Dear SIOP GHN Psychosocial Wellbeing WG Members,

Congratulations to Ms. Alisa Kamalyan on being elected Co-Chair of the SIOP GHN Psychosocial Wellbeing Working Group!

Alisa Kamalyan (Armenia) is a clinical psychologist who graduated from Yerevan State University. She has served as the head of psychosocial services at Yeolyan Hematology and Oncology Center from 2019. Her career commenced as a volunteer in the Pediatric Department of the National Oncology Center. In 2014, Alisa, alongside a group of enthusiastic psychologists, co-founded the Armenian Psycho-Oncology Association, aiming to advocate for the integration of psychosocial care into multidisciplinary cancer treatment. Subsequently, in 2016, she joined YSMU Muratsan Hospital’s Chemotherapy Clinic, where, in collaboration with the medical team, the first psychosocial oncology program in Armenia was established. Concurrently, from 2016 to 2018, Alisa actively participated in the development and implementation of educational programs on Palliative Psychology initiated by the Center of Applied Psychology at Yerevan State University.

In 2022, Alisa was honored with the Young Investigator Award Scholarship during the 54th SIOP Annual Congress for her abstract on the preferences for diagnosis-related information among adolescents with cancer and their caregivers. Additionally, she served as the first author of a pivotal article titled “Cancer and Armed Conflict: Crossing Realities,” published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology in the same year.

In 2023, Alisa took the initiative to co-author a motivational book titled “Blossoming Trees: Conquering the Cancer Treatment Journey” for cancer patients and caregivers. The book, aimed at providing motivation, particularly to pediatric cancer patients, is currently undergoing translation.

Alisa always remains driven to contribute to the advancement of psychosocial support services for pediatric oncology patients on a global scale.

Many thanks go to Nicole Schneider for her leadership of the WG in the past few years and for her dedication to designing and serving activities to the WG members.

Future WG activities will be advertised on the SIOP weekly bulletin and on SIOP CONNECT.

Warm regards,

Aayushi Khaneja, Co-Chair

Alisa Kamalyan, Co-Chair

Nicole Schneider, Immediate Past Co-Chair