Room: 325F, Brennan MacCallum Building(A18)

Mailing address:
Medical Psychology Research Unit
Brennan MacCallum Building (A18)
University of Sydney NSW 2006

Ph: 61 2 9351 2859
Fax: 61 2 9036 5292

Email:

Web: Prof Phyllis Butow

Since taking up my appointment as Professor in the School of Psychology, I have built up a strong group of 15 researchers and students interested in Health Psychology, mostly funded on peer reviewed grants. We are working on a range of exciting projects, including exploring: the value of decision aids to patients making treatment decisions; the impact of communication skills training on oncologists and their patients; the role of stress and personality in affecting risk of breast cancer in families already at high risk; the psychosocial impact of ovarian cancer on women and their partners; ways to better support carers of people with cancer and leaders of cancer support groups; and unmet needs in long-term cancer survivors. This is an expanding field with high significance and impact on patient care.

I am an academic cancer physician with a large experience in cancer patient care and clinical cancer research. My research interest in the past 10 years has been focused on means of enhancing communication in the cancer consultation, and I have worked closely with Phyllis Butow in this period.

I have pioneered the development, evaluation and use of question prompt lists provided to cancer patients before medical consultations. I have also promoted the use of consultation audiotapes to study communication in cancer and palliative care consultations, and have reported them to be an information aid for patients and their carers. I have developed interventions to enhance doctors' consultation skills and investigated means of enhancing the content and format of letters between oncologists and referring doctors.

Blackburn Building (D06)
University of Sydney NSW 2006

Ph: 61 2 9351 5893
Fax: 61 2 9351 4317

Email:

Since completing my Honours degree in Psychology in 1993, I have been working and studying in the area of psycho-oncology. The focus of my PhD was the role of psychosocial factors (life event stress, depression, coping, social support) in the diagnosis of breast cancer and I have continues working in this area. Since 2001, I have been involved in a large prospective Australasian study of psychosocial factors in the development of breast cancer in women from high-risk breast cancer families in collaboration with the Kathleen Cunningham Consortium for Research into Familial Breast Cancer (kConFab). This study is ongoing and plans to continue for at least 10 years.

My other primary area of interest is the role of psychosocial factors in the outcome of cancer. I am currently involved in a study of Quality of Life, psychological distress and unmet needs in women with ovarian cancer and their partners. This project is being conducted in collaboration with the Australian Ovarian Cancer Study. The outcomes measures include both physical and psychological morbidity. Of special interest, is the supportive care needs of not only patients, but of family caregivers, with current studies including carers of women with ovarian cancer, bereaved cancer carers and carers of patients with brain tumours.

Other interests include quality of life, life event stress and depression, communicating risk information and communication skills training.

Room: 336, Brennan MacCallum Building

Mailing address:
Medical Psychology Research Unit
Brennan MacCallum Bldg (A18)
University of Sydney NSW 2006

Ph: 61 2 9351 3916
Fax: 61 2 9036 5292

Email:

Hi, I’m Judy the Admin Assist for Cancer Medicine / Medical Psychology Research Unit. I have been working for Professor Tattersall for over 20 years supporting his various research groups. In later years Prof’s interests have mainly focussed on Doctor / Patient Communications which eventually formed the Medical Psychology Research Unit. I love working in the University environment and enjoy the varied and at times challenging aspects of my position.

Please feel free to contact me and I’ll point you in the right direction.

Medical Psychology Research Unit
Blackburn Building (D06)
The University of Sydney NSW 2006

Ph: 61 2 9036 5396
Fax: 61 2 9036 5420