IPOS News

My name is Ozan Bahcivan, and I am the Founding Director, and Health Psychologist at OZ Psychology Family Counselling Centre (Özel Oz Psikoloji Aile Danışma Merkezi) in Izmir, Turkey. I come from an Australian – Turkish background and have lived, worked, and received formal education in several countries including Australia, United Kingdom, Turkey, and Spain. This enabled me to better understand cultural sensitivity and the role of language when developing psychological and psycho-oncological interventions. Since I discovered that health psychology and psycho-oncology are in their infancy stages in Turkey, this motivated me to settle in Turkey; and found opportunities to pioneer in these scientific areas through national congresses, symposiums, and training programs. I adapted and validated numerous psycho-oncological assessment tools in Turkish language and culture with my colleagues, such as Cancer Coping Questionnaire (CCQ), Emotion Thermometer (ET), and Mini Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale. In fact, I contributed to the first original health psychology academic book in Turkish language and authored the “Psycho-Social Palliative Care” chapter with my colleague.

I was elected as an Early Career Director of International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) and served IPOS between 2017 – 2019, I am very thankful and grateful to Dr David Kissane for his nomination! Currently I am the liaison person of IPOS in Turkey. During my service in 2018, with the support from the Early Career Professional Committee we successfully initiated the first ever Clinical Case Symposium at IPOS Congress in Hong Kong, I specially thank to Dr Michelle Peate. Because the IPOS family is so welcoming and opens many doors for networking; I received many supports from Dr Tania Estapé and Dr Habil Dégi Csaba who are the board members of IPOS, I now consider them as a lifelong friend of mine! Indeed, I co-authored an international study about personality traits of cancer patients during COVID-19 pandemic which was recently published; thanks to Dr Simone Cheli and Dr Gil Goldzweig. I am part of the editorial board of the Journal of Psychosocial Oncology Research and Practice which is the official journal of IPOS. In 2019, I have made to the final for the “Professional Achievement Award” category at the British Council’s Alumni Award in recognition of his improved cancer patient care.

I founded the Turkish Psycho-Oncological Association (Türk Psiko-Onkologlar Derneği) to provide upskill trainings to mental health professionals who work with cancer patients and their caregivers. Shortly our national association became a federation member of IPOS to represent Turkey in the international psycho-oncology community. I am the Izmir Representative of the Psycho-Oncology Association (Psiko-Onkoloji Derneği) in Turkey to raise psycho-oncology awareness among public. Lastly, I established and coordinated the Division of Health Psychology within Turkish Psychological Association (Türk Psikologlar Derneği) which is a member of the European Federation of Psychologist’s Associations (EFPA).

Beside the above mentioned works, I currently run and coordinate national and international projects in cancer care and happy to collaborate with other professionals in psycho-oncology.

XU Lei (family name is Xu), RN, PhD
Supervisor nurse, postdoctoral fellow at School of nursing, Fudan university (Shanghai, China)

My study experience：

• 2005-2010 China medical university, bachelor in nursing
• 2013-2018 China medical university, doctor in nursing

My work mainly focuses on research and teaching.

• Teaching courses: Nursing management, Oncology nursing, Nursing research
• Area of research: oncology nursing(breast cancer and gastrointestinal cancer), evidence-based nursing, realist methodology, qualitative study

Publications:（first author) 5 papers including 3 SCI papers

Research Projects (as PI): 5 projects including 1 provincial level project and 4 school level projects

Textbooks Editing: Modern Clinical Nursing, Clinical Nursing "Three basic" Training Questions Bank, Geriatric Nursing Training Course, Medical Care-giver Training Course，etc.

IPOS experience: Member since 2017. I attended 2018 and 2019 IPOS World Congresses. One was poster exhibition in 2018, Hong Kong and one was doing a oral presentation in 2019, Banff. Now I volunteer with two IPOS Special Interest Groups (SIG) – Education SIG of palliative care and Survivorship SIG.

