Bridging clinical practice, research and policy work, Siobhan Aaron strives for solutions to support patients and caregivers
Siobhan Aaron
Assistant Professor, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing
Area of Focus: End-of-life decision-making, caregivers of patients with chronic illness
As an inpatient palliative care nurse practitioner, Siobhan Aaron—assistant professor at ӰƵ’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing—witnessed firsthand how caregiving and serious illness affect families.
Aaron’s view of caregiving was reshaped when she learned from a caregiver how rarely others ask how they are doing. That moment shifted her understanding of caregiving as a shared experience—reaffirming her mission to design systems that support both patients and the people who care for them.
Examining how caregivers influence end-of-life decision-making in advanced cancer deepened Aaron’s commitment to addressing the emotional, practical, and systemic challenges they face.
“Many caregivers perform complex clinical tasks at home while balancing emotional and financial strain,” said Aaron, who studies caregiving and grief among small and special populations—including families managing serious illness with limited resources or social support or those often underrepresented in research.
At CWRU, Aaron’s work bridges research, clinical practice, and policy to ensure that caregivers and underrepresented populations affected by serious illness are not left out of the evidence base. She uses the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications—Enhanced (FRAME) to adapt proven interventions so they remain both scientifically rigorous and contextually relevant.
“I’m deeply committed to creating research that not only informs the science of palliative care but also transforms how we support families through illness, loss, and healing,” she said.
In a recent pilot study, Aaron and her team tested a small-group adaptation of Prolonged Grief Group Therapy—a short-term, evidence-based psychotherapy designed to help individuals navigate grief through psychoeducation, discussion, and other structured milestones.
The model showed high feasibility (85% attendance), strong retention, and clinically meaningful improvements in grief, depression, and anxiety. Participants described the sessions as emotionally validating and personally relevant.
“These findings support the readiness of this intervention for a larger-scale randomized trial aimed at improving caregiver outcomes during and after serious illness,” noted Aaron, whose work includes collaborations with the and .
Currently, Aaron’s research includes developing facilitator training modules and fidelity tools to help healthcare systems implement the Patient-Centered Prolonged Grief Group Therapy intervention sustainably for caregivers of individuals with dementia and advanced cancer.
Beyond campus, she serves as vice chair of the and as a board member of the , ensuring that her research informs workforce development, statewide palliative care access, and caregiver education initiatives.
“Ultimately, my goal is to enhance caregiver health, strengthen family resilience, and ensure that quality end-of-life care includes both the patient and their support network,” Aaron said.
