IPOS News

We are delighted with the news that the Journal of Psychosocial Oncology Research and Practice (JPORP) has been accepted by the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) for indexing – meaning your accepted papers will have enhanced visibility and greater impact through the major open access database. We look forward to welcoming your submissions to our DOAJ-indexed Journal!

JPORP is the official IPOS Journal and can be accessed by going to https://journals.lww.com/jporp/pages/default.aspx

Psychiatrist and psychotherapist with teaching and research experience, multiple certifications, and a humanistic, scientific, and personalized clinical approach. He works with patients with oncological and hematological conditions at a tertiary care hospital. He likes cats.

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Please email the following to [email protected] with the subject line “IPOS member profile submission”:

1. Name
2. Employment position
3. Employer/Institution
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5. Twitter handle (if available)
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7. 50-to-200-word description that notes details on your practice, involvement with IPOS and something “fun or interesting” about yourself.

I am a new member of IPOS and very excited about the opportunities this international organization offers to advance psychosocial oncology research, policy and practice. Over the past 35 years, my research program has included evidence-based practice change and, more recently, the use of AI-tools to facilitate clinical decision support at the point-of-care. I am a current member of the Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology's (CAPO) Research Advisory Committee and Chair the Guidelines Committee of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC).

My commitment to advancing high-quality scientific research includes my role as Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Supportive Care in Cancer. I was privileged this year to receive CAPO's Lifetime Achievement Award and to be inducted as a Fellow of MASCC.

Perhaps a fun fact that, when I travel internationally, I spend some time learning local culture and some of the language, as I really enjoy sampling local cuisine and social experiences.

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Please email the following to [email protected] with the subject line “IPOS member profile submission”:

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Tinatin Aitsuradze is a psychologist, Master of Social Psychology, positive and transcultural psychotherapist (Wiesbaden, Germany), Gestalt therapist, art therapist, and specialist in metaphorical associative cards (MAC). She is also a PhD candidate in Social Sciences focusing on psycho-oncology and stress research.

She holds joint state accreditation from the Ministry of Health (#1090) to conduct trainings on stress and emotion management and effective doctor–patient communication. Tinatin is a member of the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) and the World Association for Positive Psychotherapy (WAPP).

She is the founder of Space Skills Academy and the founder and president of Thyroid Cancer Butterfly, supporting individuals affected by thyroid cancer.

Her master’s research explored time perception and stress-coping strategies among oncology patients using the semantic differential method, revealing differences in subjective time perception and coping patterns compared to healthy participants.

Her doctoral research investigates psychosocial and physiological characteristics of stress in oncology patients, examining how emotional states interact with biological indicators and influence adaptation, resilience, and quality of life. The findings aim to support evidence-based psycho-oncology programs.

Tinatin integrates meditation, art therapy, symbolic imagery, and metaphorical cards into her work, believing creative expression helps clients reconnect with inner resources, restore emotional balance, and strengthen psychological resilience.

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The team at the IPOS would like to extend our best wishes to you all for a safe and peaceful holiday season. We hope you enjoy your time and festivities with family and friends, and we look forward to what the new year brings!

Holiday Office Hours

The IPOS Board of Directors and office will be unavailable from 12 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 24, 2025 to Thursday, January 1, 2026 inclusive. The office reopens at 9 a.m. ET on January 2. We will make every effort to respond to all inquiries within the first 48 hours upon our return.
 
See you in the new year!

I am a psycho-oncologist working at MGM Cancer Institute, Chennai, India,  providing psychosocial support to individuals diagnosed with cancer. My professional work focuses on distress screening, psychological interventions, patient support groups, tobacco cessation programs, and research.

I am deeply interested in supporting patients across the three key modalities of cancer treatment — helping them manage distress, enhance coping, and adapt to the emotional and psychological challenges of cancer care. I am passionate about integrating mental health into cancer treatment pathways, promoting holistic patient well-being, and advancing psycho-oncology practice and research. 

My core beliefs revolve around destigmatizing mental health and ensuring that everyone has equal access. I believe that care should be given to the whole person, not just the diagnosis.

Apart from my profession, I love exploring new things, immersing myself in music, art and cinema. 

