Young Adult Program (YAP)

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Contact the Young Adult Program

617-632-6819

Call to schedule an appointment with Adult Psychosocial Oncology or learn more about clinical mental health services.

For information about YAP programs, events, or volunteer opportunities:

Email

About the Young Adult Program (YAP)

Young adults with cancer face very different challenges than patients who were diagnosed earlier in childhood or later in adulthood, such as:

  • Adjusting to a cancer diagnosis as a young adult
  • Communicating with peers, family, and caregivers
  • Building and maintaining intimate relationships
  • Changes in body image and physical appearance
  • Coping with uncertainty
  • Confronting losses
  • Feeling alone
  • Challenges to personal identity
  • Promoting personal resilience

The Young Adult Program at Dana-Farber (YAP@DFCI) provides emotional support services, opportunities to meet other young adults receiving treatment, and educational programs aimed at enhancing knowledge and self-advocacy skills. "Young adult" is loosely defined as anyone age 18 to early 40s. If you are unsure whether your age qualifies, don’t hesitate to contact us to see if our programs may be appropriate for you.

Our mission is to provide clinical services and programs that validate and support the needs of young adults with cancer. We are committed to:

  • Easing the emotional burden of living and coping with cancer
  • Empowering young adults to become active participants in their cancer treatment
  • Providing emotional and social support in the form of educational workshops, conferences, opportunities to network with other young adults with cancer, and clinical mental health services

We also ensure that young adults are aware of — and have access to — programs provided through other offices, divisions, and departments within Dana-Farber.

YAP@DFCI is part of our Adult Psychosocial Oncology Program. It is also part of an international initiative to recognize and address the unique circumstances related to lifestyle, work, school, family life, and emotional development that young adults face when living with cancer.

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Community Builders

YAP's e-Newsletter

Read our most recent e-newsletter
To subscribe, email yap@dfci.harvard.edu

Follow Us on Social Media

Facebook: @YAPatDFCI
X, formerly known as Twitter: @DanaFarberYAP

Caregiver e-Newsletter

To subscribe, email yap@dfci.harvard.edu

Get iaya, YAP's Smartphone App

Join iaya, a smartphone app created by the Young Adult Program to help build community around coping skills. Available to any young adult (age 18-early 40s) treated at Dana-Farber. To learn more about what iaya has to offer, check out this video.

Also check out this new informational video called "Blum Spotlight on Dana-Farber Resources: The Young Adult Program (YAP) and the IAYA App."

To obtain an invitation to the platform, please complete the interest form. For more information, please email yap@dfci.harvard.edu, or call 617-632-6819.

Read the iaya terms and conditions.

Hearing from Young Adults at Dana-Farber

Life shift: The Emotional Side of Cancer for a Young Adult

Young adult patients Paul and Christina share their unique knowledge on the need for and ways to get emotional support.

Coming to Dana-Farber as a Young Adult

Christina Dixon, who was 22 when diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, looks back on her experience coming to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute as a young adult.

The YAP Team

The Young Adult Program team, part of the Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, is a core group of staff dedicated to coordinating support and programs for young adults.

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Christina Pozo-Kaderman, PhD
Program Director

 

 

 

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Sarah Fay, MSW, LCSW
Program Manager

 

 

 

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Meghan Donovan
Young Adult Patient Navigator