I received my Ph.D. in health psychology from the University of Iowa before completing post doctoral training in neuroimmunology and cancer biology at UCLA. My research focuses on biobehavioral mechanisms in cancer control, including associations among psychosocial factors, stress biology, and physical exercise. Using preclinical models of cancer and bioinformatic analysis of functional genomics, I test hypotheses on how stress physiology may affect progression of malignancy, particularly in regard to the sympathetic nervous system and during physical exercise. With an eye toward translation to clinical populations, I also collaborate with clinical investigators at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.