Skip to main content

Sophia Kustas Smith

Associate Professor in the School of Nursing
School of Nursing
DUMC 3322, Durham, NC 27710
307 Trent Dr, DUMC 3322, Pearson 2114, Durham, NC 27710

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 · 2020 - Present School of Nursing
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute · 2013 - Present Duke Cancer Institute, Institutes and Centers

In the News


Published September 21, 2021
Meet the Newly Tenured Faculty of 2021
Published July 31, 2017
PTSD app helps cancer survivors overcome trauma of treatment.
Published July 11, 2017
Mobile app developed at Duke helping survivors battle 'cancer PTSD'

View All News

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 Cite

A 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 Cite

NCCN 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 Cite
View All Publications

Recent 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 - 2029

Promoting Effective Self-Management of Chronic Pain with mHealth Neurofeedback

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2022 - 2027

Home-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 - 2026

View All Grants

Education, Training & Certifications


University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill · 2007 Ph.D.
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill · 2001 M.S.W.