Joan DelFattore
English
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716
jdel@udel.edu
Biography
Joan DelFattore writes about improving access to American healthcare for adults who are unmarried, who do not live in traditional nuclear families, or whose families cannot provide all of the expected support. Her publications include an article in the New England Journal of Medicine showing that compared with a married cancer patient, an otherwise similar unmarried patient is significantly less likely to receive surgery or radiotherapy, although more than 98% of unmarried patients accept those interventions when offered. Research and personal essays have also appeared in the Washington Post, Herald Tribune, Psychology Today, Health Psychologist, and many more. She gave a TedX talk, “Sick While Single Don’t Die of Discrimination,” as well as doing a podcast for Cure and an interview for All Things Considered. Her current project is a book under contract with Yale University Press.
Professor DelFattore’s earlier publications include three books with Yale University Press and dozens of articles, mostly about freedom of speech. Her work has won awards from the American Library Association, the American Educational Research Association, and the Spencer Foundation, among others. In addition to speaking at conferences and events throughout the country, she’s appeared on dozens of talk shows, notably 20/20, ;Radio Times, Fresh Air, Talk of the Nation, All Things Considered, and the Diane Rehm Show. She holds a Ph.D. in English and an M.S. in clinical psychology from Penn State University.