Meet the team: New staff member - Cristina Priboi

“More Than Survival: The Untold Story of Sexuality in Childhood and Adolescent Cancer Survivors”

Description of the talk

For decades, advances in medicine have focused on helping children survive cancer — and survival rates have improved dramatically. Yet survival is only part of the story. What happens after survival? Beyond the physical late effects of treatment, many survivors face challenges that remain largely invisible: navigating intimacy, experiencing psychosexual development, and building fulfilling relationships at the same pace as their peers. These issues are rarely addressed openly, even though sexuality is a central aspect of human wellbeing. In this compelling public lecture, Dr. Cristina Priboi shines a light on the often hidden impact of childhood cancer on survivors’ sexuality. Drawing on her landmark study with nearly 2,000 survivors, she demonstrates how cancer and its treatment can delay the achievement of sexual milestones, affect confidence in one’s body, and influence satisfaction in adulthood. At the same time, her work highlights resilience and positive outcomes, showing that many survivors build healthy sexual lives despite these obstacles. By presenting both the risks and the strengths, her research offers hope as well as a roadmap for better support. Dr. Priboi will challenge taboos and give voice to survivors’ experiences, creating space for conversations that too often remain silenced. She will also discuss how families, educators, and healthcare professionals can play a key role in supporting survivors — ensuring that they don’t just live, but thrive in their relationships, intimacy, and sexual wellbeing.

Looking to the future, Dr. Priboi is expanding this work into an ambitious international research program on the sexuality of childhood and adolescent cancer survivors. Her upcoming projects will compare survivor outcomes with those of the general population, explore the barriers and facilitators of healthy sexuality, and identify unmet needs in information, care, and services. By combining large-scale quantitative studies with in-depth interviews, she aims to generate evidence that is both scientifically rigorous and deeply human. The ultimate goal of her research is to inform improved clinical guidelines and develop survivor-centered interventions that normalize conversations around sexuality, break down stigma, and integrate sexual health as a vital part of survivorship care. This talk will resonate with survivors, their families and friends, health professionals, and anyone who believes that life after cancer should mean not only surviving, but living fully.