IPOS News

Dr. Ester Daniel, PhD
Psycho-oncologist & Psychoanalyst | Director of Specialized Programs
Argentine Medical Association

For Dr. Ester Daniel, IPOS represents far more than a professional society—it is a global community that connects experts across continents in pursuit of better psychosocial cancer care. Through IPOS, she has been able to share more than five decades of clinical experience while continually learning from the latest international advances in psycho-oncology. The organization fosters meaningful collaboration, lifelong learning, and the exchange of knowledge that ultimately benefits patients, families, and healthcare professionals around the world.

Dr. Ester Daniel has dedicated over 50 years to the field of psycho-oncology, a profession she describes as "love at first sight." Looking back on her career, she reflects that she chose this path—or perhaps, it chose her. Since then, her commitment to supporting people affected by cancer has remained unwavering, fueled by a deep passion for understanding the human experience and advancing psychosocial care.

As both a psycho-oncologist and psychoanalyst, Dr. Daniel believes that the foundation of her work lies in building meaningful human connections. Whether mentoring students, delivering lectures, collaborating with colleagues, or accompanying patients through some of life's most challenging moments, she values the art of deep listening and compassionate care. She considers education and mentorship to be just as important as clinical practice, helping to inspire the next generation of professionals in the field.

In addition to her clinical and academic work, Dr. Daniel is passionate about developing, directing, and managing specialized mental health programs. She is committed to designing initiatives that combine academic excellence, clinical rigor, and sustainable models of care, ensuring that high-quality psychosocial services remain accessible and impactful.

Despite more than five decades in practice, Dr. Daniel's enthusiasm for her work has never faded. In fact, she says her curiosity is as strong today as it was on her very first day. Every class she teaches and every patient she meets continues to bring the same sense of excitement, purpose, and wonder that first inspired her remarkable career.

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I am a Social Work Intern at Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral & Research Hospital (KUTRRH) anda Social Work graduate from Moi University. My work focuses on providing psychosocial support and counseling to patients and their families, advocating for patients' needs, and linking vulnerable individuals to available resources and support services to enhance their well-being and quality of life.

IPOS has enhanced my understanding of psycho-oncology and connected me with a global network of professionals committed to improving cancer care. Through IPOS, I continue to gain knowledge, professional development opportunities, and exposure to best practices in psychosocial oncology.

A fun fact about me is that I enjoy listening to people's stories and learning from their unique life experiences.

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10 CE hours. Weekly sessions on Tuesdays, starting September 8.

Cancer patients face two challenges at once: intense emotions like fear, grief, and uncertainty, and difficult external realities that no amount of coping can change.

Dialectical behavior therapy can be useful in this context, as research shows it can help people build meaningful lives even amid what they cannot control. This training provides a structured curriculum for bringing DBT's proven tools to patients and families facing cancer and serious illness, adapted specifically for this population and the unique circumstances they face.

Led by Elizabeth Cohn Stuntz, LCSW, (who co-authored Coping with Cancer: DBT Skills to Manage Emotions and Balance Uncertainty with Hope with Marsha Linehan) and Ronda Oswalt Reitz, PhD, the course centers on mindfulness, validation, and dialectical thinking alongside other core skills to help patients stay close to their values and connect with loved ones when it matters most.

The curriculum is modular and flexible, designed for clinicians across a wide range of therapeutic and medical settings. No prior DBT training is required.

The above is a paid advertising. 

For information on advertising with IPOS please go to here

IPOS has been one of the most important professional communities in my career. Through IPOS, I have learned from colleagues around the world, developed international collaborations, and broadened my understanding of psycho-oncology beyond national and disciplinary boundaries. The society has inspired me to integrate psychosocial care, palliative care, ethics, and outcome measurement into a more person-centered approach to healthcare.

I am a psychiatrist, psycho-oncologist, and palliative care researcher from Taiwan. I founded the Taiwan Psycho-Oncology Society and currently serve as Director of the Hospice and Palliative Care Center at MacKay Memorial Hospital. My recent work focuses on the CUP (Context–Users–Providers) Model and the Hospice-Focused Palliative Outcome Index (HFPOI), which aim to help healthcare teams measure what truly matters to patients, families, and providers.

I was honored to receive the IPOS Noemi Fisman Award in 2017. Beyond research and clinical practice, I enjoy writing, teaching, international collaboration, and exploring how different cultures understand suffering, healing, meaning, and human connection.

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IPOS has been integral to connecting me with the global community in psycho-oncology. While we are all from different corners of the world, we all have similar challenges in providing the best possible care to people managing cancer. It is energizing and powerful to work with professionals from all over the world who share the same goals.

I'm a board-certified clinical health psychologist originally from the United States and now living in Ireland. My career has focused on improving the quality of life of individuals navigating cancer through evidence-based psychotherapy, the development and enhancement of psychosocial programming in cancer centers, and training the next generation of psychologists to work in cancer care.

I'm particularly proud of a recent publication: "Navigating Cancer: Research Supported Tools to Help You Cope with the Emotional and Physical Impact of Cancer. This book has collated everything I've learned over the years to help people with cancer manage the impact of cancer.

I am grateful for having served as the Deputy Chair for the Survivorship SIG in IPOS, which has allowed me to connect to cancer care professionals worldwide with an interest in improving the quality of life with people living with and beyond cancer. 

Outside of work, I love to explore new places. Moving to Europe has been a dream come true!

Interested in being profiled?

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IPOS contributes to my career growth by:

• Providing an opportunity to develop a global perspective of training standards, and integration of psychosocial care in cancer treatment by knowledge sharing on various initiatives especially applicable to LMIC.
• Providing access to Journal of Psychosocial Oncology Research and Practice, to share impacts in psychosocial therapies, and quality-of-life studies.

I am a clinical psychologist with a PhD in adolescent psychology, from India, immersed in continuously improving goal cordant psychosocial care of paediatric, adolescent and adult palliative patients.

I am a very new member to IPOS and as a first step I will be experiencing real world IPOS at Barcelona in November. My focus would be to learn nuances of developing advocacy for psycho-oncology services implementable in LMIC. Enjoy exploring new places, new people, and new cuisines. A book that's both intense and humorous and a hot cup of coffee is my perfect way to end the day.

Interested in being profiled?

Please email the following to ed@ipos-society.org with the subject line “IPOS member profile submission”:

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My name is Sofya Sahakyan, and I am a clinical psychologist working at the National Center of Oncology in Yerevan, Armenia, within the psychosocial team of the palliative care department. I work with patients facing advanced cancer and life-limiting illness, as well as their families, supporting them through emotional distress, existential concerns, grief, and end-of-life experiences.

My clinical responsibilities include psychological assessment, individual and family counseling, and evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions adapted to palliative oncology settings. I support patients experiencing anxiety, depression, anticipatory grief, and distress related to disease progression, while also working closely with caregivers in coping with burden, loss, and bereavement. As part of a multidisciplinary team, I contribute to holistic care where dignity, meaning, and quality of life remain central even in advanced illness.

My path into this field began through volunteering, at a time when structured psychosocial oncology services were still developing in Armenia. This experience shaped my professional direction and later led to my current position. Over the past two years in palliative care, I have developed a strong commitment to psychosocial oncology and existential support in serious illness. Alongside this, I have worked with forcibly displaced individuals from Artsakh, as well as diverse populations including children with special needs and individuals with disordered eating. These experiences have reinforced my belief in accessible, compassionate psychological care across vulnerable groups.

A central aspect of my work is communication at the end of life. I recall a patient who had stopped communicating with his family due to a perceived lack of honesty about his diagnosis. Through ongoing therapeutic work, he was able to express his fears about death, emotional pain, and sense of isolation. I later facilitated dialogue with his family, which helped restore a more open and supportive connection. Although the patient passed away shortly afterward, this period allowed for emotional expression, reconciliation, and reduced isolation—an outcome that reflects the deeper meaning of palliative care beyond survival.

