Carla L Fisher, PhD
Professor
About Carla L Fisher
Carla L. Fisher, Ph.D. is a Professor in Implementation Science and Health Interventions and affiliate of the UF Health Cancer Center and Center for Arts in Medicine. She is a behavioral scientist and expert in developing family-centered healthcare interventions and enhancing care practice, particularly in psychosocial oncology care. She is also a methodological expert in qualitative designs in implementation science and building lifespan/developmentally targeted interventions using narrative-grounded, mixed-methods research. Fisher has been consistently funded for nearly 20 years at the federal, state, local, and private levels and has authored >130 publications as well as 3 books. Across her career she has had the privilege of mentoring 67 graduate students, 10 postdocs/early career PhD or MDs, and multiple early-career faculty on their paths to independent investigators.
In her work, Dr. Fisher’s strives to contribute to a “psychosocial map” that helps patients, caregivers, family members, and clinicians learn communication skills central to promoting healthier outcomes in three primary areas: 1) coping with acute or chronic illnesses, 2) engaging in family caregiving, and 3) reducing hereditary disease risk. Her primary focus has been on promoting family-centered psychosocial oncology care from pre-diagnosis through survivorship with much of this focused on improving care in breast cancer and blood cancers. This work has especially centered on attending to the distinct mental health and developmental needs of adolescent and young adult (AYA) survivors as well as AYA caregivers of parents living with cancer. She’s also the most published expert on the central role of mother-daughter communication to breast cancer coping and caregiving and has published a nationally recognized, evidence-informed book (Coping together, side by side) that offers narrative-driven guidance targeting mothers’ and daughters’ distinct developmental needs. She’s had the privilege of collaborating with leading cancer institutions like Mayo Clinic and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and been invited to speak to staff and communities associated with leading nonprofit and cancer advocacy organizations about her work, including The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Information Resource Center as well as at the YA Cancer Gabfest hosted annually by Elephants & Tea and the Cactus Cancer Society.
Her work in family- or patient-centered healthcare has also spanned numerous healthcare contexts (e.g., dementia, mental health, geriatric medicine, genomic medicine, hereditary breast and ovarian cancer risk, diabetes, primary care, acupuncture), where she employs a lifespan-family systems lens to target resources based on disease, relational, and developmental factors. Her contributions also consistently prioritize the reduction of health disparities for vulnerable populations including women, racial/ethnic minorities, Veterans, the aging, adolescents and young adults (AYAs), and individuals living with hereditary disease risk. Collectively, her work brings to the forefront the importance of developmentally focused family communication in healthcare practice and public health interventions.
Dr. Fisher is also an expert in multi-method qualitative designs in implementation science. She is regularly invited to serve as the lead qualitative expert on grant-funded research supported by funders like NIH, PCORI, DOD, and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. She’s also an invited qualitative expert for the government including the National United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), and Office on Women’s Health (OWH). For five years, she was the lead qualitative methodologist on multiple funded projects for the Military Primary Care Research Network (MPCRN). She currently directs a team of pre- and post-PhD qualitative scientists who lead the qualitative arms of multiple funded studies. She also teaches a popular summer advanced graduate course in qualitative design and thematic analysis.
Teaching Profile
Publications
Grants
Education
Contact Details
- Business:
- (352) 627-9467
- Business:
- carlalfisher@ufl.edu
- Business Mailing:
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PO Boz 100147
GAINESVILLE FL 32610 - Business Street:
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1889 MUSEUM RD STE 7019
GAINESVILLE FL 32611