Sophia Smith, associate professor, was interviewed for the article "Oncology Social Workers 'Just as Important' as Chemo" by Kristin Jenkins for Medspace. 

Excerpt

"Social workers are just as important in the treatment of cancer as chemotherapy," says Lawrence N. Shulman, MD, professor of medicine and deputy director of clinical services for the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In 2021, it would be difficult to imagine providing high-quality cancer care without social workers, he told Medscape Medical News.

The concept that cancer care is about making a diagnosis and administering therapy "is just not a valid hypothesis," said Shulman, who is also director of the Center for Global Cancer Medicine. "We need to meet all the needs of cancer patients."

Social workers are trained to help patients and their families cope with the physical, emotional, and social disruptions of cancer in ways that physicians cannot, he explained.