Rate My Professor Kerrie Clover

Kerrie Clover's research in psycho-oncology addresses emotional challenges faced by cancer patients, including anxiety and depression screening, validation of psychological measures adapted for oncology contexts, and management of procedural anxiety, particularly during radiotherapy for head and neck cancer where immobilisation masks provoke intense distress. She led a large-scale routine screening program for pain and distress among over 13,000 oncology outpatients, reducing distress prevalence from 28% to 10% and pain from 33% to 16% over four years; the developed measures remain in use by cancer care coordinators. Her work evaluates depression and anxiety scales against gold-standard clinical interviews and explores interventions like biofeedback for procedural anxiety and trauma-informed approaches for patients with histories of violence or brain cancers. Key publications include 'Data-Driven Cutoff Selection for the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Depression Screening Tool' (2024, JAMA Network Open), 'Situational anxiety in head and neck cancer: Rates, patterns and clinical management interventions in a regional cancer setting' (2024, Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences), 'A systematic review of nonpharmacological interventions to reduce procedural anxiety among patients undergoing radiation therapy for cancer' (2023, Cancer Medicine), and 'Convergent and criterion validity of PROMIS anxiety measures relative to six legacy measures and a structured diagnostic interview for anxiety in cancer patients' (2022, Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes). As Convener of the Psychologists in Oncology Interest Group of the Australian Psychological Society, she fosters professional development and resource sharing. Her contributions have directly improved patient outcomes and clinical practices in oncology settings.