Dr. Carma Bylund, PhD

Research Interests:

Health care communication on the cancer continuum; development, implementation, and testing of communication interventions for clinicians, patients, and caregivers to improve health outcomes

Bio:

Dr. Bylund is a behavioral scientist with international expertise in healthcare communication across the cancer continuum. Her research focuses on the development, implementation, and testing of communication interventions for clinicians, patients, and caregivers to improve health outcomes. Her research collaborations have resulted in more than $11 million in funding. She has published 118 peer-reviewed papers and co-edited two Oxford books on healthcare communication. She serves as the Associate Editor of Patient Education & Counseling.

For nearly twenty years, she has been researching and teaching healthcare communication in academic medical centers in the U.S. and the Middle East. The training programs she has developed, led and taught have reached thousands of healthcare providers, patients, and caregivers around the world. Her experience has given her a strong belief that clinicians, patients, and caregivers can improve their communication skills through deliberate practice and feedback.

Education:

Undergraduate Education

• BA, Communications and Political Science, Brigham Young University, 1995

Graduate Education

• PhD, Communication Studies, Northwestern University, 2001

• MA, Communication, University of Nebraska-Omaha, 1998

Selected Peer Reviewed Publications

• Maloney E, Edgerson S, Robson M, Offit K, Brown R, Bylund C, Kissane D. What women with breast cancer discuss with clinicians about risk for their adolescent daughters. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology 2012; 30:484-502

• Brown RF, Bylund CL, Li Y, Edgerson S, Butow P. Testing the utility of a cancer clinical trial specific Question Prompt List (QPL-CT) during oncology consultations. Patient Education and Counseling 2012; 88:311-317

• Brown RF, Bylund CL, Siminoff LA, Slovin S. Seeking informed consent to Phase 1 cancer clinical trials: Identifying oncologists’ communication strategies. Psycho-Oncology 2011; 361-368

• Bialer P, Kissane D, Brown R, Levin T, Bylund CL. Responding to patient anger: Development and evaluation of an oncology communication skills training module. Palliative and Supportive Care 2011; 9:359-65

• Bylund CL, Brown RF, Bialer PA, Levin TT, Lubrano di Ciccone B, Kissane DW. Developing and implementing an advanced communication training program in oncology at a comprehensive cancer center. Journal of Cancer Education 2011; 26:604-611.

• Brown RF, Bylund CL, Eddington J, Gueguen J, Kissane D. Discussing prognosis in an oncology setting: Initial evaluation of a communication skills training module. Psycho-Oncology 2010;19:408-414.

• Bylund CL, Brown RF, Gueguen JA, Diamond C, Bianculli J, Kissane D. The implementation and assessment of a comprehensive communication skills training curriculum for oncologists. PsychoOncology 2010; 19:583-593

• Lubrano di Ciccone B, Brown RF, Gueguen J, Bylund CL, Kissane D. Interviewing patients using interpreters in an oncology setting: An initial evaluation of a communication skills module. Annals of Oncology 2010; 21:27-32

• Brown RF, Bylund CL, Lubrano di Ciccone, Diamond C, Eddington J & Kissane D. Patient centered communication skills training for oncologists: Describing the content and efficacy of training. Communication Education 2010; 59:236-249

• Bylund CL, Brown RF, Lubrano di Ciccone B, Diamond C, Eddington J, Kissane DW. Assessing facilitator competence in a comprehensive communication skills training programme. Medical Education 2009; 43:342-349

• Gueguen JA, Bylund CL, Brown RF, Levin T, Kissane DW. Conducting family meetings in palliative care: Themes, techniques and preliminary evaluation of a communication skills module. Palliative & Supportive Care 2009; 7:171-9

• Brown RF, Bylund CL, Kline N, De La Cruz A, Solan J, Kelvin J, Gueguen J, Eddington J, Kissane D, Passik S. Identifying and responding to depression in adult cancer patients: Evaluating the efficacy of a pilot communication skills training program for oncology nurses. Journal of Cancer Nursing. 2009; 32:e1-e7.

• Brown RF, Bylund CL. Communication skills training: Describing a new conceptual model. Academic Medicine 2008; 83:37-44.

• Bylund CL, Brown RF, Lubrano di Ciccone B, Levin TL, Gueguen JA, Hill C, Kissane DW. Training faculty to facilitate communication skills training: Development and evaluation of a workshop. Patient Education and Counseling 2008; 70:430-436