Carol LaMare Scholars Program
Named in honor of Dr. Lynn Behar’s mother, who died of cancer in 2005, the Carol LaMare Scholars Program provides MSW students interested in oncology, life-limiting illness, palliative and end-of-life care social work specialized education through intensive mentoring and site specific practicum placements in local health care centers and agencies. The Carol LaMare Scholars Program is a specific program of the UW School of Social Work funded within the Center for Interdisciplinary Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care Research and Practice (IPOPC), and designed to educate Day and EDP MSW students in their clinical specialization year to practice delivering supportive care to people impacted by cancer, life-limiting illnesses (such as, end stage kidney disease requiring transplant or dialysis, heart failure), and people who are at the end of life. The program also emphasizes the importance of grief and loss concepts and terminology within the context of illness.
Director, Alice Ryan
Assistant Teaching Professor Alice Ryan is the director of the Carol LaMare Scholars Program. With more than 27 years of clinical experience in community mental health, interpersonal violence, and healthcare social work practice, Professor Ryan brings a wealth of expertise in bereavement, grief counseling, and end-of-life care. Professor Ryan is the recipient of the Seattle Children’s Hospital Odessa Brown Ken Feldman Award, in recognition of her work in advancing inclusive bereavement support to marginalized families and communities.
The Carol LaMare Network
The vast majority in our active network of 150 Carol LaMare alums are practicing clinicians or are holding leadership roles in important oncology and palliative care settings in the Seattle region, including among others, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle Children’s Hospital Inpatient Oncology, Medical Services, & Palliative Care, the University of Washington Medical Center Palliative Care, Oncology and ICU’s, Evergreen Hospice, Evergreen Outpatient Oncology, Providence Hospice of Seattle – Pediatric and Adult, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health Outpatient Oncology, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health Kidney Transplant, Northwest Kidney Center Palliative Care, Puget Sound Kidney Centers, Swedish Cancer Institute, & Kline Galland Palliative Care. They are eager to support our scholars.
Why join the Carol LaMare Program?
Founded in 2005 and expanded in 2010, the Carol LaMare Scholars Program offers MSW students a deeply connected learning community and specialized preparation for practice in oncology, palliative, and health care social work. Students in the program:
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Join a vibrant network of nearly 170 (and still growing) Carol LaMare alumni who engage in annual reunions, professional networking, and ongoing mutual support.
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Participate in a retreat held the weekend before Fall Quarter begins, where new scholars get to know one another in an informal setting, reflect together on the year ahead, review materials that frame the program’s structure, and engage in both large- and small-group discussions.
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Complete a specialized practicum placement—often supervised by Carol LaMare alumni—in oncology, palliative care, or medical settings, working with individuals and families facing serious illness.
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Take part in a three-quarter Integrative Seminar, consisting of five sessions each quarter, focused on advanced topics in cancer care, palliative and hospice practice, and goals-of-care communication.
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Join informal coffee hours between winter and spring quarter seminars for peer support, career panels featuring recent alumni, and conversations with health care leaders from major hospitals, clinics, and hospice programs.
2025-2026 Application Process & Timeline
The 2026-2027 application cycle has closed.
The 2026-27 application will be open late December 2026 or early January 2027. Please come back for more details. We thank you for your interest.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Professor Alice Ryan: alicer2@uw.edu