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Megan Shen Ph.D.

About

Megan Shen, PhD., is an associate professor, social psychologist, and researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. She researches how to support patients with advanced illness and their loved ones through the difficult journey of a challenging diagnosis. She focuses on helping individuals find hope and resilience amidst grief, pain, loss, and life’s many challenges.

For over a decade, Shen has examined communication, decision-making, and social support around patients living with terminal illnesses to develop tools to help them thrive amidst challenging diagnoses. She has been awarded numerous National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants. She has published in top academic journals such as Cancer, JAMA Network Open, JAMA Internal Medicine, Supportive Care in Cancer, and Psycho-Oncology. Her writing has been published in outlets such as HuffPost, USA Today, the Hill Reporter, Invisible Magazine, and the Thinking Republic.

She earned her Ph.D. from Baylor University in 2012, where she studied Social Psychology. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in health communication at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City in 2015. Following that, she was Assistant Professor at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City (2015-2021) at the Center for Research on End-of-Life Care. Currently, she is an Associate Professor at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, where she focuses on her research program on the topics of how to cope with and plan for advanced illness and, ultimately, end of life.

Recent Posts
The Need to Rethink What Healing in Medicine Means

The U.S. healthcare system tends to focus more on not dying rather than truly living, but the origins of healing lie in reducing human suffering.

The U.S. healthcare system tends to focus more on not dying rather than truly living, but the origins of healing lie in reducing human suffering.

Why You Must Add Social Connection to Your Self-Care Routine

We focus most of our self-care routine on meditation, eating healthy, and exercise. But it turns out that social connection might be the best thing to improve your health.

We focus most of our self-care routine on meditation, eating healthy, and exercise. But it turns out that social connection might be the best thing to improve your health.

6 Things Caregivers Should Know About Their Grief

Are you dealing with the loss of a loved one as a caregiver? Here are six things you should know about your grief.

Are you dealing with the loss of a loved one as a caregiver? Here are six things you should know about your grief.

How to Find Hope While Grieving During the Holidays

Are you finding it hard to be hopeful during the holiday season amidst your grief? Here are some science-backed tips for finding hope while grieving during the holiday season.

Are you finding it hard to be hopeful during the holiday season amidst your grief? Here are some science-backed tips for finding hope while grieving during the holiday season.