Deborah Lefkowitz, PhD, OPN-CG, is an Assistant Professional Researcher in the School of Public Policy. She also holds an appointment as Adjunct Assistant Professor and Associate Member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies in the School of Nursing at the University of Victoria, Canada.
Deborah’s qualitative and mixed-methods research explores cancer survivorship, oncology navigation, and illness-related disability. She focuses on the downstream consequences of health and disability policies, and the lived experiences of individuals navigating US healthcare and social service systems. Recent research projects have examined the challenges of access to breast cancer and supportive care services, financial hardship for low-wage women during and after breast cancer treatment, and stakeholder understandings of oncology patient navigation as part of a quality improvement project.
Deborah has received research funding from the National Cancer Institute, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, American Cancer Society, and the Social Security Administration. In addition to serving on the AONN+ Policy and Advocacy Committee, she has been a member of the Advisory Committee for the Cancer Legal Resource Center, a program of the Disability Rights Legal Center.
Deborah is a longtime member of the AONN+ Policy and Advocacy Committee.
