Tess Thompson (she/hers)

Tess Thompson is an assistant professor at the UNC School of Social Work and a member of Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Thompson received an M.Phil in English Studies from University of Oxford, a Master of Public Health from Washington University in St. Louis, and a PhD in Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis. She studies the social context of cancer prevention and control, including the role of cancer caregiving, the importance of social support, and the effects of unmet social needs (e.g., transportation, food) on outcomes for patients and caregivers. Currently, Dr. Thompson is principal investigator of three funded projects: a Mentored Research Scholar Grant from the American Cancer Society, an R03 from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and an R37 MERIT Award from NCI. The MERIT Award funds the Health Outcomes and Pairs’ Experiences (HOPE) Study, which is currently enrolling patient-caregiver pairs. Dr. Thompson’s work has been published in academic journals including Health Psychology, Social Science & Medicine, Health Education and Behavior, and Journal of the Society for Social Work & Research. She is currently on the editorial boards of Social Science & Medicine and Journal of Psychosocial Oncology.