Marisa Nowitz, MSW, LCSW

Marisa Nowitz, MSW, LCSW is a clinical social work counselor at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.  Ms. Nowitz has 15 years of health care social work experience, including 11 years in oncology social work.  She brought the CLIMB support group for children, teens and parents to MD Anderson and has coordinated the program for the past 10 years.  She also developed the KIWI Program (Kids Inquire – We Inform), a comprehensive support program at MD Anderson focused on helping families communicate about and cope with a parental cancer diagnosis.

Ms. Nowitz is a faculty trainer for The Children’s Treehouse Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the emotional health of children whose parents have cancer.  She has authored a number of articles and has presented at numerous national conventions, as well as departmental, institutional and community events on how to help children cope with a parent’s cancer. Her passion for bringing awareness to and supporting this vulnerable population stems from her own experience growing up with a chronically ill mother.