The Genesis
Psychological impact and distress associated with cancer is indeed universal! While every cancer patient experiences psychological distress, there may be individual variations in the nature and magnitude of their distress.
A Nationwide study conducted by COPER, across 21 cancer centres in India showed nearly 40% of cancer patients experience severe psychological distress and about 52% reported mild to moderate degree of distress. Considering the magnitude of the problem, it is unfortunate that we have only a few (perhaps about 30-35) qualified and trained Psycho-oncologists in the country!!!
It was against this background that Centre of Psycho-oncology for Education and Research (COPER) was established in 2006, under the “Intensification of Research in High Priority Areas” as a research project. This pioneering effort was an initiative of Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, to establish the nascent science of Psycho-oncology.
COPER is a Not-for-Profit organization and is registered under the Registrar of Societies, Bangalore, India.
COPER is born out of the conviction and the concern of people of eminence from various walks of life: Corporate leaders, scientists, oncologists, mental health professionals, doctors, psycho-oncologists, and good Samaritans, creating a perfect matrix of people, knowledge, brilliance, experience, technology and infrastructure… All culminating in a one-point vision and mission: deliver quality psychosocial care to patients and their families through well qualified clinical psycho-oncologists.
Our Mission & Vision
MISSION
Reach Psycho-oncology Support & Associated Services to Every Cancer Patient to Help Significantly Improve Their Quality of Life.
VISION
COPER will be the country’s foremost Education, Training, Research & Consulting Institution in the field of Psycho-oncology, working closely with Health Care Professionals and Institutions to facilitate significant improvement in the Quality of Life of Cancer Patients.
Realizing the Vision Elements & Objective:
The mandate of COPER is teaching, training, research, and service (providing psychosocial care to patients and their families), with the ultimate objective of integrating psycho-oncology into mainstream cancer care.
To realize this vision, COPER engages in:
A. Education & Training Program in Clinical Psycho-oncology
To provide critical mass of manpower pool of qualified top-notch Psycho-oncologists for the country COPER for the first time in the country initiated several teaching and training programs. To realize this vision, COPER has partnered with several major players in education and premier cancer hospitals in the country.
COPER is in alliance with Global Health Academy (GHA) for all its education and training programs. Global Healthcare Academy (GHA) is India’s first Med-Ed Tech Academy. GHA has been instituted with a mission to develop Competent and Compassionate Human Resources for the Healthcare sector. GHA has adopted Technology as an enabler in every learning process with a purpose to bridge the skill & knowledge gap between formal education and the needs of the Healthcare Industry.
COPER has partnered with Health Care Global Enterprises Ltd. (HCG) for clinical training and patient service. HCG has a chain of 26 cancer centres across the country and thus has access to a large number of cancer patients and their families – a valuable mandatory resource for teaching and training in Clinical Psycho-oncology.
COPER undertakes the following programs:
- 1 Year Post Graduate Diploma Program (PGDP) in Clinical Psycho-oncology for Masters in Clinical & Counselling Psychology.
- Nurses: Certification Program (3 Months)
- Doctors & MSWs: Fellowship Program (6 Months)
B. Psycho-oncology Service:
The Psycho-oncology Service caters to both adult and paediatric oncology patients and offers services to both In and Out patients. COPER not only services patients at HCG, but also caters to patients referred from cancer hospitals from across the country.
The Psycho-oncology Service structure is as below:
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C. Research:
- In-house Research Projects
- Commissioned Research Projects
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