Phyllis F. Cantor Center Staff Profiles
Marilyn J. Hammer, PhD, DC, RN, FAAN
Director
Email: marilynj_hammer@dfci.harvard.edu
Dr. Hammer has dedicated her program of research to understanding associations between glycemic status, metabolism, and immune function in patients with cancer, including how these mechanisms impact risks for poor symptom experiences and outcomes. In alignment with precision health targets, the goals based on findings from these investigations are to develop a symptom risk assessment tool and design individually tailored interventions for improved symptom management and outcomes. In addition, Dr. Hammer has published a body of work related to precision health and associated ethical, legal, and social implications. She has presented her work nationally and globally, including countries in North and South America, Europe, and China.
Dr. Hammer obtained her graduate degrees from the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. Prior to assuming her role at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in September 2019, she was a faculty member at the New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing and then became the first Director of Research and Evidence Based Practice at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Dr. Hammer is a Fellow in both the American Academy of Nursing and the New York Academy of Medicine.
Kayoll Gyan, PhD, RN
Associate Director
Email: kayoll_gyan@dfci.harvard.edu
Dr. Kayoll Gyan is the Associate Director of the Phyllis F. Cantor Center for Research in Nursing and Patient Care Services at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She is also a Nurse Scientist in Medical Oncology and Member of the Faculty of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Her program of research is focused on cervical cancer prevention among African American women, with a specific focus on social cultural determinants of health such as social support networks and religion & spirituality. Dr. Gyan aims to develop culturally and contextually appropriate interventions to improve awareness, knowledge and communication strategies among African Americans and their healthcare providers regarding cancer prevention and symptom management. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journals such as Cancer Causes & Control, Translational Behavioral Medicine, Journal of Religion and Health, Ethnicity & Health, Social Science & Medicine, Journal of Cancer Education, American Journal of Public Health, and Oncology Nursing Forum. She is currently funded by a grant from Northeastern University that focuses on understanding the cervical cancer screening beliefs and practices of Black immigrant women in Massachusetts. She has been funded by a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Cancer Prevention Postdoctoral Fellowship from the National Cancer Institute and a Pre-Doctoral Training Award from the National Institute of Nursing Research. Dr. Gyan is a 2021 National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Award recipient and a 2018 National Institutes of Minority Health and Health Disparities - Health Disparities Research Scholar.
Dr. Gyan earned her Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies and Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the State University of New York at Binghamton, and her PhD in Nursing Research from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Mary Cooley, PhD, RN, FAAN
Associate Director, Intervention Development and Implementation Core, Precision Health Symptom Science Program
Email: mary_cooley@dfci.harvard.edu
Dr. Cooley completed her doctoral and post-doctoral studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Her program of research focuses on improving cancer symptom management through clinical decision support and enhancing healthy behaviors through multiple risk reduction interventions focused on smoking cessation, increased physical activity, healthy diet, and cancer screening. She has had continuous funding for her research for the past two decades. She recently received the American Association for Cancer Research - Johnson & Johnson Lung Cancer Innovation Science grant, focused on testing a digital intervention for high-risk smokers to enhance lung health and a grant from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network/AstraZeneca focused on optimizing the process and uptake of lung cancer screening among patients, providers, and across the health care system. She has served on a number of scientific review committees and is currently the Chairperson for the Cancer Care Delivery Research Committee for NRG Oncology, and a member of the National Cancer Institute Cancer Care Delivery Steering Committee.
Rachel Pozzar, PhD, RN, FNP-BC
Associate Director, Bio/Informatics & Technology Core, Precision Health Symptom Science Program
Email: rpozzar@partners.org
Dr. Pozzar is a nurse scientist and an Instructor in the Department of Medical Oncology at Harvard Medical School. Grounded in principles of decision science, communication science, and symptom science, Dr. Pozzar’s program of research aims to develop and test strategies to deliver patient-centered care to people with gynecologic cancers and their caregivers. Dr. Pozzar is especially interested in the use of human-centered design to develop mHealth interventions that promote patient-centered communication and improve patient-reported outcomes. In 2021, Dr. Pozzar received a National Palliative Care Research Center Kornfeld Scholars Program Award to develop and pilot test a collaborative agenda-setting intervention for patients with advanced ovarian cancer, their caregivers, and their clinicians. Previously, Dr. Pozzar has received research funding from the American Cancer Society and the Society for Medical Decision Making/Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. She is currently the Vice-Chair of the Early Career Special Interest Group for the Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science. Dr. Pozzar received her PhD from Northeastern University, her MSN from Boston College, and her BSN from the University of Massachusetts, Boston.
Ijeoma Eche-Ugwu, PhD, FNP-BC, AOCNP, CPHON, BMT-CN
Associate Director, Pediatric & Health Determinants Core, Precision Health Symptom Science Program
Email: ijeomaj_eche@dfci.harvard.edu
Dr. Eche-Ugwu’s program of research is focused on developing a comprehensive understanding of factors that impact health-related quality-of-life in children with cancer, as well as psychosocial adaptation of parents of children with cancer. Her fellowship is jointly sponsored by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and University of Massachusetts/Boston College of Nursing and Health Sciences.
Terri Jabaley, PhD, RN
Clinical Inquiry Specialist
Email: theresa_jabaley@dfci.harvard.edu
Dr. Jabaley joined the Cantor Center in 2017 as a Clinical Inquiry Specialist focusing on improving patient outcomes through research and evidence-based practice implementation. As an award-winning nurse educator with over 20 years of experience as an Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist, she has a broad experience in clinical oncology, palliative care, education, and research. Her original research focusing on cancer-related genomics arose from observations of the challenges patients and families face related to a genetic predisposition to cancer. Her current work centers on cancer symptom management. She has received internal and external funding for her research and evidence-based practice projects and received the 2020 Evidence-Based Practice Award from the Eastern Nursing Research Society. She has published and presented her work locally, nationally, and internationally.
Jennifer Costa, PhD, APRN, PNP-BC
Clinical Inquiry Specialist
Email: jennifer_costa@dfci.harvard.edu
Jennifer Costa joined the Cantor Center in 2021 as a Clinical Inquiry Specialist after almost 20 years as a pediatric hematology/oncology and palliative care nurse/nurse practitioner. She is currently completing her PhD at Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing at the University of Massachusetts/Worcester, having obtained her Master of Science in Nursing in pediatric acute/chronic care with a pediatric oncology focus at the University of Pennsylvania in 2005, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Boston College in 2002. Her research interests are focused on the parent and nurse experiences of caring for a child with cancer. Ms. Costa has published on the role of cognitive remediation in children experiencing late effects of cancer treatment. She is passionate about advancing nursing science through inquiry, dissemination of knowledge, and improvements in clinical care. She utilizes her clinical experience and research knowledge to promote nursing scholarship and translate evidence-based research into nursing practice to ultimately improve patient care.
Joosun Shin, PhD, RN, OCN, ADACNP-BC
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
Email: joosun_shin@dfci.harvard.edu
Barbara Halpenny, MA, MSW, LCSW
Research Project Director
Email: barbara_halpenny@dfci.harvard.edu
Manan Nayak, PhD
Research Scientist
Email: manan_nayak@dfci.harvard.edu
Erica Fox, MEd, RN
Senior Clinical Research Coordinator
Email: erica_fox@dfci.harvard.edu
Grace Chung
Research Administrator
Email: grace_chung@dfci.harvard.edu
Whitney Posada
Clinical Research Coordinator
Email: whitney_posada@dfci.harvard.edu
Marina Novaes
Administrative Specialist
Email: Marina_Novaes@dfci.harvard.edu