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DSW Showcase Student Presentation

Deborah Carey

CSW, OSW-C

Leveraging Social Work’s Superpowers to Build Physician Networks that Encourage Oncology Clinical Trial Referrals for Black Patients

Concentration -

  • Monday, April 28, 2025 -
  • 2:30 pm
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Abstract

Less than six percent of Black Americans participate in cancer clinical trials (Oyer et al., 2022). The lack of Black patient representation in cancer research is alarming, considering the high rates of cancer mortality and high incidence of difficult-to-treat cancers among Black Americans (Nazha et al., 2019). Most studies of clinical trial referral barriers focus on implicit bias, but community physicians who provide most of the cancer care to Black patients report other barriers to research referrals. Alleviating these barriers presents a critical opportunity for improving Black cancer patient participation in clinical trials. Community-physician-reported barriers such as lack of knowledge, fear of losing patient contact, and low referral resources are alleviated by building trust-based networks between physicians and researchers. These networks focus on mutuality and reciprocity, equalizing the importance of researchers and community physicians in patient care. This showcase shares a program model for improving clinical trial referrals by leveraging social work’s unique skills to build meaningful relationships between physicians and researchers.

Biography

Deborah Carey is a social worker with over 27 years of experience in children’s mental health, hospice, and cancer care. She brings a compassionate, strengths-based approach to her work. As a Quality and Education Coordinator for the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center Affiliate Network, Debbie supports Commission on Cancer accredited facilities across Kentucky. She enjoys developing resources to meet patient and community needs and enhancing the skills and uniqueness of each program she serves. Before joining MCCAN, Debbie was the manager and social worker for the Lake Cumberland Cancer Treatment Center in Somerset, Kentucky.
Debbie earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and sociology from Georgetown College and her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Kentucky. She is currently a Doctorate of Social Work (DSW) candidate at the University of Kentucky. Debbie obtained her Kentucky license as a Certified Social Worker (CSW) in 2003 and her oncology social worker (OSW-C) certification in 2018. Her doctoral capstone investigates community physician barriers that prohibit clinical trial referrals for Black cancer patients. In 2023, Debbie’s clinical trial training program for community oncology nurses was awarded a University of Kentucky Community Impact Office Community-Engaged Research pilot grant. Program details and evaluation results were presented at the 2023 American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS) conference and the 2024 American College of Surgeons Quality & Safety Conference. Debbie volunteers as the co-moderator of the online forum for the Association of Oncology Social Work, where she serves on the awards and communication committees.