2019 Jimmie Holland Memorial Award Winner

Dr. William Breitbart, M.D. (USA)

The Jimmie Holland Memorial Award honors an IPOS or psycho-oncology community member recognized for making a unique contribution considered to be a highly creative or pioneering innovation or activity that advances the field of Psycho-oncology. The award is unique in its recognition as Jimmie Holland as a pioneer and chief innovator of our time, as well as recognizes her enormous contribution as mentor.

William Breitbart, M.D. is Chairman, The Jimmie C. Holland Chair in Psychiatric Oncology, and Attending Psychiatrist, Psychiatry Service in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY. He is the recipient of Lifetime Achievement Awards from the International Psycho-oncology Society, the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, the American Psychosocial Oncology Society, and the American Cancer Society. Dr. Breitbart's research efforts focus on psychiatric aspects of cancer and palliative care. His most recent efforts focus on Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy for cancer patients. He has had continuous NIH RO1 funding of investigator initiated research since 1989. Dr. Breitbart was PI of the “Network Project, NCI R25 grant (1992-98) which trained clinicians in cancer pain management and psycho-oncology.  He is currently PI of R25 CA190169 which is training a national cohort of cancer care clinicians in Meaning Centered Psychotherapy. He has over 400 peer review publications, chapters and review papers, and 12 textbooks including: Psycho-oncology - 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd Editions; the treatment manuals for Meaning-Centered Group Psychotherapy in Advanced Cancer Patients, and Individual Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy for Advanced Cancer Patient; and Meaning Centered Psychotherapy in the Cancer Setting from Oxford University Press. Dr. Breitbart is Editor-in-Chief, of Cambridge University Press’ international palliative care journal entitled, “Palliative & Supportive Care”.

2019 Bernard Fox Memorial Award Winner

Dr. Linda Carlson, PhD, R.Psych (Canada)

The Bernard Fox Memorial Award honors an IPOS or psycho-oncology community member who has made an outstanding contribution in education or research to the field of psycho-oncology. The primary focus is on the academic and educational output of the nominee.

Dr. Linda Carlson holds the Enbridge Research Chair in Psychosocial Oncology, is Full Professor in Psychosocial Oncology in the Department of Oncology, Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary, and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology. She is the Director of Research and works as a Clinical Psychologist at the Department of Psychosocial Resources at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre (TBCC), where she has worked since 1997. She is also Director of the CIHR SPOR-funded TRACTION program: Training in Research And Clinical Trials in Integrative Oncology, which supports a multidisciplinary group of University of Calgary fellows studying Integrative Oncology. Dr. Carlson's research in Psychosocial Oncology, Integrative Oncology and Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery has been published in many high-impact journals and book chapters, and she published a patient manual in 2011 with Michael Speca entitled: Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery: A step-by-step MBSR approach to help you cope with treatment and reclaim your life, in addition to a professional training manual in 2009 (2^nd Edition 2017) with Shauna Shapiro entitled The Art and Science of Mindfulness: Integrating mindfulness into psychology and the helping professions. She has published almost 200 research papers and book chapters, holds several millions of dollars in grant funding and is regularly invited to present her work at international conferences, most recently in Italy, China, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Israel and all across Canada and the USA. She presented a TEDx talk called Mindfulness for Personal and Collective Evolution in 2016.

2019 Hiroomi Kawano New Investigator Award Winner

Dr. Ursula Sansom-Daly, PhD, MPsych (Clin) MAPS, FCCLP (Australia)

The Hiroomi Kawano New Investigator Award honors a new investigator for outstanding research contributions in the field of psycho-oncology and is an early career award. Candidates must be within seven years of active work in psycho-oncology after completing his/her postgraduate, fellowship or equivalent specialist training (defined as a PhD or MD or equivalent). This award is sponsored by the Hiroomi Kawano Foundation in Japan.

