Maggie Watson, PhD, co-Founded the British Psychosocial Oncology Society [BPOS] in 1982 and is President Emeritus of the International Psycho-oncology Society. She is currently a member of the IPOS Publications Committee and Education Committee, as well as the Editor-in-Chief of the Psycho-oncology Journal. The author nine books and 200 publications, Dr. Watson among the top ten highest cited authors in the field of Psycho-oncology from 1994-2015. Her clinical research interests span psychological interventions including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Cancer and Families, Cancer Genetics, and Psychological Aspects of Prostate Cancer.
David W. Kissane, AC, MD, FRANZCP, FAChPM, FACLP, is an academic psychiatrist, psycho-oncology researcher and palliative care physician. He currently holds the Chair of Palliative Medicine Research for the University of Notre Dame Australia (2019 - ) and the Cunningham Centre at St Vincent's Sydney, NSW, while also being Head of the Szalmuk Family Psycho-Oncology Research Centre (2012- ) at Cabrini Health in Malvern, VIC. His scholarship has contributed significantly to the use of support groups in cancer care, developed a model of family-centered care in both palliative care and bereavement, researched the state of demoralization as a form of existential distress, and built a comprehensive communication skills training program for oncology and palliative care.