Research Statement

Dr. Tay is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at the College of Nursing and a licensed registered nurse with a background in home health nursing. Her research focuses on the impact of advanced cancer in quality of life, palliative care, decision making, end-of-life, and bereavement. Much of Dr. Tay's research focuses on the tradeoffs and spillover effects of cancer treatment in the context of the family.

Dr. Tay's caregiving research had foundations in prospective dyadic research methods. For her dissertation, she developed and tested a dyadic-coping based advance care planning intervention with older adult home health patients and their caregivers. During her postdoctoral training, she studied the experiences of home hospice family caregivers-- a population at high risk for caregiving burden and poor psychological wellbeing. There, she worked on Dr. Lee Ellington’s NINR-funded R01 study (NR016249) as a postdoctoral fellow in 2019 and later as Co-investigator in 2020 where she explored the contextual factors of psychological wellbeing (including financial factors), positive and negative aspects of perceived and received social support, how caregiving symptoms change closer to the time of death.

Dr. Tay now employs population-based approaches to study the impacts of cancer caregiving among patient and spousal dyads. Dr. Tay has a strong interest in developing and linking novel datasets for oncology research. In her first two years of her faculty position, she developed the Utah Population Based cancer cohort (ImmPETUS, PI: Tay) one of the few dyadic cancer datasets focused on examining health otucomes assoicated with novel immunotherapy treatments. To better understand how immune-related adverse events impact health utilization at the end of life, Dr. Tay has developed a linked subsample of immunotherapy decedents with Flatiron electronic health data (INTERSECT Flatiron immunotherapy cohort, Co-PI: Tay, Guo).

In addition, Dr. Tay collaborates closely with other population-based caregiving researchers to identify how social determinants of health impact health outcomes for the most vulnerable caregivers. 

Research Keywords

  • Population Sciences
  • Family Caregiving
  • social determinants of health
  • Health Care Cost and Utilization
  • Health Communication
  • Advance Directives

