Rate My Professor Kerrie Clover

Dr Kerrie Clover is a Conjoint Associate Professor in the School of Medicine and Public Health within the College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing at the University of Newcastle. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Psychology, PhD, Master of Psychology (Clinical), and is a Member of the Australian Psychological Society (MAPS). With over 20 years of experience at Calvary Mater Newcastle, she serves as Research Manager and Senior Clinical Psychologist in the Psycho-Oncology Service, Department of Consultation Liaison Psychiatry. Her conjoint appointment facilitates collaboration between clinical practice and academic research, focusing on practical applications to enhance cancer care.

Kerrie Clover's research in psycho-oncology addresses emotional challenges faced by cancer patients, including anxiety and depression screening, validation of psychological measures adapted for oncology contexts, and management of procedural anxiety, particularly during radiotherapy for head and neck cancer where immobilisation masks provoke intense distress. She led a large-scale routine screening program for pain and distress among over 13,000 oncology outpatients, reducing distress prevalence from 28% to 10% and pain from 33% to 16% over four years; the developed measures remain in use by cancer care coordinators. Her work evaluates depression and anxiety scales against gold-standard clinical interviews and explores interventions like biofeedback for procedural anxiety and trauma-informed approaches for patients with histories of violence or brain cancers. Key publications include 'Data-Driven Cutoff Selection for the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Depression Screening Tool' (2024, JAMA Network Open), 'Situational anxiety in head and neck cancer: Rates, patterns and clinical management interventions in a regional cancer setting' (2024, Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences), 'A systematic review of nonpharmacological interventions to reduce procedural anxiety among patients undergoing radiation therapy for cancer' (2023, Cancer Medicine), and 'Convergent and criterion validity of PROMIS anxiety measures relative to six legacy measures and a structured diagnostic interview for anxiety in cancer patients' (2022, Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes). As Convener of the Psychologists in Oncology Interest Group of the Australian Psychological Society, she fosters professional development and resource sharing. Her contributions have directly improved patient outcomes and clinical practices in oncology settings.