Stephen Alan Sands BA, PsyD

Stephen Sands, PsyD specializes in child and adolescent psychology and pediatric neuropsychology. He is also the psychosocial director of the Center for Comprehensive Wellness, which combines integrative medicine, supportive care, and survivorship wellness into each patient's plan of care from day one.

Dr. Sands enjoys being able to use his skills and specialized training to support patients and their families through medical treatment, and to assist young patients as they successfully transition back to school. Dr. Sands and his team teach specific coping skills to help patients and their families throughout treatment and survivorship. Psychosocial programs also help normalize the hospital experience for young patients by giving children the support and fun they need to help them to "just be kids" throughout medical treatment.

Dr. Sands also conducts clinical research to identify specific subgroups of patients who are at an increased risk for neuropsychological, social-emotional, or behavioral problems. The goal is to use the findings of this research to provide targeted proactive interventions to maximize their functional outcomes as survivors.

His clinical research also includes the documentation of late effects associated with medical treatment. Dr. Sands and his team hope to use the information from these studies to learn how to alter medical treatments so they remain effective against cancer while minimizing long-term side effects and maximizing quality of life for survivors.