The American Psychosocial Oncology Society is pleased to have presentations
by distinguished faculty representing psychiatry, psychology, social work,
and nursing. To view the biographies of contributing faculty members, please
select from the list below:
William Breitbart, MD
Chief of the Psychiatry Service
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
New York, New York
William Breitbart, MD is Chief of the Psychiatry Service and Attending Psychiatrist,
Department of Psychiatry, at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York,
NY. An integral member of the world's premiere program in psycho-oncology,
Dr. Breitbart is a founding member of the American Psycho-oncology Society
(APOS). Dr. Breitbart is psychiatric consultant to the Neuro-oncology Unit
and Attending Psychiatrist, Pain & Palliative Care Service, Department
of Neurology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Dr. Breitbart's research efforts have focused on psychiatric aspects of palliative
care and have included studies of interventions for anxiety, depression, desire
for death and delirium in cancer and AIDS patients. Other research efforts
include investigating the neuropsychiatric problems of HIV-infected patients,
including pain, fatigue and other symptoms. Most recently, Dr. Breitbart has
developed novel psychotherapy interventions aimed at sustaining meaning and
improving spiritual well-being in the terminally ill.
A graduate of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University,
Dr. Breitbart is board-certified in both Internal Medicine and Psychiatry.
He has received both a Clinical Fellowship (1985-86) and a Career Development
Award (1986-89) from the American Cancer Society. A Professor of Clinical Psychiatry
at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, Dr. Breitbart has published
extensively on the psychiatric complications of cancer and AIDS. Dr. Breitbart
is the Editor-in-Chief, of the newly forthcoming Cambridge University Press
international palliative care journal entitled, “Palliative & Supportive
Care” which will focus on the psychiatric, psychosocial and spiritual
aspects of palliative medicine. He is a Soros Faculty Scholar of the Open Society
Institute, Project on Death in America.
Dr. Breitbart has received numerous awards and honors and has been awarded
multiple grants and research funding by the National Institutes of Health and
other sources. He has also served as a consultant and reviewer for numerous
boards and journals. He is the author of over 60 peer reviewed papers, 100
book chapters and reviews, and 4 books.
Stewart Fleishman, MD
Director of Cancer Support Services
Beth Israel Medical Center
New York, New York
Stewart B. Fleishman, MD joined Beth Israel Medical Center (New York) in July
1999 to develop an innovative multi-disciplinary program, Cancer Supportive
Services. He serves as its Director. Its goal is to provide early screening
and intervention for the common physical, emotional, social and practical problems
that arise with the diagnosis and treatment of cancer as an integral part of
care. Dr. Fleishman has appointments in the Cancer Center at Beth Israel, and
its partners, St Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, part of Continuum
Health Partners, as well as in the Departments of Pain Medicine & Palliative
Care and Psychiatry.
Dr. Fleishman came to Beth Israel from Long Island Jewish Medical Center’s
Division of Hematology/Oncology. At LIJ, he also served as the Chair of the Medical Center Bioethics Committee for seven years. He was the Principal Investigator of a United Hospital Fund grant to develop a palliative care program in the general hospital.
He currently is the Vice Chair of the Quality of Life Sub-Committee of the
Cancer and Leukemia Group B. Dr. Fleishman is Board Certified in both Hospice
and Palliative Medicine and Psychiatry. He is an Associate Clinical Professor
of Psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is a member of
the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.
Dr. Fleishman was a Fellow in Psycho-oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering
Cancer Center, under the mentorship of Dr. Jimmie Holland, where together they completed the first audit of DNR orders at MSKCC.
Mitch Golant, PhD
Vice President for Research and Development
The Wellness Community - National
Los Angles, California
Mitch Golant is a licensed psychologist. From 1992-1998, he was Vice President
of Program for The Wellness Community-National (TWC). Currently, he is Vice
President, Research and Development of TWC. In his capacity as Vice President
of Program, he directed clinical training, oversaw quality assurance, coordinated
research and led program policy. He has facilitated over 1,500 support groups
for people with cancer, and trained over 250 professionals in TWC's unique
program of Patient Active Group Therapy. Additionally, Mitch has co-written
six books including What To Do When Someone You Love Is Depressed.
