For Immediate Release:February 17, 2016
Contacts: Ellen BerlinDana-Farber Cancer Institute617-632-4090[email protected]u
Steven KoppelThe EDI Institute617-686-0377[email protected]
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute using new mobile imaging technique for patient, family, and staff therapeutic self-expressionPromotes communication and emotional resilience
Newswise — Boston – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the EDI Institute are partnering to provide a new mobile imaging technique for cancer patients, family members, and staff to express their feelings around the illness. Expressive Digital Imagery (EDI) is used on a smartphone or tablet to provide a creative outlet for people to express complex feelings and emotions that words alone cannot.
Using a new and specialized app, program participants begin with ordinary photographs and easily transform them into expressive images that communicate meaningful aspects of their lives. At Dana-Farber, people can use their own mobile devices or borrow one. As part of the program, participants can print the images in books at no charge through special grant funds.
EDI pilots in multiple clinical settings have shown that therapeutic self-expression through digital imagery can play an important role in helping patients, family members, and clinical providers deal with illness and treatment.
“We are excited to offer EDI to our patients, family, and staff as it complements our ongoing efforts to help people face the challenges of cancer diagnosis and treatment,” said Patricia Stahl, M.Ed, manager of Volunteer Programs and Services. “This innovative program uses therapeutic self-expression which has shown to be a very effective creative outlet and tool to help communication during serious illness,” she added.
“We are thrilled to be bringing the power of EDI to Dana-Farber and to those impacted by cancer, an illness that causes complex feelings that frequently are inaccessible through words alone,” added Steven Koppel, Founder of the EDI Institute. “Through this partnership, we look forward to integrating EDI into the fabric of special care that Dana-Farber provides.”
About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
From achieving the first remissions in childhood cancer with chemotherapy in 1948, to developing the very latest new therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is one of the world’s leading centers of cancer research and treatment. It is the only center ranked in the top 4 of U.S. News and World Report’s Best Hospitals for both adult and pediatric cancer care. Dana-Farber sits at the center of a wide range of collaborative efforts to reduce the burden of cancer through scientific inquiry, clinical care, education, community engagement, and advocacy. Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center provides the latest in cancer care for adults; Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center for children. The Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center unites the cancer research efforts of five Harvard academic medical centers and two graduate schools, while Dana-Farber Community Cancer Care provides high quality cancer treatment in communities outside Boston’s Longwood Medical Area. Dana-Farber is dedicated to a unique, 50/50 balance between cancer research and care, and much of the Institute’s work is dedicated to translating the results of its discovery into new treatments for patients locally and around the world.
About the EDI Institute
The EDI Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that partners with medical, community, and educational organizations to promote recovery and emotional resilience through imagery created on mobile devices. The EDI Institute team includes leaders in the fields of mental health, research, and expressive therapies from McLean Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Partners HealthCare, and Lesley University. We are committed to improving clinical outcomes for any chronic illness by identifying and disseminating best practices, performing scientific research, and innovating new technologies. For more on the EDI Institute, watch our TEDx talk at www.tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Healing-Images-Steve-Koppel-TED and visit www.ediinstitute.org.
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