Advanced Breast Cancer Program for African American Women

The University School of Social Work and INELDA are partnered in a joint initiative to bring end-of-life care to African American women with metastatic breast cancer. The effort is funded by a grant from The University of Pittsburgh Clinical Translational Science Institute (CTSI). The School of Social Work identified a service gap in end-of-life care within this population and committed to close that gap. In partnership with the INELDA, the School was awarded a grant to fund end-of-life doula work for African American women with advanced breast cancer. The program will launch in Q1 2022 and include five Pittsburgh-area patients and their families. 

Margaret Rosenzweig, PhD, RN and Vanessa Palmer, RN MSN DNP saw firsthand that black women with advanced breast cancer face unique obstacles, not only with their medical care but also with end-of-life care. “During one of our weekly visits to a clinical site, we noticed a prominent void – we realized that these women have unmet needs on their journey through illness,” Rosenzweig said. “We saw an opportunity to do more to meet these needs.” Rosenzweig is a Distinguished Service Professor of Nursing at the University of Pittsburgh and Associate Director for Catchment Area research at the Hillman Cancer Center.

For those living with advanced breast cancer, the path is not palliative care alone. Patients receive aggressive, costly treatment – often while trying to fulfill a traditional role within the home. The pair tapped INELDA program director Jamie Eaddy Chism, DMin to help adapt their program to meet the unique end-of-life needs of this particular population. Eaddy Chism, DMin, will collaborate with the School to provide expertise on the cultural aspects of illness and dying for women in black communities and guide development of a culturally sensitive training program for students in the program. “Our goal is to better serve women in the black community – to walk through the journey with them, through their death and with their families after death,” Eaddy Chism said.

The program is anchored by four pillars – emotional support, practical assistance, legacy building, and family support throughout the illness and after death.  “This grant allows us to pursue a framework within which African Americans with advanced breast cancer receive the end-of-life care they need beyond the clinic walls, within their neighborhoods,” Rosenzweig said.

The program team, led by Palmer, as program director, includes Rosenzweig as principal investigator; Eaddy Chism as director of training; Robert Arnold, director of palliative care at UPMC; Valerie Copeland, School of Social Work faculty member; Adam Brufsky, medical oncologist in breast cancer; and Tanisha Bowman, palliative care social worker and end-of-life doula.

The University of Pittsburgh Clinical Translational Science Institute (CTSI) selected the partners’ proposal from a competitive pool of 100 applicants in various disciplines. The School of Social Work was one of six finalists. The partners envision expanding the program’s scope through a federal grant in 2023.