Gitte Henssel Joergensen

About Gitte Henssel Joergensen

As a cancer research advocate and grant reviewer, I am dedicated to ensuring that the patient voice is integrated into oncology research, funding priorities, and healthcare policy. In my current role as a Research Associate with the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance (LBCA), I support initiatives that advance awareness, education, and research on invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC)—a distinct and underrecognized subtype that accounts for about 15% of breast cancers. Before joining the staff, I volunteered with LBCA for five years, contributing to research translation, patient education, and community engagement.My advocacy work focuses on promoting patient-driven research, evaluating grant proposals, and fostering collaboration between scientists and the patient community to make research more inclusive and impactful. I have completed respected training programs, including NBCC Project LEAD, the AACR Scientist↔Survivor Program, and the ALAMO Advocate Scholar Program, and I actively collaborate with national and international oncology organizations to strengthen patient engagement in research.Before joining LBCA, I spent over a decade as a Research Associate at the University of Connecticut, specializing in cognitive psychology and psycholinguistics. My scientific work integrated eye-tracking, fMRI, tDCS, and EEG to study language comprehension, social communication, and emotion perception—skills that now inform my ability to translate complex data into actionable insights for patient and research communities alike.As a cancer survivor, advocate, and empath, I am driven by the belief that research should not only advance science but also improve lives. I continue to build partnerships with advocates, researchers, and organizations that share my mission to make cancer care more patient-centered, equitable, and effective.

Experience

1. Elevate Ambassador

   Cancer Nation

   May 2025 — Present

   This patient-driven project explores how people from diverse cultural, racial, gender, and neuro/physically-diverse backgrounds perceive cancer—and how those perceptions impact their willingness to seek care, their experiences with treatment, and their survivorship journey.Together with fellow advocates and researchers, I’m developing the Inclusive Cancer Questionnaire (ICQ) to:· Understand differences in awareness, stigma, and beliefs· Identify community-specific gaps in outreach· Co-create culturally informed education and survivorship strategiesThe goal is simple but urgent: to make cancer outreach and survivorship support more inclusive, targeted, and equitable - built with communities, not just for them.If you’re an advocate, researcher, potential sponsor, or part of a community that wants to be involved, I’d love to hear from you.

Education

• University of Lincoln

  BSc (Hons), Psychology

  2004 — 2007

• University of York

  MSc, Reading, Language and Cognition

  2007 — 2008

• University of York

  Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Psychology

  2008 — 2011

Skills

• Eye Tracking
• Eye-Tracking
• Research Design
• Science
• Cognitive Psychology
• Research
• Experimental Design
• Scientific Writing
• Psychology
• Statistics
• Data Analysis