2025 Psychopharmacology in Cancer Care: An Update for Clinicians of All Disciplines

Saturday, April 5, 2025, 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM, Online

Clinicians have numerous tools at their disposal to help adult cancer patients dealing with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other cancer sequelae. Psychiatric medications are most frequently prescribed to cancer patients by oncologists and general practitioners, however psychiatric syndromes are often underdiagnosed and undertreated. Few oncology practices have dedicated psychiatric consultants familiar with the nuances of Psycho-Oncology. Even when patients receive psychotropic medications appropriately, they may have problems that arise before their next oncology visit or before they see the person who prescribed their psychiatric medications. Psychologists, nurses, and social workers play an essential role in identifying psychological and physical symptoms as well as both beneficial and problematic medication effects as they provide frontline psychosocial interventions and support for cancer patients.

This highly regarded annual course, co-sponsored by the MSK Psycho-Oncology Education and Training Institute (POETI), is designed to support non-prescribing psycho-oncology clinicians and psychiatrists new to Psycho-pharmaco-oncology. Oncologists, palliative care providers, advanced practice nurses, and oncology nurses will also find it invaluable.

The program emphasizes effective psychopharmacological interventions for key disorders and symptoms, including anxiety, depression, delirium, sleep dsisturbances, pain, fatigue, and changes in weight or appetite. Expert faculty will provide updates on the use of novel interventions including ketamine, medical marijuana, and psilocybin for depression, anxiety, and pain. Additionally, the vital role of clinical social work in delivering psychosocial support will be examined.

Participants will gain skills to recognize and differentiate psychological reactions to medical conditions or treatments, psychiatric manifestations of medical conditions or treatments, and medical presentations of psychiatric conditions. We'll also explore common medical complications associated with psychiatric conditions or their treatments. Foundational knowledge will be provided about medications used to alleviate Quality-of-Life symptoms that arise in the cancer setting from diagnosis to survivorship or end-of-life care and the interface of psychotherapy and medication management. We'll review why certain medications are used and why some are avoided, looking at potential benefits, unwanted side effects, and drug-drug interactions since you may be the first person to identify a serious adverse event. This program will enhance participants' ability to provide psychoeducation to patients regarding psychiatric medications.

Attendees will receive access to an online syllabus after the course, which will include select PDFs of the faculty presentations (slides) and recorded videos.

1. Describe basic psycho-pharmaco-oncology principles for understanding and treating anxiety, depression and delirium in people with cancer.
2. Identify the use of novel interventions including ketamine, medical marijuana, and psilocybin for depression, anxiety, and pain in people with cancer.
3. Discuss basic psycho-pharmaco-oncology principles for understanding and improving quality of life and psychiatric palliative care in people with cancer, including managing cognitive changes, insomnia, fatigue, poor appetite and weight loss, and pain.

Discounted registration is available for specific groups. If eligible, you will receive further instructions and a promotion code to use during registration. View our Policy on Registration Discounts for more information.

Registration Fees
— Physicians (MDs, PhDs, and DOs) $200
— Residents, Fellows, Advanced Practice Providers, Nurses, Psychologists, Social Workers, Counselors, and Other Healthcare Providers: $125
— Industry Professionals*: $350
— MSK Employees: Complimentary

For details on our cancellation terms, please review our Cancellation Policy.

*An “industry professional” is defined as any individual, regardless of their profession type (such as MDs, PhDs, APPs, RNs, etc.) that is employed by an ineligible company. View our Registration Policy for Industry Professionals for more information.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA Credit Designation Statement

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center designates this live activity for a maximum of 7.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

ABIM MOC Recognition Statement

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 7.50 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

Social Work Accreditation Statement*

This presentation is approved for a maximum of 7.50 Continuing Education Contact Hours of Live Training. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0228. Partial credit not awarded.

Continuing Education for Licensed Psychologists in New York State*

This event offers 7.50 NYS Psychology Contact Hours.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is recognized by the New York State Education Department State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0166

ANCC CNE Statement

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center–Nursing Professional Development / Continuing Education is accredited with distinction as a provider of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

7.50 contact hours will be awarded to participants who attend the program in its entirety and complete a program evaluation. Partial credit not awarded.

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*Not all states accept New York State contact hours. Please check with the licensing board in your state for guidance on their acceptance of the credit types offered for this course

Course Director 

Yesne Alici, MD
Vice Chair for Clinical Operations; Clinical Director;
Associate Attending Psychiatrist, Psychiatry Service,
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

 

Course Co-Director 

William S. Breitbart, MD
Attending Psychiatrist; Chair,
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences;
Attending Psychiatrist, Supportive Care Service,
Department of Medicine
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

 

Course Faculty 

Erik Bengtsen, MD
Director of Clinical Operations, Manhattan Ambulatory
Sites; Assistant Attending Psychiatrist, Psychiatry Service,
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Christian Bjerre Real, MD, MMCI, FAPA
Founder and Psychiatrist, Alta Psychiatry PLLC;
Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry
NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Natalie Moryl (Khojainova), MD
Attending Physician, Supportive Care Service,
Addiction Medicine, Department of Medicine
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Andrew Roth, MD
Emeritus Attending Psychiatrist, Psychiatry Service
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Christine Wilkins, PhD
Director, Social Work
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Mitigation of Relevant Financial Relationships

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity, including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others are required to disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies (commercial interests). All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.

Saturday, April 5, 2025