Amanda J. Pierz,
PhD, MSc
The experiences of women navigating breast cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship in Ethiopia
Due to limited resources committed to cancer prevention and treatment in Ethiopia, quality of life and psychosocial perspectives are generally disregarded in biomedical models of care. One anomaly is the establishment of a monthly breast cancer support group at Adama Hospital Medical College (AHMC) to address the dearth of peer-to-peer groups in Ethiopia and explore the psychosocial effects of breast cancer survivorship groups on quality of life.
The founder of the breast cancer support group Assistant Professor Biniyam Tefera Deressa,was awarded a Health Equity Scholar Fellowship by the University of Arizona to conduct a mixed method research project to assess the quality of life among participants of the breast cancer patient/survivor support group that he founded at AHMC. In collaboration with Assistant Professor Breanne Lott of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Dr. Biniyam, Amanda served as the lead qualitative methodologist for the analysis of the focus group data. She supervised and provided an applied qualitative learning experience for three Masters’ students that culminated in its publication in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship.