Bridging Cancer Care Gaps With Technology

While working closely with patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancers at Shanghai Cancer Center, Dr. Lin recognized an urgent need for more effective and accessible methods to manage cancer-related symptoms. Following this experience in her master’s degree program, she was inspired to pursue her PhD at Duke University. 

Now an assistant professor at Emory University, Dr. Lin’s work focuses on addressing disparities in cancer care through innovation and technology. Her work to develop interventions that challenge traditional models makes supportive cancer care more accessible and equitable, especially for patients from disadvantaged backgrounds.  

In 2022, Dr. Lin received research grant funding from the Oncology Nursing Foundation (ONF) for her study titled, A Web-Based Dyadic Intervention to Manage Psychoneurological Symptoms for Patients with Colorectal Cancer and Their Caregivers. Over two and a half years, Dr. Lin’s research team successfully developed and tested a technology-based dyadic intervention for symptom management in patients with colorectal cancer. Results from this study demonstrated that the intervention developed was feasible and showed promising trends in reducing symptom burden. The data and feasibility findings from this study provided a solid foundation for several major grant applications, including NIH R01, R21, and P01 submissions.  

A symptom management mobile app for patients with colorectal cancer and their caregivers was a major development from Dr. Lin’s research. The app makes supportive care through technology convenient and easy to access, reducing common challenges, such as transportation barriers, clinical burden, and costs. To further address low health literacy, which is one of the largest barriers to patient engagement, her team used large language models to ensure all educational content included is available at a sixth-grade reading level.  

Dr. Lin believes that the strength and resilience of patients and their families are the most inspirational aspects of cancer nursing. “Even in the face of fear, uncertainty, and the challenges of treatment, they continue to show courage, hope, and determination,” she said. “Being able to support them, whether through symptom relief, emotional comfort, or developing interventions that improve their quality of life, is deeply meaningful.” 

The grant Dr. Lin received from ONF was more than research funding, and she hopes other nurse scientists who receive funding will adopt the same perspective. “My advice is to treat this award as more than financial support; use it as a platform to build your research career.  This award can serve as a stepping stone toward larger grants, so plan early for dissemination, manuscript preparation, and future grant applications.” 

Dr. Lin cites staying organized and intentional, developing a clear project timeline, and setting achievable goals as effective ways to strengthen nurse-led research. Prioritizing relationships with patients, caregivers, and clinicians keeps the work meaningful and patient centered while strengthening study design.  

“This [ONF grant] was instrumental in advancing my research trajectory and establishing myself as an independent oncology nurse scientist,” Dr. Lin said. “Knowing that our work may help even one family brings me great fulfillment.”