Professor Claire Foster PhD, MSc, BSc, CPsychol

Professor of Psychosocial Oncology, Director of Macmillan Survivorship Research Group, Cancer and Life Limiting Conditions Research Group Lead

Claire Foster is Professor of Psychosocial Oncology, Director of the Macmillan Survivorship Research Group and leads the Cancer and Life Limiting Conditions Care Research Group in Health Sciences, University of Southampton.

Claire's research programme focuses on understanding the impact of cancer and its treatment on everyday lives and how equipped people feel to manage this; understanding the impact of a family history of cancer on people's lives; and developing and testing digital resources to support people affected by cancer to manage some of the consequences of treatment and make complex decisions about treatment or genetic testing. This is achieved through large prospective cohort studies, qualitative studies, development and testing of complex interventions, evaluation of service transformation. We work with people affected by cancer and life limiting conditions as research partners as well as clinical, academic and policy leaders to support the design, conduct and dissemination of the research to maximise impact.

I am passionate about understanding how people are affected by cancer and its treatment, developing resources to support them to make difficult decisions and manage some of the problems cancer and its treatment can bring, and ensuring our research makes a real difference to people’s lives

Her research programme is funded by Macmillan Cancer Support, Cancer Research UK, Movember, National Institute for Health Research, Health Education England, NHS England, Marie Curie and Motor Neurone Disease Association. Recently completed projects have been funded by Breast Cancer Now, NIHR Research for Patient Benefit, and Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.

Within Health Sciences Claire is REF 2021 Impact Champion. She supervises a number of PhD and Masters students from Health Sciences, Psychology and Medicine.

Claire is a member of:

British Psychosocial Oncology Society Executive Committee

National Cancer Research Institute Living with and beyond cancer – Methodology Workstream

Bowel Cancer UK Scientific Advisory Board

Editorial Board Psycho-Oncology

Global Partnership on Self-Management in Cancer - Flinders University

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Prof Claire Foster cv

Research

Publications

Teaching

Contact

Understanding problems faced as a consequence of cancer and its treatment
Understanding self-management of cancer related problems
Developing resources to support self-management such as RESTORE to support people living with cancer related fatigue
Evaluating the impact of service transformation informed by our research
Psychosocial implications of genetic testing for cancer predisposition and developing and testing decision support tools
Application of quantitative and qualitative research methods
Working closely with a wide range of stakeholders, including people affected by cancer as research partners, national and international leaders, in the development, design, interpretation and dissemination of research to maximise impact

Current projects

Macmillan HORIZONS programme (CI): prospective cohorts of over 3,000 cancer patients from diagnosis, through treatment and beyond to assess impact of cancer and treatment on daily lives
Movember Global Registry (Co-PI): UK lead gathering clinical and patient reported outcome data for men with early stage prostate cancer
Macmillan CREW cohort (CI): prospective cohort of colorectal cancer patients to map restoration of health and well-being NIHR CLASP Programme (Co-app): Life Affirming Survivorship support in Primary Care
Cancer Research UK Catalyst Award – CanGene CanVar (Co-I): leading work package 4 to develop patient facing resources to support decision making regarding genetic testing and risk management
NIHR CLASP Programme Grant (Co-I): Cancer - Life Affirming Survivorship support in Primary care
Health Education England (PI Evaluation): Cancer Nursing Across Boundaries
NHS England (PI Evaluation): Improving access to Clinical Nurse Specialists and Key Workers
Macmillan ENABLE study (Co-I): Understanding the importance of self-management support in people living with advanced cancer
Marie Curie and MND Association DiAMoND study (Co-I): Development and pilot testing of a web-based decision aid for people with motor neurone disease considering a gastrostomy feeding tube
NHS England (PI Evaluation): Improving access to Clinical Nurse Specialists and Key Workers

Research Group

Cancer and Life Limiting Conditions

Research theme

Health Needs

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Articles

Book Chapters

Calman, L., & Foster, C. (2017). Problem Solving in Patient-Centred and Integrated Cancer Care Chapter 8: Cancer Survivorship. In G. Velikova, L. Fallowfield, R. E. Board, J. Younger, & P. Selby (Eds.), Problem Solving in Patient-Centred and Integrated Cancer Care (pp. 39-44). (Problem Solving in Oncology). EBN Health. http://www.ebnhealth.com/index.php/shop/problem-solving-in-person-centred-and-integrated-cancer-care
Foster, C. (2015). Survivorship and self-management in cancer care. In D. Wyatt, & N. Hubert-Williams (Eds.), Cancer and Cancer Care SAGE Publications.
Foster, C. (2008). Self-management and self-help. In J. Corner, & C. Bailey (Eds.), Cancer Nursing: Care in Context. 2nd Edition (pp. 651-658). Blackwell.
Foster, C. (2008). Symptoms, self management and self help. In J. Corner, & C. Bailey (Eds.), Cancer Nursing: Care in context Wiley-Blackwell.

Conferences

Letter/Editorial

Foster, C. (Accepted/In press). The need for self-management support in cancer care. BMJ Quality and Safety.

Reports

Wood, C., Lawton, S., Downing, A., Morris, E., Glaser, A., Thomas, J., Wright, P., Finan, P., Sebag-Montefiore, D., Kind, P., Feltbower, R., Foster, C., Recio-Saucedo, A., Simon, M., Hunt, K., Wagland, R., Corner, J., Vernon, S., & Richards, M. (2015). Health-related quality of life after colorectal cancer in England using a Patient-Reported Outcomes Measure (PROM). (NHS England Publications Gateway; No. 2777). NHS England.
Glaser, A., Wood, C., Lawton, S., Downing, A., Morris, E., Thomas, J., Wright, P., Finan, P., Sebag-Montefiore, D., Kind, P., Feltbower, R., Foster, C., Recio Saucedo, A., Simon, M., Hunt, K., Wagland, R., Corner, J., Vernon, S., & Richards, M. (2015). Quality of life of colorectal cancer survivors in England. NHS England.
Richardson, A., Addington-Hall, J., Stark, D., Foster, C., Amir, Z., & Sharpe, M. (2009). Determining research priorities for cancer survivorship: consultation and evidence review. National Cancer Survivorship Initiative.
Foster, C., Wright, D., Hill, H., & Hopkinson, J. (2005). Psychosocial implications of living long-term with cancer: a systematic review of the research evidence. University of Southampton, Macmillan Research Unit.
Foster, C., Hopkinson, J., Hill, H., & Wright, D. (2005). Supporting self management of people affected by cancer: a review of the evidence. University of Southampton, Macmillan Research Unit.

Review

Corbett, T., Cummings, A., Calman, L., Farrington, N., Fenerty, V., Foster, C., Richardson, A., Wiseman, T., & Bridges, J. (2020). Self‐management in older people living with cancer and multi‐morbidity: A systematic review and synthesis of qualitative studies. Psycho-Oncology, 29(10), 1452-1463. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.5453

Psychosocial impact of cancer on patients and their families
Psychosocial implications of genetic testing for breast/ovarian cancer predisposition
Research methods
Working collaboratively with service users as research partners in research

Claire supervises a number of PhD and Masters level students from Health Sciences, Psychology and Medicine.

Professor Claire Foster
Health Sciences Student Office University of Southampton Highfield Southampton SO17 1BJ

Room Number: 67/4061

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