Dr Ursula Sansom-Daly is a Post-Doctoral Fellow and Lecturer at the School of Women’s and Children’s Health, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, Australia. Ursula is also the Clinical Psychologist for Sydney Youth Cancer Service, the leading clinical team for the treatment and care of adolescents and young adults aged 15-25 years with cancer in Sydney. She leads the Mental Health Research Team, Behavioural Sciences Unit, Sydney Children’s Hospital - a team which is growing to be one of the foremost research teams focussed on psychosocial aspects of cancer among adolescents and young adults in Australia.  Reflecting her dual clinical-research roles, Ursula focuses on applying evidence-based psychological models and methods to understand, and address, mental health issues among adolescents and young adults with cancer. Her research spans the cancer trajectory, from diagnosis through to survivorship and end-of-life. For the past 5 years, she has led two large national randomised-controlled trials, ‘Recapture Life’ and ‘Cascade’, evaluating the feasibility and efficacy of online, group-based videoconferencing interventions for adolescent/young adult cancer survivors, and parents, in adjusting to life after cancer. Ursula also has a growing research program focused on improving end-of-life communication with young people with life-limiting illnesses. Ursula holds prestigious Early Career Fellowships from both the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Australia, and the Cancer Institute NSW, and has been a chief investigator on grants >$4.9M. She sits on the Scientific Advisory Committee for PoCoG, the national psycho-oncology clinical trials group in Australia, as an early-career member. Her work has been recently recognised through the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia’s New Investigator in Psycho-Oncology Award, as well as by being named one of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)'s Top 5 scientists in residence in 2017. 

2019 President's Community Award For Distinguished Contributions to IPOS

Kim Thiboldeaux, Chief Executive Officer, Cancer Support Community (USA)

The President’s Community Award for Distinguished Contributions to IPOS is a discretionary award that is made to an individual, group or organization in the community that, in the opinion of the Board has made an outstanding contribution of great significant to the Society.

Kim Thiboldeaux is an innovative, internationally recognized leader who has dedicated her career to improving the lives of cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers. As the CEO of the Cancer Support Community (CSC), Thiboldeaux oversees a global nonprofit network of 175 locations, including 47 CSC and Gilda's Club centers, eight hospital partnerships, and multiple satellite locations that deliver more than $50 million in free support services to patients and families. In addition, CSC administers a toll-free helpline and produces award-winning educational resources that reach more than one million people each year. The Cancer Support Community, formed in 2009 by the merger of The Wellness Community and Gilda’s Club, also conducts cutting-edge research on the emotional, psychological, and financial journey of cancer patients. In addition, CSC advocates in Washington, D.C. and at all levels of government for policies to help individuals whose lives have been disrupted by cancer. As a testament to her drive to serve even more patients and families, Thiboldeaux recently welcomed to the CSC network MyLifeLine, an innovative digital community that includes thousands of patients, caregivers, and their supporters. This exciting advancement will enable CSC to scale its digital services in an innovative, groundbreaking way. Thiboldeaux coauthored two full-length books, Reclaiming Your Life After Diagnosis and The Total Cancer Wellness Guide, and hosts the award-winning Frankly Speaking About Cancer radio show. She also serves on multiple advisory boards, speaks at leading conferences, and frequently appears in national media outlets. In June 2017, Vice President Joe Biden appointed Thiboldeaux to serve on the Biden Cancer Initiative’s Board of Directors. A native of Philadelphia who grew up in a close-knit family of five children, Thiboldeaux graduated from American University with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a minor in Spanish. While at American, Thiboldeaux studied abroad in London and Buenos Aires, experiences that spurred her lifelong zest for travel. She has visited all seven continents, all 50 states, and 50-plus countries around the world, and has no intention of slowing down her exploration of new countries and cultures. Among her many adventures, Thiboldeaux counts a recent road trip as one of her most memorable. She was gifted last-minute tickets to Super Bowl LII. With all airlines booked, she drove her father, a retired Philadelphia city bus driver and lifelong Eagles fan, to Minneapolis where, together, they watched their beloved home team win their first Super Bowl title.