Yale University School of Nursing (YSN) Professor Ruth McCorkle
received the Bernard Fox Memorial Award at the International
Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) 11th World Congress in Vienna, Austria.
She was awarded for outstanding contributions to the field of
psycho-oncology, which focuses on the psychosocial and behavioral
aspects of cancer.
McCorkle became the first nurse
to receive this award, commenting, "Very few nurses participate in this
area; most experts come mainly from psychiatry, psychology, and social
work. It is wonderful to be recognized outside my field."
A
pioneer in oncology nursing, McCorkle has spent 25 years researching
the role of nurses in improving clinical outcomes in psychosocial
oncology. She has conducted six randomized clinical trials testing the
role of the advanced practice nurse with post-surgical cancer patients,
trials which consistently show improvements in the quality of life for
both patients and caregivers.
Ruth McCorkle is the
first Florence Schorske Wald Professor at YSN, named for the former
dean and founder of hospice in the US. She is the former director of
the Center for Excellence in Chronic Illness Care, and former chair of
YSN's doctoral program. McCorkle is the program leader for Cancer
Control at the Yale Comprehensive Cancer Center, and a professor in the
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the Yale School of
Medicine.
The International Psycho-Oncology Society
was created to foster international multidisciplinary communication
about clinical, educational and research issues that relate to the
subspecialty of psycho-oncology and primary psychosocial dimensions of
cancer.