Presentations

  • Emotional and health impacts of end of life caregiving and bereavement: Implications for family caregivers in academia and STEM. (March, 2023). Invited Talk to the Policies and Practices for Supporting Family Caregivers Working in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Symposium 2 of the National Academies of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Medicine, Washington, DC, and virtual. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 03/27/2023.
  • Tay, D. L., Ansari, N., Muehlberger, J., Perkins, R., Keddington, A. S., Hashibe, M., & Ellington, L. (March 2023). Knowledge, perceptions, and perceived needs related to palliative care among cancer patients receiving immunotherapies. Poster session presented at the Annual Assembly of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Montreal, Canada. Poster, Presented, 03/23/2023.
  • Chair, Flash Presentation 3. Inaugural Oncological Data Science Symposium. Huntsman Cancer Institute, SLC, UT. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 02/28/2023.
  • Tay, D. L., Hashibe, M, Ellington, L. When hope is not enough: The relationship between optimism, mental health and coping among immunotherapy patients and caregivers. Data blitz session presented at the 2023 Palliative Care Research Center Annual Investigator meeting. Presentation, Presented, 02/07/2023.
  • Tay, D. (January, 2023). Immunotherapy, Palliative, End of Life Treatment Utilization and Spousal Outcomes (ImmPETUS): A linked population dataset for dyadic cancer research. Poster presented at the 2023 Utah Data Science Day. Poster, Presented, 01/13/2023.
  • Tay, D. (November, 2023). Immunotherapy, Palliative, End of Life Treatment Utilization and Spousal Outcomes (ImmPETUS): A linked population dataset for dyadic cancer research. Poster presented at the 2022 Utah CTSI Translational Research Trainee Symposium, Salt Lake City, UT. Poster, Presented, 11/17/2022.
  • Kelly, B., Hanson, H., Meeks, H., Hollingshaus, M., Tay, D., Ellington, L., Stephens, C., & Ornstein, K. (November, 2022). Familial and sociodemographic determinants of place of death: A retrospective study of the Utah Population Database. Symposium session presented at the Gerontological Society of America’s Annual Scientific Meeting, Indianapolis, IN. Presentation, Presented, 11/05/2022.
  • Tay, D. L., Thygesen, L. C., & Ornstein, K. A. Serious mental illness exacerbation post-bereavement: A population-based study of partners and adult children. In D. L. Tay (Chair), Existing datasets for family caregiving and bereavement research: High-value applications and key considerations. Symposium session presented at the Gerontological Society of America’s Annual Scientific Meeting, Indianapolis, IN. Presentation, Presented, 11/05/2022.
  • Utz, R., Hollingshaus, M., Ornstein, K., Tay, D., Stephens, C., & Smith, K. Health and well-being of family caregivers following hospice use. Symposium session presented at the Gerontological Society of America’s Annual Scientific Meeting, Indianapolis, IN. Presentation, Presented, 11/05/2022.
  • Stephens, C., Hollingshaus, M., Iacob, E., Kelly, B., Tay, D., Ornstein, K., Smith, K., & Utz, R. (November, 2022). Utilizing population data to characterize nursing home decedents and their families at the end of life. Symposium session presented at the Gerontological Society of America’s Annual Scientific Meeting, Indianapolis, IN. Presentation, Presented, 11/05/2022.
  • Examining the impact of novel cancer therapies on palliative care needs and utilization: Implications for patient and caregiver outcomes. Research and Quality Grand Rounds, Emory Palliative Care Center, Online. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 07/21/2022.
  • Tay, D. L., Iacob, E., Reblin, Ma., Thomas Hebdon, M. C., Cloyes, K. G., Jones, M., Beck, A. C., Mooney, K., & Ellington, L.. Cancer hospice caregivers’ self-care behaviors: The role of mental health, burden, and perceptions of competency. (February, 2022). Rapid poster abstract presented at the 2022 State of the Science in Hospice and Palliative Care, Virtual. Poster, Presented, 02/12/2022.
  • Tay, D. L., Iacob, E., Reblin, M., Cloyes, K. G., Thomas Hebdon, M. C., Jones, M., Beck, A. C., Mooney, K., & Ellington, L. Cancer hospice caregivers’ self-care behaviors: The role of mental health, burden, and perceptions of competency. (February, 2022). Encore paper session presented at the Encore On-Demand Annual Assembly of Hospice and Palliative Care (Online, on demand). Presentation, Presented, 02/12/2022.
  • Tay, D.L., Reblin, M., Cloyes, K.G., Guo, J.W., Jones, M., Hebdon, M., & Ellington, L. When financial health is tied to mental health: Predictors of hospice cancer caregivers’ psychological well-being. (February, 2021). Poster presented at the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine Annual Meeting, Virtual Conference. Poster, Presented, 02/19/2021.
  • Tay, D.L., Ellington, L., Towsley, G. T., Supiano, K., & Berg, C. (November, 2020). Shared decision making between older adult home health patients and their caregivers: A dyadic coping perspective. Gerontological Society of America 2020 conference. Poster, Presented, 11/07/2020.

Research Groups

  • Elizabeth Kathleen Roarke, Undergraduate Student. College of Health. 01/04/2024 - 05/01/2024. Awards/Scholarships/Stipends: FTE supported through development funds.
  • Min Jun Park, Undergraduate Student. College of Nursing. 01/04/2024 - present. Awards/Scholarships/Stipends: Volunteer RA.
  • Nahyun Kim, Undergraduate Student. Psychology. 01/04/2024 - present. Awards/Scholarships/Stipends: Honors program (PSY 4800).
  • Kline Dubose, Graduate Student. Population Health Sciences. 05/17/2023 - present. Awards/Scholarships/Stipends: FTE Support on grants .

