The University of Louisville Alumni Magazine: for alumni, faculty, staff, students and anyone that is a UofL Cardinal fan.
Issue link: https://louisville.epubxp.com/i/43017
A C R O S S C A M P U S Kent School launches fi rst endowed oncology social work chair in U.S. "If you walk into a roomful of people, no matter how many, and ask whose lives have been touched by cancer, every hand will go up," said Renato LaRocca, MD, a medical oncologist, director of Kentuckiana Cancer Institute, PLLC, and adjunct faculty member of the UofL School of Medicine. "In my practice, I get to know patients and families. They struggle daily with things as simple as logistics, meals and travel, and as complicated as the complexities of treatment, medications and side effects, and understanding either end-of-life issues or cancer as a chronic condition. "Cancer is a visceral disease, with multiple issues that we have yet to address holistically, and we need to change that. That's the reason I felt compelled to fund this chair at the Kent School," he added. "This is an opportunity to understand and study cancer in a meaningful way and to begin effecting change to improve our outcomes and the quality of life of people who deal with it." Because of LaRocca's commitment, Karen Kayser joined UofL in July in the nation's fi rst endowed chair in oncology social work. Most recently a professor and chair of health and mental health practice for Boston College's Graduate School of Social Work, Kayser holds a doctorate in social work and social science from the University of Michigan. She has written extensively on breast cancer and its impact on family and partner relationships, including cross-cultural examinations of how families cope with cancer. Next spring, she will receive the Association of Oncology Social Work 2012 Quality of Life in Cancer Care Award for her commitment to improving the lives of people with cancer and assisting their caregivers. Kayser is expected to help the Kent School build training and research resources for students in oncology social work, and expand services to cancer patients and their families, helping connect them to community resources, including physicians, support groups, agencies and sources of fi nancial aid. "An oncology social worker works with patients, families and caregivers around any type of emotional or social challenges that a cancer patient and family may encounter," Kayser said. "This could be navigating the medical system; it could be dealing with emotional distress, depression and anxiety about the treatments; it could be helping them make decisions about treat- ments. "People bring in all sorts of challenges from the social environment they live in," Kayser continued. "Often, they are challenged not only with the cancer diagnosis but also the recent loss of a job, loss of housing or other economic challenges. So the social worker is the professional who helps deal with all those challenges as the patient is getting treatment." FALL UOFL MAGAZINE|37 Kayser said the interdisciplinary work with UofL's Health Sciences Center was one reason she chose to move to Louisville. "The problem with cancer is, you really do need to approach it from a lot of different perspectives, and that was one of the things I found very attractive about this position." "From diagnosis through treatment and life afterward, patients and their families benefi t when an advocate is available to help them make that journey. The ideal advocate is a specially trained social worker," said Dr. Terry Singer, dean of the Kent School of Social Work. To see a video interview with Kayser, check uofl .me/QFumuE. Service learning in The Big Easy What do Louisville and New Orleans have in common besides the fl eur-de-lis symbol? The Kent School of Social Work. Several master's students and baccalaureate students from UofL's Kent School spent their annual spring break doing service learning work in the Central City neighborhood of New Orleans, a low-income area hard hit by Hurricane Katrina. The trip served as an introduction to the city and to the Kent in New Orleans (KINO) program, according to Judy Heitzman, the faculty member who led the journey. The KINO initiative allows students to perform required fi eld placements and attend their fi nal classes in New Orleans, rather than in Louisville. "Many of the fi eld placements are in Central City, which still has lots of rebuilding to do," Heitzman said. "As the KINO program grows, there will be opportunities to expand placements to other parts of the New Orleans area." This spring, students Sara Willihnganz and Elisha Carter studied in New Orleans. Also taking part in the spring break trip were Ngoc Uyen Nguyen, Ayana Tyler, Aqueelah Haleem and Ben Leamon, whose KINO placements will occur in 2012. "They're all fi red up now," Heitzman said. Carol Tully, a retired Kent School professor and native of New Orleans who returned there after Katrina, teaches courses and serves as KINO placement fi eld liaison/supervisor. She began the program with Martha Fuller, master of social work fi eld placement coordina- tor, and former doctoral student Stacy Deck. Heitzman has served as Louisville fi eld liaison since KINO's inception. KENT SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK