MSW, LCSW
Adolescent and Young Adult Program Director
Area of Interest
Lauren is a clinical social worker with a passion for working with adolescent and young adults living with cancer. Lauren was hired as the AYA Program Director in October of 2015 and has been meeting patients and families and growing the program ever since.
Her work as Program Director focuses on direct patient care, psychosocial research, programming, education, and advocacy. She is also actively involved in the development of AYA provider education across the US.
Awards and Honors
- Triangle Business Journal’s Health Care Heroes Young Adult Cancer Champion Award, 2021
About AYA
Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) living with cancer have unique medical and psychosocial needs. This time of life is one of transition. You gain independence, continue to develop your identity, build a network of friends, find partners, go to school, get jobs, start families and so much more. Cancer treatment affects all of these aspects of life and AYAs need a different kind of support than other patients. Our program’s goal is to meet some of these unique needs and help AYAs being treated at UNC make cancer part of their story, not their whole story.
The Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Support Program (made possible by our friends at the Be Loud Sophie Foundation), works with patients age 13-39.
