Fran M Lewis

Ph.D., MSN, MA, BSN

The UW Medical Center Endowed Professor in Nursing
Affiliate, Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

I bring over 25 years of experience in describing, statistically modeling, and designing behavioral interventions aimed at enhancing the well-being of patients, caregivers, and dependent children within families. My work began in the 1980s with large-scale, longitudinal studies involving hundreds of families affected by serious medical illnesses in mothers, including the testing of theoretical models for family members’ adjustment.

My current research focuses on families dealing with advanced-stage cancers in either parent, and how to support these families in thriving both individually and collectively. Additionally, I am involved in training and evaluation programs in Eastern and Central Europe, which aim to enhance the capacity of medical care workers to alleviate symptom burdens and improve quality of life, even in the context of advanced cancer and limited pharmacological options.