Grants, Contracts & Research Gifts

  • Partnering with rural cancer patients to optimize Self-Advocacy for Financial Empowerment- SAFE. PI: Tay. Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation Serious Illness and End of Life Emergent Innovation Program, 01/01/2024 - 06/30/2025. Total project budget to date: $50,000.00
  • Examining Health INequiTies in ImmunE-related adveRSe Events among Cancer paTients: The INTERSECT study. PI: Tay. Co-PI(s): Guo. Flatiron Health Equity Grant, 01/01/2023 - 06/30/2024. Total project budget to date: $25,000.00
  • A Real-World Examination of Health INequiTies in ImmunE-related adveRSe Events among Cancer paTients: The INTERSECT study. PI: Tay. American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant (ACS-IRG), 01/01/2023 - 12/31/2023. Total project budget to date: $30,000.00
  • Examining the Role of Palliative Care among Immunotherapy Cancer Patients and their Care Partners using a Multi-Method Approach. PI: Djin Tay. Huntsman Cancer Institute Supportive Oncology and Survivorship Research Center Seed Grant, 04/01/2022 - 04/01/2024. Total project budget to date: $10,000.00
  • Care Trajectories of Utah Nursing Home Residents at the End of Life and of their Family Caregivers: A Population-based Pilot Study. PI: Caroline Stephens. Family Caregiving Collaborative & Center on Aging, 07/01/2021 - 06/30/2022. Total project budget to date: $25,000.00
  • 1U for Population-Based Caregiving Science: Strengthening Partnerships, Leveraging Expertise, and Building the Pipeline of Population-Based Caregiving Research. PI: Caroline Stephens. Co-PI(s): Ken Smith, Djin Tay, Rebecca utz. Consortium for Families and Health Research, 07/01/2021 - 06/30/2022. Total project budget to date: $40,000.00
  • Examining the Palliative, End-of-Life, and Spousal Spillover Effects for Immunotherapy in Advanced Cancer. PI: Djin Tay. Vice President for Research (VPR) Incentive Seed Grant, 03/01/2021 - 02/28/2022. Total project budget to date: $34,948.00
  • Linking the Utah Cancer Registry to the UPDB Family Caregiving Dataset. PI: Tay. Family Caregiving Collaborative, 12/30/2020 - 06/30/2021. Total project budget to date: $2,000.00
  • Cancer Caregiver Interactions with the Hospice Team: Implications for End of Life and Bereavement Outcomes. PI: Ellington. 04/01/2016 - 04/30/2021. Total project budget to date: $2,252,243.00

Languages

  • Mandarin Chinese, functional.

Geographical Regions of Interest

  • Denmark
    (Coauthorship) Kristensen, M., Thygesen, L., Tay, D., Kumar, R., Groenvold, M., Aldridge, M., & Ornstein, K. (2020). Reconstructing family networks of decedents: A nationwide register-based study. Palliative Medicine (in press).

