Tara SchapmireProfile page
Professor Term
School of Medicine
- Professor TermSchool of Medicine
- 5028523738 (Work)
- 5028364308 (Mobile)
BIO
Tara Schapmire, PhD, MSSW, OSW-C, APHSW-C, FAOSW, FAPOS earned her PhD in Social Work from the University of Louisville, and she holds appointments as Associate Professor at University of Louisville’s School of Medicine and an Honorary appointment as Associate Professor in the Kent School of Social Work. Dr. Schapmire’s research interests include psychosocial oncology, gerontology, palliative care, and inter-professional collaborative practice. She is the Principal Investigator (PI) of an NIH/NCI grant delivering a comprehensive, oncology-tailored, evidence-based curriculum to build leadership and palliative care skills among oncology social workers nationwide. Dr. Schapmire is a co-investigator on multiple HRSA grants aimed at interprofessional training in Age-Friendly Healthcare and the integration of primary care and behavioral health for learners in community health, dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and social work. Additionally, she is site PI for an NCI R01 (MPI, Studts & Stapleton), a randomized clinical trial of a precision lung cancer survivorship care intervention aimed at improving quality of life among rural lung cancer survivors within socioeconomically distressed areas in the US.
Her past research includes an NIH/NCI project (MPI Pfeifer/Schapmire) to develop a critical mass of competent, equipped oncology educators skilled in developing and implementing IPE for palliative oncology care. She also served as Co-I on an NIH/NCI grant to develop a mandatory interdisciplinary oncology palliative care curriculum for schools of medicine, social work, nursing, and chaplaincy residency programs and an American Cancer Society-funded study of emotional distress in older adults with cancer.
She is a 2017 recipient of the AOSW/American Cancer Society (ACS) Leadership in Oncology Social Work Award and the 2024 recipient of the AOSW/ACS’s Quality of Life in Cancer Award. She also received ACS’s C.A.R.E. Award, recognizing an allied healthcare professional for their compassionate, affirming, respectful, and empathetic service to the needs of cancer survivors and their families. Dr. Schapmire is a past President and current Fellow of the Association of Oncology Social Workers. She is a 2025 Fellow in the American Psychosocial Oncology Society. She serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Psychosocial Oncology.
ACADEMIC POSITIONS
- Assistant Professor of MedicineUniversity of Louisville, Medicine, Louisville, United States1 Jul 2012 - 30 Jun 2018
- Associate Professor of MedicineUniversity of Louisville, Medicine, Louisville, United States1 Jul 2018
- Honorary Affiliated Associate Professor of Social WorkUniversity of Louisville, Kent School of Social Work & Family Science, Louisville, United States11 Feb 2015
DEGREES
- PhDUniversity of Louisville, Louisville, USA1 Jul 2007 - 1 May 2012
- MSSWUniversity of Louisville, Louisville, United States1 Aug 1994 - 5 Dec 1996
- BAWestern Kentucky University, Bowling Green, United States1 Aug 1990 - 5 Dec 1994
CERTIFICATIONS
- Advanced Palliative & Hospice Social Worker-CertifiedHospice & Palliative Credentialing Center1 Jul 2024
- Oncology Social Worker-CertifiedBoard of Oncology Social Work Certification1 Jul 2002