Andrea Orsey is a pediatric hematologist/oncologist, and lead physician of Cancer Support Services at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. Dr. Orsey holds a M.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and a M.S.C.E. with an emphasis on clinical trials from the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Orsey also holds a B.S. in physical therapy from McGill University and has been a licensed physical therapist in the state of Connecticut since 1996.

Dr. Orsey is an active member of the Cancer Control Committee of the Children’s Oncology Group, an international research group composed of over 200 hospitals that treat children with cancer. As a faculty member of the Department of Pediatrics of the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and the Graduate School of Clinical and Translational Research at the University of Connecticut, Dr. Orsey has been a co-investigator in several studies focused on assessing and managing pain for children with sickle cell disease.

Currently, Dr. Orsey is the principal investigator for a study evaluating the relationship between quality of life and activity level among pediatric oncology patients receiving chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. The study funded by Hyundai Scholars is designed to utilize Dr. Orsey’s background in physical therapy and expand upon her previous research by prospectively evaluating the effects of an exercise intervention on activity level and quality of life of pediatric oncology patients.

Significant advances in the treatment of childhood cancers have resulted in dramatically improved survival rates. As more pediatric oncology patients are surviving, more attention has focused on the costs of cure. Quality of life is increasingly recognized as an important outcome of childhood cancer treatment. Quality of life encompasses physical, psychological, social, and functional well being in addition to one’s overall ability to become a productive member of society and achieve personal fulfillment. Children undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy are at high risk for experiencing fatigue, depression, anxiety, pain and other distress. Pediatric oncology patients have lower quality of life and lower physical activity levels than healthy children. Exercise improves mood, increases energy levels, and reduces stress. Although more research and clinical resources have been given to the effects of exercise on quality of life among adult cancer patients, there is a lack of research in these areas among children with cancer. We know little about whether these children would benefit from exercise. My research supported by the Hyundai Scholars will investigate the impact of exercise on physical activity level and quality of life among childhood cancer patients.