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<\/a>Moynihan is part of a research team studying a method known as\u00a0informed non-dissent,<\/em> designed to ease the burden of decision-making for families. Earlier this year, Moynihan and colleagues from Brown University and HopeHealth presented a literature review and case series they are working to publish (the abstract<\/a> is included in the May 2025 issue of the\u00a0Journal of Pain and Symptom Management<\/em>), on the use of this technique.<\/p>\n \u201cInformed non-dissent involves the medical team bearing the burden of recommending that life-saving measures, such as resuscitation, should not be attempted,\u201d Moynihan explains. \u201cFamilies remain part of the process, but they don\u2019t have to voice a devastating \u2018no.\u2019 Instead, they are given the space to disagree if they wish.\u201d<\/p>\n The team studied six cases of children with serious illnesses, from toddlers to young adults. In five of the cases, families accepted the approach and agreed with the physician\u2019s recommendation. In one case, the family disagreed, and the care team continued discussions until collectively, they made a plan.<\/p>\n \u201cThis research demonstrates that using an informed non-dissent approach is both ethical and accepted by families,\u201d Moynihan says. \u201cIt allows families to stay involved, reduces feelings of guilt, and helps doctors provide care that is compassionate, honest, and aligned with what families want for their children.\u201d<\/p>\n Giving Young Patients a Voice<\/strong><\/p>\n Moynihan\u2019s research builds on her earlier work with advance care planning tools for adolescents and young adults facing life-limiting conditions. In January 2025, she and a multi-institutional team led by Lori Wiener, Ph.D., at the NIH published findings in the Journal of Palliative Medicine<\/em><\/a> evaluating a revised version of Voicing My CHOiCES (VMC)<\/em><\/a>, a widely used guide to help young patients express their wishes about medical care and quality of life.<\/p>\n The revised tool added sections on identity, reflections, children or dependents, and legacy messages\u2014moving beyond checkboxes to more personal storytelling. Nearly all of the young participants said the updated guide felt more relevant and supportive, with 95% reporting it helped them think about what mattered most in their care.<\/p>\n \u201cThese young people told us clearly: they want a say in their care, but they also want to be remembered as whole people\u2014beyond their illness,\u201d Moynihan says.<\/p>\n This research demonstrates that using an informed non-dissent approach is both ethical and accepted by families. \u2014 Laura Moynihan<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Insights from Clinical Practice<\/strong><\/p>\n As a practicing clinical social worker in pediatric oncology, Moynihan brings direct experience to her scholarship. She works with children, adolescents, and young adults navigating not only treatment decisions but also the everyday milestones of adolescence and young adulthood\u2014school, work, dating, and independence.<\/p>\n For patients with uncertain prognoses, those decisions can be agonizing. Moynihan recalls working with a 17-year-old with leukemia who struggled to decide whether to attend college or work after high school. \u201cIf he was going to live only a year, he wanted to work and spend time with family. If he was going to live 10 years, he wanted to go to college. But because he didn\u2019t know, he felt paralyzed,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n Making a Difference<\/strong><\/p>\n Recognizing how common this struggle is among adolescents and young adults with cancer, Moynihan entered the School of Social Work Ph.D. program with a clear research agenda: to better understand these decision-making processes and develop interventions that support patients and families. Her dissertation is tentatively titled \u201cInfluences on Decision-Making Among Adolescents and Young Adults with Uncertain or Poor Cancer Prognoses.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur program trains scholars to address critical social problems through justice-informed research,\u201d says Cristina Mogro-Wilson, Zachs Endowed Professor and director of the SSW Ph.D. program. \u201cLaura\u2019s work exemplifies this mission\u2014bringing her clinical expertise in pediatric oncology to examine how families and young people navigate the hardest medical decisions with compassion, dignity, and equity.\u201d<\/p>\n Moynihan earned her BA in public health from Brown University and her MSW with a focus on integrated medical and behavioral health from the University of Michigan. She has worked as a clinical social worker in adult and pediatric nephrology and now in pediatric oncology for almost a decade, where she collaborates with interdisciplinary medical teams. Her goal is to bring greater attention to psychosocial care within medical education and practice\u2014\u201censuring that families facing serious illness receive support that honors both their humanity and their choices,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In a conference abstract published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management<\/em>, School of Social Work Ph.D. Student Laura Moynihan and her colleagues evaluate the clinical use of a method described in ethics literature known as informed non-dissent, with the goal of helping patients and families make medical decisions about children, teens, and young adults with serious illness<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":234637,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1870],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2514],"class_list":["post-234628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ssw"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-07 04:42:18","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/201"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234628"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234628\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":234930,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234628\/revisions\/234930"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/234637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234628"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=234628"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=234628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}