2009 Free to Breathe Young Investigator Research Grant
Heidi Hamann, PhD
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Research Project:
Addressing Stigma
Summary:
Lung cancer patients may feel shame and guilt related to their disease due to the stigma of lung cancer’s association with smoking. This stigma can negatively affect their care and treatment. Dr. Hamann is working to develop a way to measure lung cancer stigma, examine differences between what men and women experience, and study how stigma affects patients’ communications with their doctors. Learning more about lung cancer stigma will allow clinicians to directly address and reduce this stigma and eventually improve treatment and care for lung cancer patients.