The Arizona Cancer Center on Thursday announced that Karen Weihs, a physician and scientist at the center, received a $3.7 million grant to study emotion and depression in breast cancer survivors.
The National Cancer Institute made the grant.
In 2010, Weihs will begin her five-year study of 450 women with newly diagnosed breast cancer. She plans to determine what biologic, psychological and social characteristics may protect patients from clinical depression through treatment and recovery.
Weihs serves as the medical director of psychological oncology at the Arizona Cancer Center and as an associate professor at the University of Arizona. She also treats cancer patients and counsels families.
Annette Stanton, a professor of psychology and psychiatry/biobehavioral science at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, will serve as the co-principal investigator on Weihs’ study.