Lorenzo Cohen

Lorenzo Cohen (born November 14, 1964) is Professor, Departments of General Oncology and Behavioral Science and the Director of the Integrative Medicine Program at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, as well as a Distinguished Clinical Professor at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center in Shanghai, China. Cohen is a founding member and past president of the Society for Integrative Oncology. He is the principal investigator of an extensive body of research examining the bio-behavioral effects of psychosocial interventions, particularly those related to improving quality of life and cancer outcomes. His research examines meditation, stress management, emotional writing, qigoing, and yoga from the Tibetan and Indian traditions, as well as acupuncture, neurofeedback, and comprehensive lifestyle change. In 2013, he started hosting a radio talk-show series entitled Living the Anticancer Life™ on 90.1 KPFT, Houston and he conducts lectures and workshops with his wife, Alison Jefferies, on Living the Anticancer Life™.

Early life and education

Cohen was born in Rome, Italy, the son of Paola Scaravelli, a former art teacher at Toronto's Mabin School and Dr. Jon Cohen, Professor of Economics and former Dean of the Graduate School, University of Toronto. At the Mabin School, his mother met another teacher and Cohen's future wife, Alison Jefferies. Cohen has one brother, writer David Cohen. Native Florentine, Paola Scaravelli and husband Jon Cohen collaborated on and published two cook books that inspired Cohen in the area of diet and nutrition (Cooking from an Italian Garden and A Mediterranean Harvest). Cohen’s grandmother, Vanda Scaravelli, studied for many years with B.K.S. Iyengar in the forms and functions of yoga, with TKV Desikachar on the wisdom of the breath, and with J. Krishnamurti on the remarkable nature of our mind. At the age of 83, she authored Awakening the Spine: Yoga for Health, Vitality, and Energy. While growing up, Cohen spent every summer in Italy. In 1987/88 he lived with Vanda to learn yoga and piano. Vanda would come to influence much of Cohen's work and faith in mind-body practice. Cohen earned his BA in Psychology at Reed College in 1987, and went on to pursue an MS and PhD in Medical Psychology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. Cohen is best known for his work in Mind-Body Medicine, where he has published extensively on the importance of integrating mind and body and continues his research today. Cohen and Alison Jefferies, daughter of Robert and Susan Jefferies, married in 1995 and have three children – Alessandro, Luca, and Chiara.

Career

Cohen was awarded a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from the National Cancer Institute of Canada. Since then, he has received continual research support from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, United States in the form of R01 funding, with up to four R01’s funded at a time. In 2007, he became a Distinguished Clinical Professor of Fudan University Cancer Hospital, where he continues his research on traditional Chinese medicine that started in 2003. In 2007, Cohen earned the International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Award ^[1] of Shanghai Municipality.

In 2008, the Shanghai Municipal People's Government awarded Cohen the Silver Magnolia Memorial Award^[2] and in 2011 the Gold Magnolia Memorial Award, in recognition of outstanding contributions to the city of Shanghai. In 2011, Cohen was recognized by the Society for Integrative Oncology with the Outstanding Achievement Award. Cohen is a Fellow of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research.

Personal life

Cohen married Alison Jefferies, a colleague of his mother, in 1995 and the couple have three children.

Published Works

Cohen has published extensively in the field of integrative therapies in oncology and beyond.

Books

• L Cohen, M Markman. Integrative Oncology: Incorporating Complementary Medicine into Conventional Cancer Care. Humana Press: Totowa, NJ, 2008.
• Frenkel M, Cohen L. Integrative Medicine in Oncology: Hematology/Oncology Clinics of North America. 22, 4. Elsevier, Inc.: Philadelphia, 2008.

Original Reports

• Cohen L, Chandwani K, Perkins G, Nagendra HR, Raghurham NV, Spelman A, Nagarathna R, Johnson K, Fortier A, Banu A, Kirschbaum C, Haddad R, Wei Q, Morris S, Scheetz J, and Chaoul A. A randomized, controlled trial of yoga in women with breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy.^[3] Journal of Clinical Oncology. In Press.
• Cohen L, Zhen Chen , Arun B, Zhimin Shao , Dryden M, Linhhui Xu , Le-Petross C, Dogan B, McKenna BJ, Markman M, Babiera G. External Qigong therapy for women with breast cancer prior to surgery.^[4] Integr Cancer Ther 9(4):348-353, 12/2010.
• Cohen L, Parker PA, Vence L, Savary C, Kentor D, Pettaway C, Babaian R, Pisters L, Miles B, Wei Q, Wiltz L, Patel T, Radvanyi L. Pre-surgical stress management improves post-operative immune function in men with prostate cancer undergoing radical prostatectomy.^[5] Psychosom Med 73(3):218-25, 4/2011. e-Pub 1/2011.
• Cohen L, Cole SW, Sood AK, Prinsloo S, Kirschbaum C, Arevalo JM, Jennings NB, Scott S, Vence L, Wei Q, Kentor D, Radvanyi L, Tannir N, Jonasch E, Tamboli P, Pisters L. Depressive symptoms and cortisol rhythmicity predict survival in patients with renal cell carcinoma: role of inflammatory signaling. PLoS One 7(8):e42324, 2012. e-Pub 8/2012. PMCID: PMC3409855.^[6][7]

Book Chapters

• Lee RT, Garcia MK, Chaoul MA, Baynham-Fletcher L, Gower L, Cohen L. Integrative Medicine Center. In: Manual of Psycho-Social Oncology. McGraw-Hill Medical: Burr Ridge, 2010.
• Cohen L, Russell N, Garcia MK, Biegler K, Frenkel M. Integrative Oncology. In: Psycho-Oncology, 2. Oxford University Press: New York, 447-454, 2010.
• Cohen L, Russell N, Garcia K, Frenkel M. The Role of Integrative Oncology in Cancer Care. In: Cancer Medicine, 8. People's Medical Publishing House-USA: Shelton, 846-853, 2010.

References

External links

• Faculty profile
• Board of Directors Integrative Oncology