Hi there! For the coming weeks, our blog will be dedicated to our Young SIOP Award winners!
Please meet Chiara Papini, YI from the US, in her own words.
I am a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN, USA. I completed my bachelor’s and master’s degree in psychology at the University of Padua (Italy) and I received my PhD in psychology at the University of Nottingham (UK).
My research investigates neurocognitive and psychosocial outcomes in survivors of childhood cancer. Specifically, I am interested in brain tumors, due to the harmful effects of these tumors and their treatment on early brain development. My doctoral work examined cognitive and academic skills in survivors of optic pathway gliomas, and one of my ongoing projects investigates neurocognitive outcomes and functional independence in adult survivors of childhood glioma, medulloblastoma, and ependymoma.
Thus far, we have observed that neurocognitive impairment and neurologic conditions in medulloblastoma survivors contribute to reduced functional independence in adulthood. This work identifies potential intervention targets that may facilitate attainment of adult social milestones. Broadly, my work at St. Jude focuses on two large cohorts of adult survivors of childhood cancer: the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study and the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. I study a range of long-term outcomes including chronic pain, loneliness, sleep problems, and neurosensory deficits, and their impact on neurocognitive and psychosocial functioning. I am also pursuing a Master of Public Health at the University of Memphis (USA) to strengthen my skills and knowledge in cancer epidemiology. I hope my research will help improve the quality of life of childhood cancer survivors. I am honored that my work on medulloblastoma survivors has received the SIOP Young Investigator Award 2022.
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