Publications

  • Reckrey JM, Tay DL & Ornstein KA (2024). Caregiving over the course of serious illness and at the end of life: Chapter in Evidence-Based Practice of Palliative Medicine . Vol. 2E, Elsevier. Published, 02/08/2024.
  • Mayahara M, Tay DL, Kates J & Rosa WE (2024). Palliating Serious Illness During Disasters and Public Health Emergencies. The American journal of nursing. Vol. 124, 566056-60. Published, 02/01/2024.
  • Hashibe M, Wei M, Lee CJ, Tao R, Koric A, Wang J, Daud A, Tay D, Shen J, Lee YA & Change CE (2024). Incident Cardiovascular Disease Risk among Older Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Breast Cancer Survivors. Cancer epidemiology biomarkers and prevention. Vol. 9, 126-135. Published, 01/01/2024.
  • Thomas Hebdon MC, Cloyes KG, Vega M, Rosenkranz SJ, Rebin M, Tay D, Mooney K & Ellington L (2023). Hospice Family Caregivers' Uncertainty, Burden, and Unmet Needs in Prospective Audio Diaries. Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing. Vol. 1, 321-329. Published, 12/23/2023.
  • Stephens CE, Tay D, Iacob E, Hollingshaus M, Goodwin R, Kelly B, Smith K, Ellington L, Utz R & Ornstein K (2023). Family ties at End-of-Life: Characteristics of Nursing Home Decedents With and Without Family. Palliative Medicine Reports. Vol. 16, 308-315. Published, 11/01/2023.
  • Tay DL, Reblin M, Iacob E, Cloyes KG, Thomas Hebdon MC, Jones M, Mooney K & Ellington L (2023). Cancer Hospice Caregivers' Self-care Behaviors: The Role of Caregiving Tasks, Burden, and Mental Health. Journal of hospice and palliative nursing : JHPN : the official journal of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association. Vol. 25, 286295286-295. Published, 09/01/2023.
  • Thomas Hebdon MC, Xu J, Beck A, Cloyes KG, Mooney K, Reblin M, Tay D, Cleary C & Ellington L (2023). Caregiver burden and workplace productivity in hospice cancer caregivers. Oncology nursing forum. Vol. 50, 665-670. Published, 08/17/2023.
  • Mair CA, Thygesen LC, Aldridge M, Tay DL & Ornstein KA (2023). End-of-Life Experiences Among "Kinless" Older Adults: A Nationwide Register-Based Study. Journal of palliative medicine. Vol. 26, 105610631056-1063. Published, 08/01/2023.
  • Xu J, Thomas Hebdon MC, Beck A, Cloyes KG, Mooney K, Reblin M, Tay D, Appiah EO & Ellington L (2023). Moderating Effect of Work on Burden and Hospice Family Caregiver Well-Being. Journal of Palliative Medicine. Vol. 26, 941-950. Published, 07/01/2023.
  • Reynaga M, Bybee S, Gettens C, Tay DL, Reblin M, Ellington L & Cloyes KG (2023). "We Treat Everyone Equally": Hospice Care Team Members' Language Use Regarding Sexual and Gender Minority Patients and Caregivers. The American journal of hospice & palliative care. Vol. 40, 601606601-606. Published, 06/01/2023.
  • Tay D, Sheng XM, Meeks H, Guo J-W, Ornstein KA, Mooney K, Varghese T Jr, Ellington L & Hashibe M (2023). Risk of inpatient and emergency department visits among lung cancer patients receiving immunotherapies as first line treatment: Findings from a linked population dataset. Journal of Clinical Oncology. Vol. 41, e18817-e18817. Published, 05/31/2023.
  • Guo J-W, Tay D, Weinstein SM, Lyons A & Sward KA (2023). Cancer pain trajectories in the last two years of life. The journal of the Taiwan Association for Medical Informatics. Vol. 32, 41-58. Published, 04/14/2023.
  • Coats H, Doyon, K, Isaacson MJ, Tay D, Rosa WE, Mayahara M, Kates J, Frechman E, Wright PM, Boyden JY, Broden EG, Hinds PS, James R, Keller S, Thrane SE, Mooney-Doyle K, Sullivan SS, Xu J, Tanner J & Natal M (2023). The 2023-2026 Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association research agenda. Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing. Vol. 25, 55-74. Published, 04/01/2023.
  • Reblin M*, Iacob E* co-first authors, Tay DL, Li H, Thomas Hebson MC, Beck A, Donaldson G, Cloyes KG & Ellington L (2023). Family Caregiver Reports of Their Own and Patient Symptoms in Cancer Home Hospice Approaching End-of-Life. The American journal of hospice & palliative care. Vol. 40, 508516508-516. Published, 04/01/2023.
  • Cloyes KG, Thomas Hebdon MC, Vega M, Rosenkranz SJ, Tay D, Reblin M, Mooney K & Ellington (2023). Hospice family caregivers’ use of audio diaries and reported patient and caregiver symptoms. Journal of Pain & Symptom Management. Vol. 65, 183-192. Published, 03/01/2023.
  • Cloyes KG, Reynaga M, Vega M, Thomas Hebdon MC, Thompson C, Rosenkranz SJ, Tay D, Reblin M & Ellington L (2023). The Burden of having to Wonder: Hospice Caregiving Experiences of LGBTQ+ Cancer Family Caregivers. Am J Hosp Palliat Care. Vol. 41, 56-62. Published, 02/23/2023.
