Dr. Hoerger conducts psychosocial research to reduce the emotional and physical burden of serious illnesses.
Dr. Hoerger is an international expert in psychosocial oncology as well as pandemic mitigation. He is an Associate Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Oncology at Tulane University, and the Managing Director of Palliative Care Research at the University Medical Center of New Orleans. As a clinical health psychologist, medical scientist, and financial analyst and strategist, Dr. Hoerger's career focuses on improving quality of life by reducing the emotional and physical burden of serious illnesses. Dr.Hoerger has published 100 articles and chapters in psychology and medicine, served as a reviewer for 50 scientific journals, teaches research methodology and statistics, mentors research trainees, provides clinical services, and engages with the community on issues related to health, education, and work. He serves as Co-Director of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)national advisory board on Clinical Effectiveness and Decision Science and has reviewed $100 million in PCORI research awards. He recently began serving as an NIH reviewer and functions as Tulane's Organizational Lead for the NIH-sponsored Palliative Care Research Cooperative (PCRC). Dr. Hoerger founded the Psycho-Oncology Research Program in 2013 at Tulane University. The mission of the Psycho-Oncology Research Program is to improve quality of life by anticipating, preventing, and alleviating the emotional and physical burden of cancer. The program has trained over 30 scientists, supported in part by>$2.5 million in federal, state, and local research funds. Dr. Hoerger leads Louisiana's 1st psychosocial oncology trial funded by the American Cancer Society (ACS). He also leads the only PCORI-funded pandemic-related research award in Louisiana. Dr. Hoerger welcomes collaborations aimed at helping peopleto make decisions that will reduce cancer risk.
Education
PhD, Clinical Health Psychology (2010)
MSCR, Clinical Oncology Research (2016)
MBA, Financial Analytics and Strategy (2022)
ORCID identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4398-2820
MyNCBI Link
MyNCBI (updated periodically): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1viVrg6nILmkE/bibliography/public/
Lab (updated frequently, sortable by topic):
http://www.psych-onc.com/publications.php
Selected Publications
Hoerger, M., Gerhart, J., & Swartz, M. C. (in press). Evidencebase for health care strategies to protect vulnerable patients during theCOVID-19 pandemic. JAMA Oncology.
Hoerger, M., Gerhart, J., & Swartz, M. C. (2023).Variability in COVID-19 vaccine response among people with cancer: What healthcare strategy best protects the vulnerable? JAMA Oncology.
Hoerger, M., Greer, J. A., Jackson, V. A., Park, E. R.,Pirl, W. F., El-Jawahri, A., Gallagher, E. R., Hagan, T., Jacobsen, J., Perry,L. M., & Temel, J. S. (2018). Defining the elements of early palliativecare that are associated with patient-reported outcomes and the delivery ofend-of-life care. Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Epstein, R. M., Duberstein, P. R., Fenton, J. J., Fiscella,K., Hoerger, M., Tancredi, D. J., Xing, G., Gramling, R., Mohile, S., Franks,P., Kaesberg, P., Plumb, S., Cipri, C. S., Street, R. L., Shields, C. G., Back,A. L., Butow, P., Walczak, A., Tattersall, M., Venuti, A., Sullivan, P.,Robinson, M., Hoh, B., Lewis, L., Kravitz, R. L. (2017). Effect of apatient-centered communication intervention on oncologist-patient communication,quality of life and healthcare utilization in advanced cancer: The VOICErandomized clinical trial. JAMA Oncology.
Gramling, R., Fiscella, K., Xing, G., Hoerger, M.,Duberstein, P., Plumb, S., Mohile, S., Fenton, J., Tancredi, D., Kravitz, R.,& Epstein, R. (2016). Differences of opinion or inadequate communication?Determinants of patient-oncologist prognostic discordance in advanced cancer.JAMA Oncology.
“Topics” (Keywords/Tags)
Psychosocial oncology
Clinical trial design
Statistical analysis
Decision interventions
Video interventions
Survey design
Palliative care
Pandemic mitigation
Cancer prevention
Tobacco cessation
Social media
Focus groups
Community outreach
Inclusivity
Link to lab website if they have one