In Armenia, psychosocial oncology remains an emerging field. Awareness of psychological needs in cancer care is limited, and discussions around death and dying are often avoided. Many patients present at advanced stages, and structured psychosocial services are still developing. 

I am also engaged in research, including a poster presentation titled “Supporting the Supporters: Psychological Self-Regulation Practices and Staff Wellbeing in a Palliative Care Clinic,” which reflects my interest in healthcare provider resilience and burnout prevention.

IPOS has been an important source of professional growth for me by providing access to a global community of psycho-oncology professionals. It allows me to learn from diverse clinical experiences and approaches, which is especially valuable in my work in a developing psychosocial oncology setting. I have also benefited significantly from IPOS webinars, which offer up-to-date, evidence-based knowledge that I can directly integrate into my clinical practice. In addition, the mentorship program with Dr. Arati Hota was an especially meaningful experience for me, providing guidance, reflection, and support in my professional development as a clinician working in palliative care.

Interested in being profiled?

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View Contributor Index

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Understanding health anxiety in people diagnosed with Lynch syndrome
Jenna Albiani, Aliza A. Panjwani, Melyssa Aronson, Kara Semotiuk, Thomas Ward, Zane Cohen, Tae L. Hart

When cancer hits home: attitudes, practices, and ethical challenges of Lebanese physicians treating family members
Johnny Jalbout, Nicole Gebara, Marouan Zoghbi, Sami Richa

Patient-clinician goal alignment in a prehabilitation setting: insights from a mixed methods study
Katerina Bourganos, Francesco Carli, A. Sender Liberman, Stéphanie Chevalier, Chelsia Gillis

Review

Mind-body therapies for insomnia symptoms in people with cancer: A systematic review with network meta-analysis
Yoann Birling, Deep J. Bhuyan, Fan Feng, Jing Liu, Mingxian Jia, Wing Yu Yu, Matthew Rahimi, Linda E. Carlson, Han Zhang, Nibras Jasim, B. Hazel Boge, Sarah Nevitt, Kayla Jaye, Indeewarie D. Mudiyanselage, Changrong Tang, Tiffany Tram, Judith Lacey, Rogier Hoenders, Paul P. Fahey

I am Divya, a psycho-oncologist at After Completion Therapy (ACT) ClinicCancer Institute (WIA), India, with over seven years of experience in providing psychosocial care to individuals affected by cancer. My work primarily focuses on supporting cancer survivors through dedicated survivorship services, addressing emotional well-being, quality of life, and long-term adjustment after treatment. I am particularly passionate about pediatric and young adult survivorship care, helping survivors navigate developmental, educational, psychosocial, and quality-of-life challenges while promoting long-term health and well-being.

I have contributed to survivorship research through publications in international journals and continue to be actively involved in clinical care, research, and patient advocacy. Being a member of IPOS has significantly contributed to my professional growth by connecting me with a global network of psycho-oncology professionals, researchers, and educators. The organization provides valuable opportunities for learning, collaboration, and staying updated with advancements in psychosocial oncology, helping me enhance the quality of care I provide to patients and survivors.

Outside of work, I enjoy reading fictional novels, gardening and involve myself in volunteering works at the community. 

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IPOS would like to congratulate IPOS board member, volunteer and member Jayita Deodhar on receiving the 2026 Bombay Psychiatric Society's Dr. S. M. Lulla Oration Award

For this Award, Dr. Deodhar’ s oration was on psycho-oncology and titled "When Psychiatry met Oncology." She spoke about:
•    Jimmie and James Holland and their contribution globally;
•    IPOS;
•    The way forward in India, and;
•    Appeal to folks to work in this discipline.

CONGRATULATIONS FROM YOUR IPOS FAMILY!

Note – If you are a current member of IPOS and have recently won a prestigious award, please let us know by emailing support@ipos-society.org with details and a photo. We want to celebrate our members and their impact in psychosocial oncology!