Darryl Mitteldorf, LCSW, Malecare’s founder, is a leading social work researcher and clinician in the field of psycho-oncology. Mr. Mitteldorf pioneered the field of LGBTQ psycho-oncology beginning in the mid-1990s. Malecare expanded this work with groundbreaking disparity and health literacy research. Malecare and our collaborators have received several major NIH/NCI research funding grants. Malecare works with several universities and consultes with numerous investigators and research teams.
Three Patents
US Patent # 12,165,769 December 10, 2024
Advanced Predictive and interactive diagnostic system
US Patent # 11450432 – September 20, 2022
Predictive and interactive diagnostic system
Techniques for providing health monitoring with mobile devices are discussed herein. Some embodiments may include a method including: receiving symptom data via a user interface of a mobile device over time, the symptom data defining symptoms and severities associated with the symptoms for a user; determining, by processing circuitry of the mobile device, time data associated with the symptom data; generating, by the processing circuitry, graph data based on the symptom data and the time data; generating, by the processing circuitry, a graph data report based on the graph data; and providing, by the processing circuitry, the graph data report to one or more servers via a network.
US Patent # 9,168,002 – October 27, 2015
Device and method for measuring radiation exposure
A device and method for real time simultaneous measurement of radiation at specific parts of your body. Understanding cumulative radiation exposure in people undergoing ionizing radiation for diagnostics and medical treatment is essential towards reducing secondary tumors from primary radiation therapy.
Publications and Abstracts Based on Malecare Community
Five Book Chapters
41 Peer Reviewed Papers
18 Posters and Abstracts presented at major conferences.
100+ Podium Presentations and Grand Rounds Talks
Book Chapters:
Mitteldorf, D. 2005 “Psychotherapy with Gay Prostate Cancer Patients”
In G. Perlman, J. Drescher (eds) A GAY MAN’S GUIDE TO PROSTATE CANCER
New York: Haworth Press
Mitteldorf, D. 2013 “Coming out to Doctors”
In G. Perlman (ed) WHAT EVERY GAY MAN NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT PROSTATE CANCER
New York: Magnus Books.
Mitteldorf, D. 2013 “What I have learned from working with Gay Men with Prostate Cancer”
In G. Perlman (ed) WHAT EVERY GAY MAN NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT PROSTATE CANCER
New York: Magnus Books.
Mitteldorf, D. (2017) Malecare: Twenty years of innovation and service to gay and bisexual men and transgender women with prostate cancer. In J. Ussher, J. Perz, B.R.S. Rosser (eds). Gay and Bisexual Men Living with Prostate Cancer: From Diagnosis to Recovery. New York, NY: Harrington Park Press
Mitteldorf, D., Latini, D., Perlman, G. (2019) Cancer in Men and Transgender Women In J. Schneider, V. Silenzio, L. Erickson-Schroth (eds) The GLMA Handbook on LGBT Health [2 volumes] Santa Bargara, California: Praeger
Research Projects
Molecular Oncology Project
Marketing new tests and diagnostics requires understanding the semiotics of patient appreciation of novel health opportunities. Our first phase involved accruing 200 prostate cancer patients for a free in-depth molecular oncology testing and consultation. During phase two, Malecare conducted in-depth interviews with these patients regarding their experience with our molecular oncology testing and consultation. From these interviews, Malecare will discover how to communicate the value of new testing and consultant opportunities to prostate cancer patients.
Facing Cancer Alone
Malecare conducted the first large scale survey (N=1,799) to understand what if any benefits are accrued by co-habitation to treatment compliance, quality of life and psycho-social stability for men diagnosed with prostate cancer. This research will be presented during ASCO-GU January 2016.
My Prostate Cancer Experience
Malecare completed a N=1.268 survey of men diagnosed with prostate cancer, exploring their day to day experience managing side effects, their experience specific advanced stage treatments and their relationship with their Doctors, across the continuum of their treatment experience. This survey also discovers significant disparities in experience across the age of diagnosis, race, gender and sexual identity.
Better Ask
Malecare’s research study (N=622) investigated the quality of the patient-doctor consultation during prostate cancer treatment. We discovered how patients and doctors ask and respond to questions during their prostate cancer consultation. We also investigated how patients spend their “waiting room” time.
The Restore Study
Funded by the National Cancer Institute at NIH, Malecare, in collaboration with the University of Minnesota, investigated how prostate cancer treatment affects gay and bisexual men, partners, and family and friends. The study focused on how different treatments affect sexual functioning, gay sex, and gay relationships. Completed in November 2015, we achieved the largest and most comprehensive survey of gay and bisexual men with prostate cancer.
Twice As Many
Malecare interviewed 384 men of African Descent diagnosed with prostate cancer and spouses to understand the psycho-social dimensions regarding prostate cancer killing African American men at 2.4 times the rate as it kills Caucasian men. Malecare developed new methods of messaging to African American men diagnosed with prostate cancer and dispelled several myths about African American men and clinical trial accrual.
Using Social Media
Malecare surveyed 634 men diagnosed with prostate cancer to understand how they use and value information derived from social media.