Palliative and end of life care

Psychosocial issues in serious illness and end of life

Patient and family care in serious illness and end of life

Social work in oncology and palliative and end of life care

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Interdisciplinary education

Career details

Iris came to Lancaster University from Los Angeles, California, where she was a Visiting Assistant Researcher at the University of California Los Angeles' (UCLA) Department of Medicine's Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research. Prior to joining the Department of Medicine, she completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control Research. Iris earned her Ph.D. in Social Work and Sociology from Boston University and her Master's in Social Work (M.S.W.) degree from New York University. She has a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies from Cornell University. She began her oncology social work career at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and continued at City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California, where she developed her clinical specialization in working with patients and families facing bone marrow and stem cell transplantation. Iris later practiced at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, serving as the social worker for the Bone Marrow Transplant Service and the Palliative Care Service. In addition to educating health and social care practitioners, she has taught on the undergraduate and graduate levels in the fields of social work, sociology, and medical practice. She is on the Board of Directors for the Association of Oncology Social Work.

Iris Cohen Fineberg is a lecturer in DHR's International Observatory on End of Life Care. She is an oncology social work researcher and sociologist who brings a background in clinical work, research, and education. Her research focus is on improving end-of-life care, with specific attention to interdisciplinary collaboration, family conferencing, and clinical ethics. She is a recipient of a Project on Death in America (PDIA) Social Work Leadership Award grant from the Soros Foundation.

PhD in Palliative Care

Masters/Diploma/Certificate in Health Research (End of Life Care) by Online Distance Learning

Masters in Hospice Leadership

International Research Summer School of the International Observatory on End of Life Care

Walling, A.M., Fineberg, I.C., Brown-Saltzman, K., & Wenger, N.S. (in press). An Interdisciplinary Educational Program to Improve Knowledge and Attitudes about an End of Life Symptom Management Protocol. Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing.

Preston, H., Fineberg, I.C., Callagher, P., & Mitchell, J.D. (in press). The 'Preferred Priorities for Care' document in motor neurone disease: Views of bereaved relatives and carers. Palliative Medicine. (Online First version viewable: 7 March 2011)

Fineberg, I. C., Kawashima, M., & Asch, S.M. (2011). Communication with families facing life-threatening illness: a research-based model for family conferences. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 14(4), 421-4

Harris, D., & Fineberg, I.C. (2011). Multidisciplinary palliative care teams' understanding of Mental Capacity Act 2005 'best interest' determinations. International Journal of Palliative Nursing, 17(1), 20-25.