The IPOS Survivorship Special Interest Group (SIG) was established in June 2020

The Group has been very active in the last 12 months or so. We have:

• produced information about common challenges during cancer survivorship and collected tools and resources at https://ipos-society.org/survivorship-special-interest-group
• hosted two webinars: on managing sleep problems, and about health behaviours and fear of cancer recurrence (the latter in partnership with the FORwards SIG) – recordings available on the IPOS website
• completed an audit of survivorship-focussed presentations from the last four World Congress meetings
• begun an audit of national cancer control plans to ascertain national positions on psycho-oncology and survivorship
• commenced work on an international survey of current psycho-oncology practices in the post-treatment survivorship phase

For more information, please check out the public and members only sections of the IPOS website or email [email protected] (current SIG chair).

Mi nombre es Rodbin Campos Lobo, nací en Costa Rica el cual es un país ubicado en el centro del continente americano con una extensión total de 51,100 km2, una población de aproximadamente 5 millones de habitantes, el cual cuenta con playas exóticas, bosques majestuosos y un clima de verano, prácticamente durante todo el año. Costa Rica se caracteriza por ser pacifista, no tiene ejército desde 1948, cuenta con un sistema de salud público, el cual es uno de los mejores del mundo en cobertura nacional y universalización.  

Desde 2001, trabajo con pacientes con cáncer, familiares  y profesionales dentro del sistema nacional público en salud (CCSS). He contribuido y participado en propuestas de mejora liderado por el consejo técnico oncológico de la CCSS, así como, proyectos de fortalecimiento a la atención de la población adolescente y adulta con cáncer en Costa Rica.

 Soy coordinador de la unidad de psicooncología del departamento de hemato oncología del Hospital México en San José Costa Rica, Profesor de la Universidad de Costa Rica, miembro del consejo genético oncológico en Costa Rica, miembro fundador de la red latinoamericana de psico oncología, miembro activo de IPOS y Co-Chair de LASSIG - IPOS 2021 – 2023.

Creo, fielmente, en que el paciente y su familia con cáncer, merecen recibir lo mejor por parte de los profesionales que les atendemos. Es por eso que al ser miembro de la IPOS, somos un faro que estando unidos, llevamos luz a situaciones y contextos desfavorables, sombríos y oscuros. 

The IPOS Palliative Care Special Interest Group Education Sub-Committee invites IPOS members and non-members to attend a special webinar and roundtable panel discussion on the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic on the field of palliative care held Thursday, October 21, 2021 9:00am to 10:30am ET. In this webinar, an international panel of Palliative Care experts will present the latest information about the pandemic and how it is impacting the health of individuals, families, communities and palliative care providers.

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a profound and worldwide impact on individuals, families, communities and healthcare providers, and the field of Palliative Care, with its focus on reducing suffering, is playing an important role in caring for the sick and dying. In both developed and developing countries the global pandemic has dramatically altered the death and dying process and has challenged our capacity to care for patients and to support families and healthcare providers. In this webinar, an international panel of Palliative Care experts will describe the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the world and will participate in a roundtable discussion to examine some of the key challenges and opportunities for palliative care patients, families and providers. Issues such as palliative care practice, resource management, end of life practices, grief, dying alone, and provider fatigue and resilience will be explored.

Speakers confirmed to date:

1. Lilli Tang, MD Director, Psycho-Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital  Beijing Cancer Center, China
2. Mevhibe Hocaoglu, PhD Research Associate, Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care Policy & Rehabilitation, Kings College, UK
3. Jennifer Kapo, MD Chief, Palliative Medicine, Yale Cancer Center, USA
4. Isabel Centeno, MEd, Psycho-oncologist, PHD candidate, IPOS Palliative Care SIG Education Committee, board member and professor. Unidas Contigo, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross México.
5. M.R. Rajagopal, MD Chairman, Pallium India, India
6. Miriam Mutebi, MD Assistant Professor, Surgery, Aga Khan University and Vice President of East Africa of the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer, Kenya
7. Jennifer Philip, Professor of Palliative Medicine at Peter MacCullum Cancer Centre and Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia.
8. Harvey Chochinov, OC OM MD PhD FRCPC FRSC, Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry University of Manitoba, Senior Scientist, CancerCare Manitoba Research Institute, Canada

Moderators

1. Dwain Fehon, PsyD IPOS Palliative Care SIG Education Committee Chair, Associate Professor, Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, USA
2. Devi Kainikkara IPOS Palliative Care SIG Education Committee Co-Chair, PhD Scholar, Department of Psycho-Oncology, Cancer Institute (WIA),  India

For more details about our speakers and moderators, please click here.

