Research Nurses and Coordinators
Kay Bolla, RN, OCN
"The research of symptoms and their management related to cancer and its treatment is extremely important as people live longer and longer after their treatment is complete, at times with continued challenges and poorer quality of life. As a research nurse, I find it inspirational and extremely satisfying to work with our participants and hear their story."
Grace Mausisa, RN, MS
"My nursing career started in 2003. I specialized in pediatrics and research. In 2015, I joined the symptom management team as a research nurse. I have always believed in the importance of research. There is always something more that can be done to make things better for people. Research means hope. My favorite part of this job is meeting the participants and listening to their stories."
Melissa Mazor, RN, MS, PhD
"I have been an oncology nurse for ten years. After many rewarding years working in the hospital and outpatient clinic, I was struck by the universal lack of symptom education and management. Symptom research is important because it can help better understand and lessen side effects from cancer and treatment. This ultimately can improve quality of life for patients, family members, and care providers - an area of research I highly value.
Belkiz Quintanilla, CRC
"I have been in research since my senior year of college where I started in geriatric research at UCSF. One of the things I love about it is the collaboration between providers and patients in order to find solutions to improve a patient’s life, while building relationships with them. Interacting with people from different backgrounds and hear each of their stories is very rewarding and it continues to inspire me."
Komal Singh, RN, MS, PhD
"My interest in symptom management began 3 years ago when I joined UCSF as a doctoral student. My focus of research is to investigate gene expression profile of patients in relation to their symptom phenotype. I am also helping recruit patients for symptom research study. Patient symptom experience in the context of their oncology treatment varies substantially. We hope to learn from our study participants and understand patient symptom trajectory."
Maria Tayag, RN
I have been a nurse since 2007 and have specialized in the areas of pediatrics, oncology/hematology, and research. I have witnessed, first hand, how impactful research is in medicine, specifically in oncology. To be a part something that will hopefully improve the lives of cancer patients and survivors is extremely gratifying and a constant reminder of why I became a nurse. Like my colleagues, what I enjoy most about this job is meeting the participants and learning about them and their experiences. I find inspiration in every story and with everyone I meet.
Principal Investigator
Christine Miaskowski, RN, PhD, FAAN
Dr. Miaskowski is a professor and associate dean of the Physiological Nursing department at UCSF. A former president of the American Pain Society, Dr. Miaskowski is an internationally recognized expert on pain management. Dr. Miaskowski is involved in numerous research programs that focus on the evaluation of unrelieved pain and the development of strategies to improve the management of pain and symptoms in cancer patients.
Research Project Director
Judy Mastick, RN, FNP
Judy Mastick has been a nurse since 1981 and in research since 1995. She is the project director for Symptom Management Research in the Department of Physiological Nursing at UCSF.
What Judy loves about being a research nurse is the amount of one-on-one time she spends with participants and learning from their stories while collecting study data. Plus, research is so interesting! The research purpose changes with the study, and each study offers a new opportunity. “We learn every day that every person is unique, and together as a whole our study participants will help us to improve lives.”
Co-Investigators
Betty Smoot, PT, DPTSc
Dr. Smoot received her doctor of science degree in Physical Therapy (DPTSc) from UCSF in 2009 and joined the faculty in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science in April 2010. In addition to Dr. Smoot's extensive teaching experience in the program, her clinical experience has included practice in a variety of settings.
Kord Kober, PhD
Dr. Kober is an assistant professor in Physiological Nursing at UCSF. He uses genomic, transcriptomic and epigenetic data and bioinformatic analyses to improve the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying fatigue in oncology patients. He has in-depth experience in computer science, biochemistry, and molecular evolution. He has experience in molecular analysis of cancer-related symptoms.
Gary Abrams, MD, FAAN
Dr. Abrams is the Rehabilitation Section Chief at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and director of Neurorehabilitation in the Department of Neurology at UCSF. Dr. Abrams received his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh. He was assistant and chief resident in neurology at the New York Neurological Institute of Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. His clinical/research interests focus on advancing rehabilitation of chronic neurological disorders.