, an associate professor in the , and an associate professor at the , has worked decades to help individuals and families impacted by cancer. 

Schapmire was recently awarded a five-year, $1.6 million grant from NCI to lead a national training initiative aimed at transforming psychosocial and palliative care in oncology. The grant will support an intensive training and mentorship program, and 50 social workers from across the U.S. will be competitively selected each year to receive fully funded palliative oncology training and structured mentorship.

UofL News connected with Schapmire to learn more about this new innovative initiative.

UofL News: What piqued your interest in oncology social work?

Schapmire: Fresh out of my Masters of Social Work (MSSW) program at UofL in 1996, I discovered my professional calling. Working with individuals and families facing cancer opened my eyes to the profound impact that compassionate, skilled psychosocial support can have. I became deeply committed to improving the quality of life for all those affected by cancer—patients, families and care teams alike—and that sense of purpose has guided my work ever since.

UofL News: What was your response to receiving this grant?

Schapmire: I was absolutely thrilled—both personally and professionally. I felt deeply validated that the National Cancer Institute recognized oncology social workers as essential to high-quality cancer and palliative care yet often lack access to quality training opportunities compared to other disciplines. This award provides the opportunity to elevate our field’s role in transforming cancer care nationwide.

Educating Social Workers in Palliative and End-of-Life Care (ESPEC) Oncology builds on two prior NCI-funded programs at the UofL School of Medicine that advanced interprofessional palliative care education. Training 250 oncology social workers over the next five years will have a transformative impact on the quality and compassion of cancer care nationwide.

UofL News: What does this mean for patients with cancer? How can it help them and their families cope with the life transitions their diagnosis can bring?

Schapmire: This grant strengthens the ability of oncology social workers to support patients and families through every phase of the cancer journey—helping them manage distress, navigate complex decisions, and sustain quality of life even in the face of serious illness. ESPEC Oncology expands nationally what the Kent School of Social Work and Family Science at UofL has long done through its oncology social work specialization—preparing clinicians to address the full biopsychosocial, spiritual and cultural dimensions of cancer care. Together, they advance a model of compassionate, whole-person care that helps patients and families find meaning and maintain dignity throughout serious illness.

UofL News: What has been the most gratifying aspect of this project?

Schapmire: What I find most meaningful about this project is its potential for lasting, system-level impact. It isn’t just about training 250 oncology social workers—it’s about creating a national community of leaders who will return to their institutions equipped to strengthen teams, improve communication, and integrate psychosocial and palliative care principles into everyday oncology practice.

This initiative also represents the culmination of years of collaborative work with an incredible team of national experts and partner organizations, started by Dr. Myra Glajchen at MJHS Institute for Innovation in Palliative Care in New York, who share a vision for transforming the way cancer care is delivered. 

By investing in the people who provide the psychosocial and emotional backbone of cancer care, we’re not only improving patient and family experiences but also supporting the well-being and professional growth of the workforce that serves them.

ESPEC Oncology: Transforming Psychosocial and Palliative Cancer Care is accepting training program applications. For more information, email ESPECO@louisville.edu

The National Cancer Institute recommends that patients diagnosed with cancer receive palliative care from the time they receive the diagnosis to improve the quality of life for both the patient and the family through relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness. It requires patient-centered care from physicians, nurses, social workers and others to meet the complex needs of cancer patients. However, many institutions instruct health professional students in palliative care within each discipline, known as silos, rather than as an interprofessional team.

Funded by a $1.4 million award over five years from the National Cancer Institute, the UofL training curriculum will build on a successful interprofessional program in education for palliative care in cancer already in place at UofL. The Interdisciplinary Curriculum in Oncology Palliative Care ����ֱ�� (iCOPE) was developed at UofL beginning in 2010 with support from a grant from the NCI. More than 1,500 students in social work, medicine, nursing and chaplaincy at UofL have completed the training, which remains a required curricular component.

“This is a first-of-its-kind program and we are fortunate to have an experienced team here as well as the continued support of the National Cancer Institute,” said Mark Pfeifer, MD, the V.V. Cooke Chair and professor in the UofL Department of Medicine. “People diagnosed with cancer are best served by teams of professionals working together to provide patient-centered care.”

Through webinars, online training modules, a workshop, and mentoring through video conferences and one-on-one contact, the UofL faculty will instruct 160 health educators 

from 35 to 50 other institutions throughout a period of 10 months in developing curricula to teach oncology palliative care and teamwork to students across health disciplines. The program will include four-months of work at the home institution and a 2 ½-day face-to-face workshop, followed by six months of mentoring. Recruitment for learners in the program is expected to begin in early fall.

Faculty trained in this program will be able to overcome the effects of training in silos – within each discipline – and reinforce their students’ interprofessional skills by helping them understand the strengths, capabilities, skills, roles and cultures of the other professionals and instruct them in communication and collaboration among the team members.

“The new project includes evaluation of the home institution’s strengths and weaknesses to take on interprofessional education in oncology and faculty development, which will enable them to overcome barriers and successfully implement programs designed for their institutions,” said Barbara Head, PhD, associate professor in the UofL Department of Medicine.

UofL’s experienced interdisciplinary faculty, under the leadership of Pfeifer and Head, will serve as the core instructional team, guided by a committee of national experts and internal advisors. The iCOPE curriculum will be available to the trainees for use or modification as one approach to developing their own programs.

At the completion of the project, participating educators and others will be invited to a national summit on interdisciplinary palliative oncology education where they will share their experiences and present their own initiatives.