Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Faculty Member

Christopher Lo

Research Interests

Supportive Care, Existential Meaning, Culture and Self, Social Development, Measurement

I am a research psychologist with expertise in the study of health, disease and psychiatry, especially the experience of death anxiety and existential distress in patients with life-limiting illness. I try to understand how disease can disrupt the expected course of human development and how the social and cultural context can affect individual adaptation. My work has involved quantitative and mixed methods, intervention design and clinical trials, cross-cultural research, and psychometrics and scale construction.

Representative Publications

Lo C, Sarker T, Canning O, McCarthy M, Granton J, Tan A. The clinical presentation of existential distress in pulmonary arterial hypertension. Canadian Journal of Respiratory, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine. Accepted 2018 Jul 27.

An E, Lo C, Hales S, Zimmermann C, Rodin G. Demoralization and death anxiety in advanced cancer. Psycho-oncology. 2018 Jul 27. doi: 10.1002/pon.4843.

Lo C. A developmental perspective on existential distress and adaptation to advanced disease. Psycho-oncology. 2018 May 18. doi: 10.1002/pon.4767.

Rodin G, Lo C, Rydall A, Shnall J, Malfitano C, Chiu A, Panday T, Watt S, An E, Nissim R, Li M, Zimmermann C, Hales S. Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM): a randomized controlled trial of a psychological intervention for patients with advanced cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2018 Jun 29:JCO2017771097. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2017.77.1097.

Vehling S, Gerstorf D, Schulz-Kindermann F, Oechsle K, Philipp R, Scheffold K, Härter M, Mehnert A, Lo C. The daily dynamics of loss orientation and life engagement in advanced cancer: a pilot study to characterize patterns of adaptation at the end-of-life. European Journal of Cancer Care. 2018 Apr 27:e12842. doi: 10.1111/ecc.12842.

Grünke B, Philipp R, Vehling S, Scheffold K, Härter M, Oechsle K, Schulz-Kindermann F, Mehnert A, Lo C. Measuring the psychosocial dimensions of quality of life in advanced cancer patients: psychometrics of the German Quality of Life at the End of Life–Cancer–Psychosocial (QUAL-EC-P) Questionnaire. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. 2018 Mar;55(3):985-991.e1.

Vehling S, Malfitano C, Shnall J, Watt S, Panday T, Chiu A, Rydall A, Zimmermann C, Hales S, Rodin G, Lo C. A concept map of death-related anxieties in patients with advanced cancer. British Medical Journal Supportive and Palliative Care. 2017 Dec;7(4):427-434.

Lo C, Panday T, Zeppieri J, Rydall A, Murphy-Kane P, Zimmermann C, Rodin G. Preliminary psychometrics of the Existential Distress Scale in patients with advanced cancer. European Journal of Cancer Care. 2017 Nov;26(6). doi: 10.1111/ecc.12597.

Philipp R, Vehling S, Scheffold K, Grünke B, Härter M, Mehnert Anja, Schulz-Kindermann F, Lo C. Attachment insecurity in advanced cancer patients: psychometric properties of the German version of the Brief Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (ECR-M16-G). Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. 2017 Oct;54(4):555-562.

Tong E, Deckert A, Gani N, Nissim R, Rydall A, Hales S, Rodin G, Lo C. The meaning of self-reported death anxiety in advanced cancer. Palliative Medicine 2016;30(8):772-779.

Lo C, Hales S, Chiu A, Panday T, Malfitano C, Jung J, Rydall A, Li M, Nissim R, Zimmermann C, Rodin G. Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM): randomised feasibility trial in patients with advanced cancer. British Medical Journal Supportive and Palliative Care. 2016 Jan 19. doi: 10.1136/bmjspcare-2015-000866.

Neel C, Lo C, Rydall A, Hales S, Rodin G. Determinants of death anxiety in patients with advanced cancer. British Medical Journal Supportive and Palliative Care 2015;5(4):373-380.

Fitzgerald P, Lo C, Li M, Gagliese L, Zimmermann C, Rodin G. The relationship between depression and physical symptom burden in advanced cancer. British Medical Journal Supportive and Palliative Care 2015;5(4):381-388.

Lo C, Hales S, Rydall A, Panday T, Chiu A, Malfitano C, Jung J, Li M, Nissim R, Zimmermann C, Rodin G. Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials 2015 Sep 3;16:391. doi: 10.1186/s13063-015-0811-1.

Krause S, Rydall A, Hales S, Rodin G, Lo C. Initial validation of the Death and Dying Distress Scale for the assessment of death anxiety in advanced cancer. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 2015;49(1):126-134.

