Dr. Tara Schapmire
Affiliated Associate Professor
Cancer care that includes palliative care provided by an interdisciplinary team best meets the whole person needs of ALL those affected by cancer
Tara Schapmire, PhD, MSSW, OSW-C, FAOSW earned her PhD in Social Work from the University of Louisville and she holds appointments as Associate Professor at University of Louisville’s School of Medicine and Affiliated Associate Professor in the Kent School of Social Work. Dr. Schapmire’s research interests include psychosocial oncology, gerontology, palliative care, and inter-professional education (IPE). She is co-investigator on an NIH project to develop a critical mass of competent equipped oncology educators skilled in the development and implementation of IPE for palliative oncology care. She is co-investigator on two HRSAs grants aimed at development of an interprofessional gerontology curriculum for learners in medicine, nursing, social work, dentistry, and pharmacy. As a co-investigator on the Kentucky LEADS Collaborative, she and her team are dedicated to reducing the burden of lung cancer in Kentucky and beyond through development, evaluation, and dissemination of novel, community-based interventions to promote provider education, survivorship care, and prevention and early detection regarding lung cancer. Her past research includes an NIH grant focused on development of a mandatory interdisciplinary oncology palliative care curriculum for schools of medicine, social work, nursing and chaplaincy residency programs and an American Cancer Society-funded study of emotional distress in older adults with cancer. Dr. Schapmire is a past President, and current Fellow of the Association of Oncology Social Workers.
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