Registration:

• Free for IPOS members
• $10 USD for non-members

To register, please go to https://ipos-society.org/event-4468463

This event will be recorded and may be made available for purchase at a later date. There are no refunds.

The Awards Committee consists of seasoned IPOS members from across the World that have in-depth insight into IPOS operations, vision and mission. With this knowledge, the members of the Awards Committee have a broad view of the clinical and scientific activities, which characterize the members of IPOS.

Every year we receive nominations for the IPOS Awards. We review the suggestions and ask senior members of IPOS to assist in the reviews (we monitor closely to avoid any potential conflict of interests). Once the reviews are complete, we establish a consensus as to which candidate should receive each of the awards available. 

The awards are officially presented annually at the World Congress award ceremony in collaboration with the local world congress committee and the Board of Directors of IPOS.

To find out more about submitting an award nomination(s), please go to https://ipos-society.org/awards

To find out more about previous IPOS Award winners, please go to https://ipos-society.org/awards/winners

My name is Nienke Zomerdijk and I am an early career researcher in Psycho-Oncology. My role is focused on both research and teaching. I am teaching undergraduate psychology students about the psychological needs of cancer patients and their families. I find this very rewarding and it is my hope to plant some psycho-oncology seeds. In my role as researcher, I am focused on understanding and addressing the psychological needs of people with cancer and their families. I am particularly passionate about haematological cancers. From my clinical experience in this setting, haematological cancer patients face additional challenges of intensive and lengthy treatments like stem cell transplantation and severe side effects. However, compared with cancers such as breast cancer or, increasingly, prostate cancer, the needs of this patient population have not received widespread attention. I hope to advocate for their needs and preferences and work together with community organisations and healthcare professionals to ensure the best psychosocial outcomes for haematological cancer patients.

Being a member of the International Psycho-Oncology Society - IPOS represents for me a community. IPOS has supported my research journey since 2016 when I was just starting my PhD. When I was blown away by the community, passion, and ideas at my first congress in Dublin, I knew I loved psycho-oncology. I am among the most fortunate people to have had the opportunity to learn from Prof Jane Turner, past IPOS president. She instilled in me the confidence to pursue a career in Psycho-Oncology and I am forever in her debt.

Since 2001, I have been working with cancer patients, professionals, and oncology institutions from Romania, Europe, and the USA. Based on this experience, I have developed the APSCO research project – www.psychooncology.ro. APSCO - Assessment of Psycho-Social and Communication needs in Oncology – is the first multi-center research project on psychosocial aspects of cancer in Romania. Furthermore, together with Dr. Alex Mitchell, we developed the first Emotion Thermometers-based cancer distress evaluation and monitoring app. I am the founder and president of APSCO - the Romanian Association for Services and Communication in Oncology, a proud member of the IPOS Federation, and a collaborating partner of the Innovative Partnership for Action Against Cancer - iPAAC initiative Europe. In 2016 the Romanian Ministry of Health named me a member of the Committee for Social Work and Support in Oncology as part of the Steering Group to develop National Cancer Control Plan 2016-2020.

The International Psycho-Oncology Society - IPOS is my professional family where we are developing and strengthening psycho-oncology policies, services, and resources across the world for cancer patients, cancer survivors, families, and loved ones, especially in emerging regions like Asia, Latin America, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Russia. This is our mission together with the largest and truly representative psycho-oncology professional society in the world, which represents a range of health disciplines across the globe, including psychologists, psychiatrists, doctors, clinicians, social workers, social scientists, patient advocates, educators, and administrators, dieticians, epidemiologists, specialists in pastoral care and vocational rehabilitation. Dr. Luzia Travado, IPOS President Emeritus, dear friend, is my mentor here.

