Dr. Meredith K. Reffner Collins
Social Science Researcher
Updates
RESEARCH NEWS
General Update
February 12, 2026
It has been a long time since my last update, but that's because I've been focused on conducting the research! We are in the midst of data collection on our New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research funded study, Leveraging Entertainment Media Narratives to Empower Supportive Conversations Between Young Adult Cancer Survivors and Friends (COCR25PDF018)! We are recruiting dyads of one young adult cancer survivor and one friend to watch a 10-minute movie clip (Hope Springs Eternal), have a conversation about the clip, and then answer a few of our questions about the overall experience. These conversations have been great so far, and I am just itching to start data analysis!
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I will be presenting our findings about the content of Hope Springs Eternal (and 19 others like it) at this year's APOS Conference in New Orleans, March 18 - 20. The findings of that analysis informed our selection of the movie we are showing our dyads!
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I also just wrote and submitted my first NIH grant! We used some of the data collected in these conversations to pitch the next research project -- developing a narrative-based intervention for young adult survivors and their friends. I am of course hoping for funding, but I am looking forward to seeing reviewers' thoughts on the project. ​​​​