Improving the Lives of Cancer Patients For Good: Claire Conley ’12

As anyone impacted by the hardships of the disease can attest, cancer is not solely a physical illness; a cancer diagnosis can also negatively impact emotional health and well-being.

Notre Dame graduate Claire Conley ’12, a clinical psychologist working in oncology, has focused her work and research on psychosocial issues across the cancer continuum, from early detection to end-of-life.

“The culture of my undergraduate education at Notre Dame inspired a desire to give back to the people who have helped me, and to help foster the people who are coming behind me.”

Her accomplishments in the field have been nationally recognized by organizations such as the American Psychosomatic Society, the American Psychological Association, and the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

“A lot of people I work with will never recover from cancer. Cancer is something they’re going to live with for the rest of their lives until, ultimately, it kills them. Helping them live well with cancer is a big part of what I do.”

Claire earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Notre Dame, which led her to her graduate school and Ph.D. program. Now, Claire works as an assistant professor of oncology at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in Washington DC, where she teaches about and researches cancer.

Claire’s Journey to Study Cancer

“I loved studying psychology. I had some really fantastic psychology instructors, and they were engaging and interesting. It made me feel like I was in the right place.”

But it wasn’t until she found that she could combine psychology and oncology that things truly “made sense” for her.

Claire’s life was first touched by cancer long before she began working in the medical field.

Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer while Claire was in high school. Claire’s grandmother is a two-time breast cancer survivor. Several of her grandmother’s sisters have had it, too.

“I, myself, know that I have a higher-than-average risk for breast cancer. I know that’s something that may happen at some point in my life. Having seen people go through cancer diagnoses in my family, it’s always something that’s been very close to me.”

A few years after Claire began her journey at Notre Dame, her mother participated in a cancer research study at the University of Rochester. She inquired whether they had any psychology internship opportunities for Claire in the office.

The research unit was led by a Notre Dame alumni, Gary Morrow. That summer, Claire conducted a study of demographic predictors of coping mechanisms in cancer patients as an undergraduate intern at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

“That internship set me on this trajectory. I honestly probably wouldn’t be where I am today without that internship, the connection to Gary Morrow, and research funding from the Notre Dame Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts.”

Claire’s Research

Claire’s research aims to improve the quality of life for cancer patients. One way she helps patients flourish is through palliative care.

“I am really passionate about palliative care and ensuring that people with life-limiting diseases have access to palliative care. It is care that is dramatically underutilized in our country because people think of it as end-of-life care.”

Much of Claire’s current research centers around the day-to-day experiences of those living with cancer so that palliative interventions may be developed, specifically for those with metastatic breast cancer.

“Now, people are living much longer due to new medications, but we don’t know as much about what their day-to-day experiences look like. My work focuses on understanding quality of life and experiences of physical and emotional symptoms for people with metastatic breast cancer.”

She wants to use this research to develop technology that will deliver specialized support to people and improve their day-to-day experiences while living with cancer.

“I like this line of work because I bring my psychology perspective when I work with the oncologists and palliative care teams, and palliative care is the thing that I see as potentially really moving the needle the most. If we made a systemic change so that everyone got palliative care, it would make a huge difference in the lives of people living with cancer. That’s my passion project.”

How Claire Works as a Force for Good Today

As an assistant professor, Claire spends most of her time researching, but also teaches and mentors medical and undergraduate students.

Outside of work, she continues to make an impact in her community.

Claire bikes to raise awareness and funding for cancer research, is a pen pal for children interested in STEM fields in under-resourced schools, and works to translate scientific texts and research into digestible pieces for laypeople.

She’s won a multitude of service awards from the Moffitt Cancer Center and The Ohio State University, and Notre Dame’s “Domer Dozen” award, which honors select young alumni and their incredible achievements.

“Community and service orientation is very much something that I appreciated about my time at Notre Dame. The culture of my undergraduate education at Notre Dame inspired a desire to give back to the people who have helped me and to help foster the people who are coming behind me. I’m working really hard to give back.”

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