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For close to 40 years, I have had the opportunity to develop a robust clinical and research program that has focused on critical clinical issues such as parental coping, lone parenting, transnational parenting, sibling and sibling donor experiences, graph versus host disease, and end-of-life planning. Spending a substantial part of my career dedicated to applying knowledge from clinical experience and psychosocial studies, allowed me to create innovative resources such as books, workbooks, therapeutic games and an advance care planning guide for children, adolescents, and young adults. Each of these resources are distributed worldwide and widely utilized in pediatric centers.

Having an impact on the quality of care provided to patients and families has been my greatest motivation. I was honoured to lead the team that developed the first evidence-based psychosocial standards of care for children with cancer and their family members. Seeing how these are being culturally adapted worldwide brings me tremendous pride and joy. Other notable publications, include co-authoring the IPOS/APOS books Pediatric Psycho-Oncology: A Quick Reference on the Psychosocial Dimensions of Cancer Symptom Management and Pediatric Psychosocial Oncology: Textbook for Multi-disciplinary Care, a storybook, The Gift of Gerbert’s Feathers, to help children through the psychological and behavioural process of preparing for a natural end of life, and most recently in CANCERS on Advances in Pediatric and Adolescent Psycho-Oncology (2025).

Collaboration and connections are the keystone to a meaningful career. Our POPPI newsletter (IPOS, APOS, SIOP) keeps members informed of new and exciting resources and research. I have tremendously valued how teamwork and involvement in organizations such as IPOS can promote personal and professional growth and nurturance.

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Giedrė Bulotienė is a licensed psychiatrist, counselling cancer patients and their families for more than 20 years.  G. Bulotienė is a member of the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) and of the Palliative Care subcommittee (SIG). She is a former president of the Lithuanian Psychosocial Oncology Association, 2007 -2017.

In 2007, Giedrė Bulotienė defended her doctoral thesis, "Factors influencing emotional status and quality of life of women with early stages of breast cancer." G. Bulotienė is the author of more than thirty scientific publications. Her research interests are psychosomatics/psycho-pncology; etiology and epidemiology of depression; suicide risk factors and quality of life of cancer patients; efficacy of psychotherapeutic interventions in cancer and palliative patients, and factors reducing the professional burnout of medical staff.

In 2016, G. Bulotienė was the leader of the international project “Efficiency research of Internet-based psychological treatment for cancer patients” according to the Lithuanian-Swiss cooperation program "Research and development." From 2011 to 2013, she was the leader of the international project "Improving access to psychosocial services for oncology patients and their families by strengthening NGO” according to the Lithuanian-Swiss cooperation program.

Currently, G. Bulotienė, as Associate Professor, leads the research project of the Clinic of Psychiatry, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Vilnius University, "Mental health of patients with serious chronic diseases: psychosocial and clinical aspects" 01/01/2024 - 12/31/2028.

G. Bulotienė has a special interest in Jungian analytical psychology. She accomplished Individual Training through the International Association for Analytical Psychology (IAAP) and was accepted as an individual member of the IAAP. G. Bulotienė has a private practice in Vilnius, where she gives consultations and supervisions in analytical psychology.

Giedre Bulotiene introduces her paper, "Archetypal Images Emerging in the Therapy of Lithuanian Cancer Patients," published in the Journal of Analytical Psychology, April 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q93AM81oak

Interested in being profiled?

Please email the following to [email protected] with the subject line “IPOS member profile submission”:

1. Name
2. Employment position
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5. Twitter handle (if available)
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7. 50-to-200-word description that notes details on your practice, involvement with IPOS and something “fun or interesting” about yourself.

Dr. Tamar Kakhniashvili is a psychiatrist and psychotherapist from Tbilisi, Georgia, with over thirteen years of experience working with cancer patients at Concilium Medulla Hospital. She is a former IPOS Fellow representing Georgia, participated in the 2018 IPOS World Congress. Since 2019, she has served as Program Development Director, and since 2024, as President of the Georgian Psycho-Oncology Society (GPOS). Dr. Kakhniashvili with colleagues translated the Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) questionnaire into Georgian.

Organized Georgia’s first Psycho-Oncology Conference in 2022. Currently a Ph.D. candidate at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, her research explores “Depression in women with breast cancer”. She is passionate about integrating psychological care into oncology

Interested in being profiled?

Please email the following to [email protected] with the subject line “IPOS member profile submission”:

1. Name
2. Employment position
3. Employer/Institution
4. Country
5. Twitter handle (if available)
6. Jpg photo of yourself
7. 50-to-200-word description that notes details on your practice, involvement with IPOS and something “fun or interesting” about yourself.

