Jimmie Holland

Jimmie Holland founded the field of psycho-oncology, establishing the first psychiatric service in a cancer center at Memorial Sloan Kettering and demonstrating that psychological distress is a common and treatable complication of cancer that significantly impacts quality of life and treatment outcomes. She developed the Distress Thermometer screening tool adopted by the NCCN that has made psychological distress screening a standard of cancer care worldwide. Her advocacy established distress as the sixth vital sign in oncology, ensuring that emotional suffering receives the same attention as physical symptoms.