Jimmie C. Holland, MD
Attending Psychiatrist
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
New York, New York
Jimmie C. Holland, MD has been central to the establishment of psycho-oncology
as a subspecialty within oncology dealing with the psychological, social, and
behavioral aspects of cancer. In the 1970s, she recognized the need to treat
the emotional trauma experienced by many cancer patients and their families,
and ultimately became the founder of the field of psycho-oncology.
Dr. Holland started the Psychiatry Service at New York’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering
Cancer Center in 1977, developing the methods for diagnosing and treating psychiatric
in people with cancer. The Service achieved departmental status in 1996 and
Dr. Holland became Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
until 2003. The Center’s psychiatry program has become the country’s
largest training and research program in psychiatric oncology.
A graduate of Baylor University in Waco, TX, Dr. Holland earned her medical
degree from the Baylor Medical School in Houston. She interned at St. Louis
City Hospital and had residency training at Malcolm Bliss Psychiatric Hospital,
Washington University and Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Holland held
appointments in the Department of Psychiatry at the State University of New
York at Buffalo between 1956 and 1973 and at the major teaching hospital where
she served as Director of Psychiatry.
Paul Jacobsen, PhD
Director, Psychosocial & Palliative Care Program
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center
Professor of Psychology and Oncology
University of South Florida
Tampa, Florida
Dr. Jacobsen received his PhD in Clinical Psychology from Michigan State
University in 1983. He subsequently joined Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer
Center, where he completed a post-doctoral fellowship in psychosocial oncology
and was appointed to the professional staff. While at Sloan-Kettering, Dr.
Jacobsen served as director of research training in psychosocial oncology and
initiated his own program of behavioral research. In 1994, Dr. Jacobsen moved
to Tampa, Florida to direct the Psychosocial and Palliative Care Program at
the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center. He is also Professor of Psychology and Oncology
at the University of South Florida. Dr. Jacobsen’s work focuses on identifying
and promoting behaviors that can lead to reductions in cancer risk, earlier
detection of cancer, and improved quality of life following cancer diagnosis.
He is the author of more than 70 publications in this area and the recipient
of numerous grants in support of his research from the American Cancer Society,
the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Cancer Institute.
Matthew Loscalzo, MSW
Clinical Associate Professor
Moores UCSD Cancer Center
San Diego, California
Matthew J. Loscalzo, MSW is currently the Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine
at the Rebecca and John Moores UCSD Cancer Center.
Previously, he had been a member of the faculty of the Eastern Virginia Medical
School as an Associate Dean and Associate Professor since August 2002.
Prior to his appointment at the Eastern Virginia Medical School in August 2002,
Matthew Loscalzo, MSW was a Research Associate at the Johns Hopkins University
School of Medicine and the Director of Patient and Family Services at the Johns
Hopkins Oncology Center. He was also the founding Co-Director of the Center for
Cancer Pain Research at the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center. He also had an appointment
at the Johns Hopkins University Division of Education-School of Continuing Studies-Department
of Counseling and Human Services.
Prior to his appointment at Johns Hopkins in 1993, Matthew Loscalzo provided
psycho-behavioral and social work services to patients and families as part of
the Pain Service and Supportive Care Team at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer
Center. At this position he was one of the founding members of one of the first
supportive care teams in the United States. He has published widely on cancer
pain, problem-solving, psycho-behavioral interventions, and palliative care.
His many national and international presentations reflect his ongoing interest
in cancer pain, palliative care, patient and family advocacy, gender-specific
interventions, patient and family education, staff survival, problem-solving
therapies and psycho-behavioral interventions.
He is the Past-President of the Association of Oncology Social Work, serves
on editorial boards, and Boards of Directors of national organizations. Mr.
Loscalzo
received his Master’s degree at the New York University School of Social
Work.
David Payne, PhD
Attending Psychologist
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
New York, New York
David Payne, PhD is an Attending Psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry
and Behavioral Sciences at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Payne
specializes in the psychosocial aspects of breast cancer and sarcoma and has
published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and textbooks.
