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The Walther Supportive Oncology Program is a partnership with the Walther Cancer Foundation, IU Palliative Medicine, the IU Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, and IU Health. The long-term goals of the program are to transform the health care experience of patients with cancer and their families from the time of initial diagnosis and throughout the course of care.

Walther Supportive Oncology Program

The Walther Supportive Oncology Program is a partnership with the Walther Cancer Foundation, IU Palliative Medicine, the IU Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center and IU Health.

The long-term goals of the program are to transform the health care experience of patients with cancer and their families from the time of initial diagnosis and throughout the course of care.

We achieve this transformation as part of an academic health system such that the lessons learned are broadly disseminated to impact cancer care throughout the nation. In recent years, academic palliative medicine at IU School of Medicine has established a robust infrastructure with the support of the Walther Cancer Foundation, other foundations and funding agencies, and the health system.

Current Walther Supportive Oncology research addresses the role of music therapy in pediatric cancer, interventions to address psychological symptoms in cancer, including fear of recurrence, and decision making for pediatric and young adult patients with osteosarcoma of the lower limb.

Meet Program Faculty and Staff

research

Featured Researchers and Projects

Walther Global Palliative Care

Walther Global Palliative Care & Supportive Oncology works to advance global palliative care and supportive oncology through policy, research, education and practice for the relief of pain and suffering worldwide.
4978-Johns, Shelley

Shelley A. Johns, PsyD, MS

Dr. Johns' patient-oriented research primarily focuses on testing integrative mind-body interventions to reduce cancer-related fatigue and associated symptoms for post-treatment cancer survivors and improving adaptive coping and quality of life for adults with advanced-stage cancer and their family caregivers.

9762-Panoch, Janet

Janet E. Panoch, PhD

Dr. Panoch engages in qualitative methods with patients, caregivers, and orthopedic oncologists to co-create communication tools like the Osteosarcoma Decision Aid. She serves as a Decision Coach to help families weigh pros and cons when making difficult decisions. 

Sheri L. Robb, PhD, MED

Sheri L. Robb, PhD, MT-BC

A nationally renowned music therapy researcher, Dr. Robb is exploring how active music interventions can reduce stress and improve positive health outcomes in children and adolescents with cancer and their caregivers. Most recently, her team has incorporated biomarkers into their trials to understand more fully how active music interventions work to mitigate cancer-related stress and its potential to improve immune function. 

Contact

Interim Director
4856-Torke, Alexia

Alexia M. Torke, MD

Walther Professor of Supportive Oncology

Email: atorke@iu.edu

Read Bio

Walther Supp. Onc. Staff Member Alexis Miller

Alexis Miller

Administrative Coordinator