PHILADELPHIA (June 5, 2018) – Jennifer Barsky Reese, PhD, assistant professor in the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center, was selected by the Academy of Communication in Healthcare (ACH) to join the second cohort of the Putnam Scholars Program.
The ACH is a professional organization committed to improving communication and relationships in healthcare. The Putnam Scholars Program was created to honor the vision of the late Samuel Morse Putnam, MD, who was an advocate for education and research in physician-patient communication.
The Putnam Scholars Program was created as a career development opportunity for young investigators working in the field of health care communication. The program offers participants opportunities to gain exposure for their most recent scientific work, obtain mentoring from experienced investigators, present their scholarly work at conferences, and join a professional community with the potential for scientific collaboration. As a Putnam scholar, Reese and two expert mentors in health communication will participate in a variety of ACH events, including special Putnam Scholars retreats, both national and international health communication conferences, and will collaborate on an original research project focusing on enhancing breast cancer clinicians’ communication about sexual health with their patients.
Reese is a behavioral scientist and licensed psychologist who received her PhD in clinical psychology from Rutgers University. At Fox Chase her research focus is on designing, evaluating, and disseminating methods for improving intimacy, interpersonal functioning, and quality of life among those with cancer.
“I am extremely honored and excited to be selected as a Putnam Scholar in the second cohort of this unique program. I am looking forward to the opportunities this program will offer me to increase my knowledge in patient-provider communication and to use this knowledge to develop evidence-based interventions to enhance communication about sexual concerns for those with cancer. I am also excited about the possibilities for networking and collaboration that this program will make possible for me,” said Reese.