UCLA Journal of Radiation Oncology_SS 2025_FOR PRINT - Flipbook - Page 29
UCLA RADIATION ONCOLOGY JOURNAL
INAUGURAL HOPE FELLOW
Dr. Matthew Farrell, Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at the David Ge昀昀en School of Medicine at UCLA and
investigator at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been named the inaugural Hope Fellow of the
newly established Institute for the Study of Hope, Dignity and Wellbeing.
The institute is an international collaboration between the Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine in Jerusalem and Life’s
Door, a nonpro昀椀t that promotes hope and quality of life through illness and aging. The partnership brings together experts from
healthcare, social sciences, technology, and the arts to embed hope and dignity into the foundation of caregiving systems and
support radical, sustainable resilience.
As the inaugural Hope Fellow, Farrell will be paired with a senior investigator to lead a rigorous research project aimed at
advancing the understanding of hope, dignity or wellbeing.
A broad goal of the project will be to add to the growing body of literature demonstrating that hope can be de昀椀ned, measured,
optimized, and incorporated into multifaceted and patient-centered care plans. Drawing on his longstanding interest in narrative
medicine, Farrell plans to design and run a prospective trial that will test the e昀昀ects of a writing-based intervention on levels of
hopefulness, quality of life and other outcomes.
“It’s an honor to work with an organization that supports patients and their families during times of great need, helping them
昀椀nd hope in the midst of grief,” said Farrell. “I come from an arts background, and I love projects that combine elements of the
humanities, social sciences and medicine. I am grateful for the chance to work with experts in the 昀椀eld to develop new tools that
could help people in desperate need of hope.”
The institute is spearheaded by professor Ben Corn, a senior faculty member at the Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine and
a globally respected oncologist. For more than a decade, Corn has focused his research on the mechanisms of hope and its clinical
application in serious illness. He co-founded Life’s Door with his wife, Dvora Corn, a family therapist. The organization was one
of the 昀椀rst in Israel to identify hope as a vital resource for navigating crisis, trauma, and end-of-life care. ☐
Contributed by: Denise Heady
Denise Heady is a science communications and media relations manager at UCLA Health. She covers the clinical cancer program along with basic
and clinical translational research for the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
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