Dr. Catherine Jensen, general surgery resident, was selected for the Surgical Outcomes Club Michael Zinner Health Services Research Fellowship. This fellowship provides an avenue for junior surgical investigators to acquire the skills needed to develop, execute, and publish research studies under the guidance of a high-quality, experienced mentor.
“I am honored to receive the SOC Michael Zinner Health Services Research Fellowship,” Dr. Jensen said. “Through this opportunity and under the mentorship of Dr. Rachel Greenup (Yale School of Medicine), I will investigate a critical but often overlooked aspect of thyroid cancer care – its financial impact on patients.”
Over the course of this year-long fellowship, Dr. Jensen will design and manage an outcomes research project that examines the financial burden of thyroid cancer care on patients.
“Despite having favorable oncologic outcomes, thyroid cancer patients face some of the highest rates of medical bankruptcy among cancer survivors,” Dr. Jensen said. “My research aims to understand patients’ lived experiences with financial hardship and identify actionable solutions to reduce this burden. By combining qualitative insights with quantitative data, we hope to develop patient-centered interventions that improve both the financial and psychosocial well-being of thyroid cancer patients.”
The Surgical Outcomes Club is a consortium of surgeons and scientists interested in advancing health services and outcomes research in surgery. The Surgical Outcomes Club aims to facilitate networking with established surgical outcome researchers and provide a platform for fostering collaborations.