Under Resourced?: Increasing Awareness and Utilization of Community-Based Supportive Care Oncology Resources and Programs

Dr. James Zabora, Director of Research and Professional Development at Inova Life with Cancer, has been appointed Fellow and President-Elect by the American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS).

The Fellowship recognizes members who have made significant contributions to the field of psychosocial oncology through proven leadership as well as publications and presentations. Zabora will serve a three-year term that starts with a year as president-elect, another as president and the final year as immediate-past president.

Dr. Zabora’s clinical and research experience has furthered Life with Cancer’s mission to provide patient-centered cancer care, and enable Life with Cancer to seek recognition as a national model of care for cancer patients and their family members in the United States, as the first and only model of cancer patient and caregiver support of its kind.

“The greatest challenge in the field of psychosocial oncology is the need to speak with one unified voice on behalf of psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, nurses, and pastoral counselors who attempt to meet the diverse needs of cancer survivors and their family members, said Zabora, “I am honored to accept this three-year appointment to see how I can enable APOS to address this challenge.”

Dr. James Zabora came to Inova after serving as Dean and Professor of Social Work at the National Catholic School of Social Service (NCSSS) of The Catholic University of America (CUA) for 10 years. Prior to CUA, Dr. Zabora had a 20 year career at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. As an administrator, he served as one of the five Associate Directors in the Comprehensive Cancer Center with a special focus on community programs and research. Along with Mr. Matthew Loscalzo, Dr. Zabora developed what was considered to be the best psychosocial services for cancer patients and their families in the United States. Currently, Dr. Zabora’s research continues to focus on cancer prevention and control, psychosocial screening, problem-solving education, and quality of life among cancer patients and their families.