Bassema Mahyoub Mahmoud Abu Farsakh

Assistant Professor

Bassema Abu-Farsakh, Ph.D., MSN, RN, TTS, is an Assistant Professor in the University of Kentucky College of Nursing. Prior to her faculty role at UK, Dr. AbuFarsakh served as a post-doctoral scholar with the BH WELL team at the UK College of Nursing, where her research focused on the complex interplay between mental health and oncology. She continues to be interested in the impact of childhood trauma and depression on lung cancer survivorship. Her work aims to understand how these psychological factors can influence treatment outcomes and the survival rates for lung cancer patients. Dr. Abu-Farsakh is also committed to promoting lung cancer prevention through smoking cessation initiatives and enhancing early detection strategies among people diagnosed with mental illnesses. By improving tobacco treatment and lung cancer screening rates among those with mental health disorders, she seeks to address disparities in early detection and treatment. Ultimately, her research strives to improve survival rates and the overall well-being of individuals living with mental health challenges.