Dana-Farber researcher awarded Victoria Mock New Investigator Award
Robert Knoerl, PhD, RN, an instructor in medicine and nurse scientist in the Phyllis F. Cantor Center for Research in Nursing and Patient Care Services at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has been awarded the 2020 Oncology Nursing Society’s (ONS) Victoria Mock New Investigator Award.
This prestigious award is given to a single candidate annually. It recognizes the contributions of new investigators in building a scientific foundation for oncology nursing practice.
Knoerl was recognized for his research into the use of integrative therapies for the management of cancer treatment-related symptoms; specifically, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. He is currently leading three studies. The first focuses on evaluating the efficacy of a clinician decision support algorithm to improve the assessment and management of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in practice. The second explores the use of yoga for chronic painful chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. The third aims to investigate the feasibility of implementing a mindfulness-based music therapy intervention to improve anxiety and stress in adolescents and young adults receiving chemotherapy.
Knoerl will be recognized during the ONS 45th Annual Congress, April 29-May 3, 2020 in San Antonio, Texas. As part of the award ceremony, he will give a lecture that highlights his work and current research studies.
Knoerl joined Dana-Farber after completing his undergraduate and doctoral nursing education at the University of Michigan. Knoerl says while at Dana-Farber he has received incredible mentorship, saying, “The amount of resources Dana-Farber has to promote cancer research is second to none.”
The ONS Victoria Mock New Investigator Award is named for Dr. Victoria Mock, who was a nursing pioneer in the 1980s whose work focused on fatigue management interventions. She lost her own battle with cancer a few years ago.
Knoerl is the third Dana-Farber Cantor Center nurse scientist to win the award. Meghan Underhill-Blazey, PhD, RN, AOCNS was the recipient in 2018 and Mary Cooley, PhD, RN, FAAN was the recipient in 2003.
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