Approaches to Improve Behavioral Health in Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology, 5-19-2023Christabel K. Cheung, PhD, MSW is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work and Member of the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Cheung’s research focuses on the psychosocial issues of cancer survivorship among adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients (diagnosed between ages 15-39 years according to the National Cancer Institute) in the domains of disparities and social determinants of health and mental health, financial hardship and disability, antiracist and gender-affirming patient engagement, and embodied research methods. As a social and behavioral scientist in pursuit of these interests, she has led research projects as principal investigator and co-investigator and contributed to numerous cancer care optimization, patient education, and advocacy initiatives aimed at improving health and behavioral mental health outcomes. Other research activities include participation as faculty affiliate at AYA CAncer REsearch (AYA CARE), the research arm of the AYA Oncology Program at Michigan Medicine, member of the MELD Research Group for the Los Angeles Cancer Surveillance Program at the University of Southern California, Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the STRONG Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Core Outcomes Set (COS) Study at The Netherlands Cancer Institute, and collaborating member at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, where she was previously special member of their Minority Underserved National Cancer Institute (NCI) Community Oncology Program (NCORP).
Dr. Cheung contributes as teaching faculty for the NCI-funded Minority Training Program in Cancer Control Research (MTPCCR) and the NCI-funded Nathan Schnaper Internship Program (NSIP) in Translational Cancer Research. She has also previously served as AYA Patient Research Advocate for the NCI-funded SWOG Cancer Research Network, aimed at designing and conducting multidisciplinary cancer clinical trials. Dr. Cheung’s experience in academia includes serving on the field education faculty at the University of California Berkeley’s School of Social Welfare. Additionally, she holds eight years of prior behavioral mental health clinical and management experience with her last direct practice role as executive director of San Francisco Village, a nonprofit organization within the national village movement for aging-in-place. As an embodied BIPOC AYA patient scientist, two-time survivor of cancer in the AYA years (Hodgkin lymphoma), and bone marrow transplant beneficiary, she is recognized for writing one of the first cancer blogs advocating for racially minoritized young adult patients, JadeGangster.com. She holds a Bachelor of Journalism from University of Missouri-Columbia, a Master of Social Welfare from University of California, Berkeley, and a PhD in Social Welfare from University of California, Los Angeles.