Integration of complementary approaches into psychotherapy with those with life-threatening illness and the bereaved
Cancer Survivorship
Occupational stress in health care professionals
End of life Care
Palliative care
Spiratuality in cancer and bereavement
Primary Teaching Responsibilities
primarily a clinician, lecture on request
Honours & Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award of 2008 of The International Journal of Palliative Nursing, London England, 7 March 2008.
Distinguished Researcher Award, 2001 National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, Awarded at the 2nd Joint Clinical Conference on Hospice and Palliative Care, Orlando, Florida, 25 March 2001.
Hall of Fame, St. Mary’s High School, Lynn, Massachusetts, 1999.
Alumnae Achievement Award, Massachusetts General Hospital Nurses’ Alumnae Association, 125th Celebration, 25 September 1998.
Best Oral Paper Presentation, The Eighth Annual Palliative Care Conference, Palliative Care…Beyond Suffering, April 27-28, 1998.
1997-98 Award for Outstanding Contribution to Occupational Therapy Education, Through Short Term or Limited Involvement, Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto.
Dorothy Ley Award for Excellence in Palliative Care, Ontario Palliative Care Association, April 1997.
Carmelita Lawlor Lectureship in Community Palliative Care, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, April, 1995.
Citation of Merit, Board of Directors, Canadian Cancer Society, 1991.
The National Breast Cancer Awareness Award, The Toronto Women’s Breast Cancer Foundation, 1987.
Mara Morgenson Flaherty Lectureship, for excellence in psychosocial care, Oncology Nursing Society, 1985.
Current Research Projects
2000 – The use of complementary and alternative therapies in patients attending the Rapid response Radiotherapy Program
Representative Publications
Vachon MLS. (2009, in press). The emotional problems of the patient in palliative medicine. Hanks G, Cherny NI, Kaasa S, Portenoy R, Christakis N, Fallon M (eds). Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine.4th edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Kearney MK, Weininger RB, Vachon MLS, Mount BM, Harrison RL. (2009). Self-Care of Physicians Caring for Patients at the End of Life: “Being Connected…A Key to My Survival”. JAMA 301:1155-1164.
Vachon MLS, Müeller M. Burnout and Symptoms of Stress (2009). In Breitbart W Chochinov HM (eds). Handbook of Psychiatry in Palliative Medicine. New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 559-625.
Vachon, MLS. (2008). The soul’s wisdom: stories of living and dying. Current Oncology.15: Suppl 2, S 107:48-52.
Vachon MLS. (2008). Meaning, spirituality and wellness in cancer survivors. DK Mayer (ed).Seminars in Oncology Nursing Issue on Survivorship. 24: 218-225.
Vachon MLS. (2008). Stress and burnout in palliative medicine. In: Walsh D, Caraceni AE, Fainsinger R, Foley K, Glare P, Lloyd-Williams M, Núnez-Olarte J, Von Roenn J, Tieman E (eds). Palliative Medicine. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier, pp. 75-83.
Vachon MLS (2007). Caring for the professional caregivers:before and after the death. In: K J Doka (ed). Living with Grief: Before and after the Death. Washington, DC: Hospice Foundation of America, pp. 311-330.
Vachon MLS, Sherwood C. (2007). Staff stress and burnout. In AM Berger, JL Shuster, JH Von Roenn (eds). Principles and Practice of Palliative Care and Supportive Oncology. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, pp.667-683.
Vachon MLS (2006). Staff stress and burnout in palliative care. In: E Bruera, IJ Higginson, C Ripamonti, C F von Gunten (eds). Textbook of Palliative Medicine. London: Hodder Arnold, pp.1002-1010.
Vachon MLS. (2006). Psychological distress and coping after cancer treatment. American Journal of Nursing State of the Science on Nursing Approaches to Managing Late and Long-Term Sequelae of Cancer and Cancer Treatment. CP Curtiss and PJ Haylock (eds). 106:3 Supplement:26-31.