Lo C. Cultural values and alexithymia. Sage Open 2014 Oct 15. doi: 10.1177/2158244014555117.

Zimmermann C, Swami N, Krzyzanowska M, Hannon B, Leighl N, Oza A, Moore M, Rydall A, Rodin G, Tannock I, Donner A, Lo C. Cluster randomized trial of early palliative care for patients with advanced cancer. Lancet 2014;383(9930):1721-1730.

Lo C, Hales S, Jung J, Chiu A, Panday T, Rydall A, Nissim R, Malfitano C, Petricone-Westwood D, Zimmermann C, Rodin G. Managing Cancer And Living Meaningfully (CALM): phase 2 trial of a brief individual psychotherapy in advanced cancer. Palliative Medicine 2014;28(3):234-242.

Lo C, Hales S, Braun M, Rydall AC, Zimmermann C, Rodin G. Couples facing advanced cancer: examination of an interdependent relational system. Psycho-Oncology 2013;22(10):2283-2290.

Lo C, Calzavara A, Kurdyak P, Barbera L, Shepherd FA, Zimmermann C, Moore MJ, Rodin G. Depression and use of health services in advanced cancer. Canadian Family Physician 2013;59(3):e168-174.

Lo C, Zimmermann C, Gagliese L, Li M, Rodin G. Sources of spiritual well-being in advanced cancer. British Medical Journal Supportive and Palliative Care 2011;1(2):149-153.

Lo C, Helwig CC, Chen SX, Ohashi MM, Cheng CM. A needs-based perspective on cultural differences in identity formation. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research 2011;11(3):211-230.

Lo C, Burman D, Swami N, Gagliese L, Rodin G, Zimmermann C. Validation of the QUAL-EC for assessing quality of life in patients with advanced cancer. European Journal of Cancer 2011;47(4):554-560.

Lo C, Helwig CC, Chen SX, Ohashi MM, Cheng CM. The psychology of strengths and weaknesses: assessing self-enhancing and self-critical tendencies in Eastern and Western cultures. Self and Identity 2011;10(2):203-212.

Lo C, Hales S, Zimmermann C, Gagliese L, Rydall A, Rodin G. Measuring death-related anxiety in advanced cancer: preliminary psychometrics of the Death and Dying Distress Scale. Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology 2011;33 Suppl 2:S140-145.

Miller S, Lo C, Gagliese L, Hales S, Rydall A, Zimmermann C, Li M, Rodin G. Patterns of depression in cancer patients: an indirect test of gender-specific vulnerabilities to depression. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 2011;46(8):767-774.

Lo C, Zimmermann C, Rydall AC, Walsh A, Jones JM, Moore M, Shepherd FA, Gagliese L, Rodin G. Longitudinal study of depressive symptoms in patients with metastatic gastrointestinal and lung cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology 2010;28(18):3084-3089.

Lo C, Lin J, Gagliese L, Zimmermann C, Mikulincer M, Rodin G. Age and depression in patients with metastatic cancer: the protective effects of attachment security and spiritual well-being. Ageing and Society 2010;30(2):325-336.

Zimmermann C, Burman D, Bandukwala S, Seccareccia D, Kaya E, Bryson J, Rodin G, Lo C. Nurse and physician inter-rater agreement of three performance status measures in palliative care outpatients. Supportive Care in Cancer 2010;18(5):609-616.

Lo C, Burman D, Hales S, Swami N, Rodin G, Zimmermann C. The FAMCARE-Patient scale: measuring satisfaction with care of outpatients with advanced cancer. European Journal of Cancer 2009;45(18):3182-3188.

Lo C, Burman D, Rodin G, Zimmermann C. Measuring patient satisfaction in oncology palliative care: psychometric properties of the FAMCARE-Patient scale. Quality of Life Research 2009;18(6):747-752.

Lo C, Walsh A, Mikulincer M, Gagliese L, Zimmermann C, Rodin G. Measuring attachment security in patients with advanced cancer: psychometric properties of a modified and brief Experiences in Close Relationships scale. Psycho-Oncology 2009;18(5):490-499.

Rodin G, Lo C, Mikulincer M, Donner A, Gagliese L, Zimmermann C. Pathways to distress: the multiple determinants of depression, hopelessness, and desire for hastened death in metastatic cancer patients. Social Science and Medicine 2009;68(3):562-569.

Lo C, Li M, Rodin G. The assessment and treatment of distress in cancer: overview and future directions. Minerva Psichiatrica 2008;49(2):129-143.

Tafarodi RW, Lo C, Yamaguchi S, Lee WWS, Katsura H. The inner self in three countries. Journal of Cross Cultural Psychology 2004;35(1):97-117.