Jessica L. Lawson, PhD Clinical Health Psychologist VA Connecticut Healthcare System- West Haven Yale School of Medicine     She sat across from me, legs crossed and arms folded protectively around herself, as if to try to hide her body as she shared her experience with me. Gazing down at the floor she explained that she did not want to make a return visit to her … Continue reading Neutralizing the Weight of our Biases

Joan DelFattore, Ph.D. Professor Emerita, University of Delaware “You have no husband?” asked the oncologist, his voice full of concern. “No,” I replied. Nor do I have children or other immediate family. “Then how will you manage?” he exclaimed. The answer was a strong network of friends, cousins, colleagues, and neighbors — but when I tried to tell him that, he interrupted to describe the … Continue reading How Cancer Treatment Varies with Marital Status, and Why It Shouldn’t