LEXINGTON, Ky. — Deborah Carey, CSW, OSW-C, a Doctorate of Social Work (DSW) candidate at the University of Kentucky College of Social Work, will present her research project during the 2025 Virtual Showcase of DSW Scholars on Monday, April 28, at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Her session, “Leveraging Social Work’s Superpowers to Build Physician Networks that Encourage Oncology Clinical Trial Referrals for Black Patients,” will explore an innovative program model designed to address disparities in cancer clinical trial access. Carey’s work stems from her personal and professional commitment to increasing Black patient representation in research—a critical issue given the disproportionate cancer mortality rates experienced by Black Americans.
While implicit bias has been widely studied as a barrier to clinical trial referrals, Carey’s research focuses on barriers reported by community physicians, who often serve as the primary care providers for Black patients. These include limited awareness of trial opportunities, fear of losing patient contact, and lack of referral infrastructure. Her model proposes using the relationship-building skills foundational to social work practice to establish trust-based networks between researchers and community physicians.
Carey, who brings over 27 years of experience in children’s mental health, hospice, and oncology care, currently serves as Quality and Education Coordinator for the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center Affiliate Network. She is a certified oncology social worker and co-moderator of the Association of Oncology Social Work’s online forum.
The Virtual Showcase of DSW Scholars, hosted by UK’s College of Social Work from April 28–30, features over 150 doctoral candidates presenting applied research across topics such as health equity, trauma-informed care, and leadership in practice. Select sessions offer CE credits.