“The IPOS Academy was inspiring and educative.  It has yielded so much positive impact and influence.”

IPOS ECHO Pan-African Capacity-Building in Psycho-Oncology

– Disseminating Evidence-Based Practices in Psycho-Oncology in Africa to Improve Cancer Prevention and Cancer Care

Start Date: January 22, 2026
Deadline to Apply EXTENDED: December 8, 2025

Overall Goal: To train attendees on best-practices in psycho-oncology in African oncology settings

IPOS has developed, in close partnership with partner organizations in Africa, an IPOS Pan-African Capacity-Building in Psycho-Oncology ECHO. Key benefits of ECHO are: 1) To build capacity for comprehensive cancer care in Africa through dissemination of best practices in psycho-oncology; 2) To hear worldwide experts on state-of-the art psycho-oncology practice; 3) To connect with other professionals in oncology and create a community of practice allowing for rich mutual learning and clinical discussions; and 4) To provide consultation and support in creating local program development planning in psycho-oncology.

Please see the following link for a short description of Project ECHO: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfqRwNd0Nao&feature=youtu.be

This ECHO will deliver training in evidence-based practices through monthly meetings over the course of one year. Each meeting lasts two (2) hours and will be on a different topic in psycho-oncology. First, there will be a presentation by an international speaker, then a participant will present a case relevant to the lecture, and third there will be a case discussion led by the speaker and a panel of experts in the field. Participants in the program will be professional working in direct clinical contact with cancer patients in Africa in a field appropriate to the field of psycho-oncology (e.g., physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers).

Applications are now opened for the program. Kindly complete the scholarship application, which will be peer-reviewed. Eligibility criteria are found below.

Our Organization:

IPOS is the sole multidisciplinary international charitable organization devoted to psycho-oncology, leading in education, research, training, public policy, and advocacy. In 2014, IPOS celebrated its 30th anniversary and IPOS holds non-state actor status with the World Health Organization (WHO). Part of our mission is to build capacity for cancer care in low- and low-middle income countries including in Africa. IPOS includes 40+ member countries from 6 continents.

Full eligibility criteria for the application (please note that all criteria must be met):

• Be a professional working in direct clinical contact with cancer patients in Africa (you will be asked for formal signed letter from your institution as part of the application);
• Conduct clinical work in a field appropriate to the field of psycho-oncology (e.g., physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers);
• Be a member of the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) and of your National Psycho-Oncology Society where it exists or be willing to become an IPOS member if accepted.
• Be fluent in oral and written English. Note: According to the Cambridge Dictionary, “when a person is fluent, they can speak a language easily, well, and quickly.”
• Have access to a camera and to internet to be able to participate in the ECHO sessions with your camera on during the sessions.
• Commit to attend the twelve ECHO sessions if selected to be a participant in the program (the sessions are scheduled to be held on every 3rd Thursday of each month by 1-3pm GMT starting in January 2026 except for a few sessions which will occur earlier during the day for scheduling reasons and for which we will inform you ahead of time);
• Consent to the ECHO sessions being recorded (the didactic teaching only) and posted on the IPOS website;
• Willing to complete short questionnaires throughout the program to give your feedback about the program as it evolves;
• Commit to sharing the knowledge learned through the Academy to professionals in your city and country in Africa.
• Commit to sharing written, audio and video testimonials if requested by the program organizers.

Note: It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure the application is complete. Incomplete applications will be automatically withdrawn from the contest without notice. Applications will only be accepted if they are received at your earliest convenience before November 30, 2025. Applicants must upload their curriculum vitae, a letter of Institutional support and a professional passport photograph

Note: Please send any questions you may have about this call for applications to the following email address: [email protected]. IPOS will only be able to answer any questions related to this call for applications from November 1st to November 29th, after which IPOS will no longer be able to answer. After the November 30th deadline, the only correspondence the applicants will receive is the result of the application. Participants should anticipate receiving the results by the 2nd week of December 2025. If you have not received a response, please check the IPOS website to know if there has been a delay in the processing of the applications. If you have not received a letter of offer by the 3rd week of December 2025, unless otherwise indicated on the IPOS website, it means that you were not selected to participate in this ECHO program.

HOW TO SUBMIT THE APPLICATION

• Follow the link below to fill out your Application IPOS-ECHO SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION FORM

• Have your CV, Letter of support and Passport photograph ready before you start the application.