American Psychosocial Oncology Society Annual Conference: Integrating Psychosocia

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS) Annual Conference provides the only national interdisciplinary forum where representatives from the fields of oncology, psychiatry, psychology, social work, nursing, pastoral care, counseling, therapy and patient advocacy can share the latest information on ways to improve cancer survivors' quality of life. In 2009, 2010 and 2011 APOS will focus its annual conference on addressing the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report Cancer Care for the Whole Patient: Meeting Psychosocial Health Needs. The 2009 APOS 6th Annual Conference theme is "Integrating Psychosocial Research and Practice in Quality Cancer Care: Setting the Standard"; it will begin a three-year focus on implementing the recommendations of the report, which advocates a standard of psychosocial care for people with cancer. Participants attending the conference will gain skills and competence related to (a) informing researchers, clinicians and advocacy groups about the IOM report and its implications; (b) teaching researchers, clinicians and advocacy groups methods for identifying and delivering psychosocial services to improve access and treatment for all patients with cancer and their families, including ethnically diverse, minority and medically vulnerable populations; (c) identifying resources and strategies that researchers and clinicians can employ to improve access, treatment and outcomes in psychosocial cancer care for all patients with cancer; (d) Translating cutting-edge, multidisciplinary research findings into clinical and educational programs in participants' own institutions related to the assessment and management of distress, symptom management and quality-of-life issues across the continuum of care; (e) understanding the value of collaboration between researchers, clinicians and advocacy groups to improve the delivery of state-of-the-art medical and psychosocial cancer care for patients and their families across cancer settings; and (f) promoting APOS resources and networking with APOS members and other leaders in the field to form valuable professional and lay collaborations. The Annual Conference begins with a full day of practical workshops, providing psychosocial oncology professionals and patient advocates with innovative clinical and research skills on topics such as community-based research addressing diversity issues, conceptual and measurement issues, and patient provider communication, among others. Subsequent sessions will address survivorship, psychosocial services for underserved populations, patient education, and more. The conference will close with a half-day workshop dedicated to implementing the IOM report recommendations. Evaluation of the conference will include participant response to the overall program and the impact of the sessions on subsequent APOS programs and activities. Abstracts accepted for presentation will be published in a supplement to the journal Psycho-Oncology, and presentations will be posted on the APOS website. Public Health Relevance: Cancer takes a heavy toll - physiologically, and socially, psychologically, emotionally and spiritually - on individuals with the disease, their families and their caregivers. Psychosocial cancer care has long been neglected in clinical practice and additional research is needed to ensure access and treatment for diverse and medically vulnerable populations, and standards for that care must be set. The American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS) aims to fill this gap by encouraging research and interdisciplinary collaboration to address psychosocial issues across diverse communities in oncology at the APOS Annual Conferences.