NAFKAM is happy to congratulate Dana with the recent defense of her doctoral thesis at UiT and reception of a PhD in health sciences. In her work, she explored CAM as supportive treatment during or after cancer treatment in children.
Research on the use and safety of CAM among children with cancer has been lacking. In addition to collecting existing research, she therefore also conducted interviews and performed a survey.
- From my systematic review of the literature, I found that acupuncture can reduce nausea and vomiting as a result of chemotherapy in children with cancer. But there was a lack of data on the safety of this treatment. More research was needed here, says Mora.
The next phase of her project was to interview treatment providers who work with children with cancer. She approached 22 therapists, situated in USA, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands where CAM is more present, used and accepted as supportive treatment, according to Mora. The therapists were both healthcare professionals within the official healthcare system and CAM providers, practicing outside the healthcare system.
- It emerged that safety was the providers’ main concern regarding such supportive treatment for children. Also, and the importance of not placing an extra burden on the child and the family were highly prioritized she says.
Most used: Massage, vitamin D and music therapy
Mora also conducted a survey among parents of children with cancer in Norway to identify and understand the use of CAM as supportive treatment for this group. She found that a significant proportion (about 47%) of children with cancer in Norway received CAM:
- The parents stated that they wanted to be more actively involved in the supporting treatment of their children, and often facilitated treatment such as massage, vitamin D and music therapy.
Mora hopes that her research will be a resource for families facing childhood cancer and experiencing side effects of cancer and cancer treatment.
- The ultimate goal would be to develop a website that can help parents with informed decisions when they consider CAM for their children. I hope my research can be useful in this in the future.
- Dana gets the job done
Principal supervisor Trine Stub is very proud and says that it has been a pleasure to work with Mora.
- This work could not have been carried out if it were not for the fact that Dana had such good knowledge of research work from before. In addition, she is incredibly hardworking. She understands what needs to be done and she gets the job done, says Stub.
Stub, who is a research professor at NAFKAM, continues:
- Dana's work is an important contribution to the improvement of safety of children with cancer, increasing the knowledge in the field and providing parents with the right information. Her findings can also improve understanding between healthcare professionals and CAM providers in the care of children with cancer, she says.
From Miami to the Mullet Swamp
Mora has lived in Miami for a big part of her life and worked in Winston-Salem, North Carolina where she did research on occupational health. In addition to changing her workplace and place of residence, she has also changed her research field somewhat.
- It has certainly been a transition to move from loud, busy big cities to peaceful Tromsø. I enjoy the quiet lifestyle here, especially the ability to get everywhere I need to on foot. I have taken nice breaks in my doctoral work to go for walks and pick mushrooms and mulberries, she says.
Dana says she also notices a difference in working life as a researcher
- It is very pleasant to work here in Norway and I appreciate a somewhat flatter hierarchy than I have been used to. I would like to stay here or somewhere else in Norway for a few more years, learn the language better and continue in health research, she says, and continues:
- I have grown both professionally and personally these years in Tromsø and have felt supported and included all the way by my supervisors and colleagues at NAFKAM. I feel truly privileged to have had the opportunity to do this work.
