Biography

Hester Hill Schnipper, LICSW, OSW-C is the Emerita Chief of Oncology Social Work at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She has been an adjunct professor at Simmons College School of Social Work, Boston University School of Social Work, and the Harvard Medical School. She was the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation's first Hatcher Professor of Survivorship. She was the Breast Cancer Patient Advocate for RevolutionHealth.com and now writes a blog, "Living with Cancer" for the BIDMC Cancer Center. She served as the first Patient Advocate for the Dana Farber Harvard Cancer Center's Breast Cancer SPORE grant. A nationally known speaker, Ms. Schnipper has written numerous articles for professional journals about issues for both breast cancer survivors and professional caregivers, and is a contributing writer to MAMM, PR, and Cancer Today magazines. She has authored two books: Woman to Woman: A Handbook for Women Newly Diagnosed with Breast Cancer and After Breast Cancer: A Commonsense Guide to Life After Treatment. She is a past President of the Association of Oncology Social Work; in 1991, she received their Oncology Social Worker of the Year award, and, in 2007, their Leadership in Oncology Social Work award. In addition to numerous other awards for her clinical work and writing, in 2005, she was named Boston's Exceptional Woman in Healthcare by radio station 106.7, MAGIC. In 1993 and, again in 2005, Ms. Schnipper was diagnosed with breast cancer and treated with surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy. These diagnoses transformed her life's work into her life. She now maintains a private psycho-oncology practice in Concord, MA and lives there gratefully with her husband.

Read More