As Board Member at the European Cancer Organisation – ECCO in Brussels, elected on behalf of IPOS, I have been actively involved in oncopolicy and psycho-oncology capacity building in the European Union in partnership with ECCO. The most important project to be involved with is the ECCO Essential Requirements for Quality Cancer Care – ERQCC, which aims to improve outcomes for cancer patients in Europe by adopting and implementing essential quality cancer care requirements in Europe through existing clinical guidelines that enhance their effectiveness. Its final aim is to shape the policy environment at the European and national levels to improve the quality of cancer care across Europe and reduce cancer inequalities. Further, together with the Survivorship and Quality of Life Network members at ECCO, we have been working together to build professional consensus and improve cancer care.

From my experience in IPOS, I know that psycho-oncology is gaining momentum in more and more places around the world, with significant professional resources to be engaged in the following years to come and with good chances to succeed by teamwork, commitment, and investment. All my efforts are not enough; I and IPOS will need you as ambassadors of psycho-oncology standards across the globe. I believe the most significant professional and personal experience relates to the new IPOS standard - psychosocial care as a human right.

For a decade now, de Souza Institute has been offering continuing professional development courses to healthcare professionals, to enhance their knowledge and competency and give them tools to provide the best possible cancer and/or palliative care. With online course offerings, participants can start at any time, from anywhere! Join over 18,000 healthcare professionals who have learned with de Souza.
 
Sexual Health in Cancer Part 1 (IPODE) - Sexual concerns are one of the most common cancer survivorship issues, yet they are the least likely to be discussed. Learn skills in assessment and counseling for common sexual health issues in cancer care. Enroll by August 23, 2021, course starts on September 7^th to November 8, 2021.
Offered in collaboration with the Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology.
Visit the Sexual Health in Cancer course webpage for additional details, including online classroom dates.
 
Sex Counselling in Cancer Part 2 (IPODE) – Buildong on Sexual Health in Cancer Part 1, this course is designed for health professionals who have a counselling practice and wish to develop further knowledge and skill in sex counselling.
 
Visit the Sex Counselling in Cancer Part 2 course webpage for additional details, including online classroom dates.
 
Both are offered in collaboration with the Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology.

My name is Christoffer Johansen and I was born and live in Denmark, which is one of the most well organized societies in the world. Unfortunately we currently have an immigration policy, which is among the most disgusting one can imagine. Our nation is small and probably this is the reason, that the 5.6 million Danes are careful to allow only a minority of applicants to enter the country. I was raised in a family of cultural/liberal (in the US entitled socialists) politicians, architects and psychologists and after medical school moved from some years of abdominal surgery into the psychosocial research field. I have been actively participating in IPOS since the beginning and started the field of psychosocial epidemiology in my country illustrating how psychological factors do not cause cancer and also that you as a cancer patient may live better when consulting a psychologist. However, you do not live longer compared to your fellow patients. My primary work has been on etiology, prognosis and interventions in cancer. As a PI, I have had the responsibility for more than 20 investigator initiated RCT’s in behavioral psychosocial oncology. I have supervised more than 60 PhD students, published more than 650 papers in peer reviewed journals, authored books in the field of religion and disease (I am not a believer, at least not a religious believer). And also coauthored and edited books on late effects, survivorship and personality and health. The last book was in English at Elsevier in San Diego, USA. I am best at writing applications, editing papers and overlooking the scientific processes. I am biking everyday to work, I have been the President for IPOS in three year period in 2003 to 2006. Together with Dean Uwe Koch from Hamburg in Germany and Professor Luigi Grassi in Ferrare, Italy, I convinced (I tend to believe) WHO to add psychosocial aspects of cancer in the overall cancer program. I have crossed the Atlantic in a sailing boat, biked around New York for 6 months during my stay at Memorial Sloan Kettering, skiing almost the entire massive of the Dolomites in Italy and have a short training and diploma of being a person who may take people over a glacier. I never used this degree. Today I work as a Professor in Cancer late effect research at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, Denmar