  • Cloyes KG, Jones M, Gettens C, Wawrzynski SE, Bybee S, Tay DL, Reblin M & Ellington L (2023). Providing home hospice care for LGBTQ+ patients and caregivers: Perceptions and opinions of hospice interdisciplinary care team providers. Palliative & supportive care. Vol. 21, 3113-11. Published, 02/01/2023.
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S1478951522000657.
  • Tay DL, Thygesen LC, Koslov E & Ornstein KA (2022). Serious Mental Illness Exacerbation Post-Bereavement: A Population-Based Study of Partners and Adult Children. Clinical epidemiology. Vol. 14, 106510771065-1077. Published, 09/01/2022.
    https://doi.org/10.2147/CLEP.S372936
  • Tay DL, Iacob E, Reblin M & Cloyes KG (2022). What contextual factors account for anxiety and depressed mood in hospice family caregivers?. Psycho-oncology. Vol. 31, 316325316-325. Published, 04/01/2022.
  • Tay DL, Ornstein KA, Meeks H & Utz RL (2022). Evaluation of Family Characteristics and Multiple Hospitalizations at the End of Life: Evidence from the Utah Population Database. Journal of palliative medicine. Vol. 25, 376387376-387. Published, 03/01/2022.
  • Lin, J. Lipstein, E., Wittenberg, E., Tay, D., Lundstrom, R, Lundstrom, G. L., Sediqzadah, S., & Wright, D. (2021). Intergenerational decision making: The role of family relationships in medical decision making. Medical Decision Making, 6(2):23814683211039468. doi: 10.1177/23814683211039468. Published, 10/29/2021.
  • Whitehead P., Frechman E., Johnstone-Petty M., Kates J., Tay D.L., DeSanto K. & Fink R.M. (2021). A scoping review of nurse-led advance care planning. (pp. 96-118). Vol. 70. Nursing Outlook. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2021.08.002. Published, 10/06/2021.
  • Tay, D. L., Ellington, L., Towsley, G. T., Supiano, K., & Berg, C. A. (2021). Emotional expression in conversations about advance care planning among older adult home health patients and their caregivers. Patient Education and Counseling. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2021.02.029. Published, 09/01/2021.
  • Tay, D. L., Ornstein, K. A., Meeks, H., Utz, R. L., Smith, K. R., Stephens, C., Hashibe, M., & Ellington, L. (2021). Evaluation of family characteristics and multiple hospitalizations at the end of life: Evidence from the Utah Population Database. Journal of Palliative Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2021.0071. Published, 08/27/2021.
  • Guo J.W., Reblin M., Tay D.L., Ellington L., Beck A.C. & Cloyes K.G. (2021). Patterns of stress and support in social support networks of in-home hospice cancer family caregivers. (pp. 3121-3141). Vol. 38. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. Published, 06/16/2021.
  • Kristensen, M., Thygesen, L., Tay, D., Kumar, R., Groenvold, M., Aldridge, M., & Ornstein, K. (2021). Reconstructing family networks of decedents: A nationwide register-based study. Palliative Medicine. doi:10.1177/0269216321998602. Published, 04/06/2021.
  • Tay, D. L., Thompson, C. Jones, M., Gettens, C. Cloyes, K. G., Reblin, M., Thomas Hebdon, M. C., Beck, A. C., Mooney, K., & Ellington, L. (2021). ‘I feel all alone out here’: Analysis of audio diaries of bereaved hospice family caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing. doi: 10.1097/NJH.0000000000000763. Published, 03/03/2021.
  • Tay, D. L. & Ellington L, Towsley GL, Supiano K, Berg CA (2020). Evaluation of a Collaborative Advance Care Planning Intervention among Older Adult Home Health Patients and Their Caregivers. J Palliat Med. Vol. 23, 1214-1222. Published, 09/01/2020.
  • Cloyes, K.G., Tay, D.L., Iacob, E., Jones, M., Reblin, M., & Ellington, L. (2020). Hospice interdisciplinary team providers’ attitudes toward sexual and gender minority patients and caregivers. Patient Education and Counseling. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2020.07.004. Published, 07/08/2020.
  • Lai D, Cloyes KG, Clayton MF, Doyon K, Reblin M, Beck AC & Ellington L (2018). WE'RE THE EYES AND THE EARS, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A VOICE: PERSPECTIVES OF HOSPICE AIDES. Journal of hospice and palliative nursing : JHPN : the official journal of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association. Vol. 20, 47-54. Published, 02/01/2018.
  • Dingley CE, Clayton M, Lai D, Doyon K, Reblin M & Ellington L (2017). Caregiver Activation and Home Hospice Nurse Communication in Advanced Cancer Care. Cancer nursing. Vol. 40, E38-E50. Published, 09/01/2017.