Carolyn Messner, DSW, BCD, FAPOS, FAOSW

Senior Director of Education and Training

Dr. Carolyn Messner, DSW, BCD, FNAP, FAPOS, FAOSW, LCSW-R, is Senior Director of Education and Training at CancerCare, where she pioneered the use of teleconference/webinar technology to bring information to cancer patients and their caregivers. She is responsible for the oversight, development, speaker engagement and leadership of these Programs.

A national and international speaker and author, Dr. Messner’s expertise includes the psychosocial impact of cancer on cancer patients, families, partners and their caregivers and methods to design patient education interventions.

She is co-editor of the following Oxford University Press Publications: Handbook of Oncology Social Work: Psychosocial Care for People with Cancer (2015) and Oncology and Palliative Social Work: Psychosocial Care for People Coping with Cancer (2024). She is a former President of the Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW).

Carolyn has received numerous prestigious awards including the American Cancer Society Quality of Life in Cancer Care Award in Oncology Social Work, American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS) Outstanding Award in Training and Education, AOSW Oncology Social Worker of the Year Award & AOSW Leadership Award in Oncology Social Work, to name a few. She is a Senior Distinguished Practitioner in Social Work, National Academies of Practice and Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine.

She received her Doctor of Social Welfare Degree (DSW) from the City University of New York with a Doctoral Fellowship Award in Social Welfare and the recipient of the Ohio State University School of Social Work National Doctoral Award. She earned her Master of Social Work Degree from New York University School of Social Work, with a National Institute of Mental Health Fellowship, and her bachelor’s degree (BA) in Psychology from Clark University, graduating cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa.