Overview
Dr. Sophia Smith is an Associate Professor with Tenure at the Duke School of Nursing and earned her PhD and MSW degrees at UNC-Chapel Hill School of Social Work. Her research explores ways to improve the quality of cancer care including post-treatment survivorship and palliative care with a primary focus on leveraging technology in delivering behavioral health interventions to the community. She is leading efforts to integrate clinical cancer care and research in building the scientific evidence that informs evidence-based practice through her current and past membership on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Survivorship Guidelines Panel and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Survivorship Committee. Dr. Smith’s research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society, NCCN, and Pfizer Grants for Independent Learning and Change.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Associate Professor in the School of Nursing
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2020 - Present
School of Nursing
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute
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2013 - Present
Duke Cancer Institute,
Institutes and Centers
Recent Publications
A digital health approach to improving PTSD symptom management among cancer transplant survivors using a SMART design.
Journal Article JCO Oncology Practice · October 14, 2025 550Background: Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) cancer survivors face elevated risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, yet access to effective treatment remains limited. This NCI-funded study (R01-CA244172) evaluated a stepped-care, ... Full text CiteA Pilot Study of the Cancer Distress Coach-Caregiver App: A Digital Intervention for Reducing PTSD Symptoms in HCT Caregivers.
Journal Article Psycho-oncology · October 2025 BackgroundCaregivers of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) survivors face high risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but lack psychosocial support. Digital health tools may offer scalable solutions to address caregiver distress. This ... Full text CiteNCCN Guidelines® Insights: Survivorship, Version 2.2025.
Journal Article Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network : JNCCN · June 2025 The NCCN Guidelines for Survivorship include screening, evaluation, and treatment recommendations for common physical and psychosocial problems resulting from adult-onset cancer and its treatment and provide a framework for coordination of survivorship car ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Nurse LEADS: Training in Nurse-LEd models of care ADdressing the Social Determinants of Health
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institute of Nursing Research · 2024 - 2029Promoting Effective Self-Management of Chronic Pain with mHealth Neurofeedback
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2022 - 2027Home-based Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation to Improve Outcomes and Decrease Costs
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by The University of Kansas Medical Center Research Institute, Inc · 2025 - 2026View All Grants
Education, Training & Certifications
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill ·
2007
Ph.D.
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill ·
2001
M.S.W.