Two Minds, One Mission: Bridging Psychology and Medicine

MCPHS researchers explore how mental wellness impacts physical health.

In the lab and beyond, psychology instructor Rebecca Macy and MBA candidate Dr. Flavio Somanji are proving two perspectives are better than one. Their joint work at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS), spanning cancer care and PTSD treatment, taps into psychoneuroimmunology to show how the brain, immune system, and nervous system work together to facilitate healing. With support from Novartis—Dr. Somanji’s employer— and MCPHS, their interdisciplinary work is demonstrating the importance of holistic healthcare.

As a Doctor of Health Sciences with a concentration in global health, Dr. Somanji initially aspired to be a practicing physician, but developed a passion for research while completing his undergraduate degree in biology and neuroscience. 

“Before I went to college, I didn’t realize some professors carry out active research to contribute to the medical field,” he said. “Seeing science being conducted and discoveries being made was fascinating. I realized medicine actually wasn’t the only career path that I could take.”

At Novartis, Dr. Somanji works in oncology as a senior scientist. There, he developed an interest in the psychosocial aspect of care for cancer patients. 

"There's a very important psychological aspect to a cancer diagnosis—of course, you can imagine that it impacts someone's social wellbeing. I thought it was something that needed to be talked about more,” Dr. Somanji said.

When an MCPHS faculty member learned Dr. Somanji wanted to work on a lecture about cognitive behavioral therapy for people with cancer, they suggested he reach out to Macy. The intersection between mental wellness and physical health is a major interest for Macy, who teaches Mind/Body Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine courses in the Health Psychology program at MCPHS.

"In my initial discussion with Flavio, we just hit it off,” Macy said. “We were passionate about the same research areas and ideas.”

She brought her expertise in psychosocial interventions to their research, providing context for why cognitive behavioral therapy can contribute to improving psychological wellness and overall health outcomes for cancer patients.

“When you’re dealing with cancer and anxiously ruminating, thinking ‘What if this round of chemo doesn’t work?’ or, ‘What am I going to do?’ your body is in a defensive, fight-or-flight state of alarm,” Macy explained. “And that activates the nervous system and shifts resources away from restoration and healing. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps alter thought patterns that are amplifying someone’s suffering.”

Dr. Somanji believes the interdisciplinary aspect of his and Macy’s work reflects the importance of considering a patient’s overall circumstances while treating them.

“Most of the time in pharmaceutical clinical trials, the gold standard of outcome is survival,” Dr. Somanji explained. “But even if a patient survives, how’s their overall wellness? We shouldn't be focused only on how long a person is living, but also on their quality of life.  Professor Macy really shed light on that in our conversations.”

The lecture on cancer and cognitive behavioral therapy wasn’t their only collaboration. Dr. Somanji and Macy worked together as part of a Novartis research initiative to study the feasibility of developing an at-home therapeutic device for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. 

Macy recently completed a review of current treatment approaches for the disorder and the emerging evidence for novel neurofeedback methods, while Dr. Somanji's team at Novartis investigated similar devices available on the market and the regulatory landscape required for medical prescription approval. Their work was published in Frontiers Digital Health, a multidisciplinary journal, earlier this year.

“I would encourage any students of mine who are called to explore other disciplines outside of their main area to just go for it,” Macy said. “Connect with people who are working in that area, learn from them, teach them what you’re working on. Collaboration is key to how we get through the massive problems that we're trying to solve right now.”

Dr. Somanji agreed that collaboration is a key part of the research process.

“Science cannot be done in a silo,” he said.