Staff

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Our team of accomplished scientists, research associates, fellows, and administrators is dedicated to advancing cancer-related behavioral science research. This staff directory can help you:

  • find the appropriate contact for a research project.
  • learn more about our network of mentorship and collaboration.
  • browse our program staff's range of talents and professional backgrounds.

You are welcome to contact our staff to learn more about behavioral research at the National Cancer Institute.



Photo Last Name First Name Title Research Areas Branch/ Office
Amanda Acevedo Acevedo Amanda Program Director Psychophysiological influences on cancer control; Emotions and facial expressions; Stress and resilience; Pain and health disparities; Latino culture and health BBPSB, HCIRB
Tanya Agurs-Collins Agurs-Collins Tanya Program Director Lifestyle factors; Biomarkers and cancer risk in ethnic/minority populations; Gene-behavior interactions; Obesity and cancer risk; Health Disparities HBRB, BBPSB
Joan Becker Becker Joan Program Analyst OAD
David Berrigan Berrigan David Program Director Physical activity and the built environment; Energy balance and carcinogenesis; Geospatial approaches to cancer prevention and control HBRB, TCRB
Kelly Blake Blake Kelly Program Director Media effects; Social epidemiology; Communication inequality; Public health policy; Tobacco control; Survey research methods; Rural cancer control HCIRB, TCRB
Michele Bloch Bloch Michele Senior Advisor, OAD Women's tobacco use; Global tobacco control research; Tobacco control policy research OAD
Jennifer Bowers Bowers Jennifer Cancer Prevention Fellow Cancer Prevention; Social Influence; Risk Perceptions; Decision Making; Adolescent Health Behavior BBPSB
Rachelle Brick Brick Rachelle Cancer Prevention Fellow Accelerated aging; Cancer rehabilitation; Survivorship; Stakeholder engagement; Disability BBPSB
Amy Caplon Caplon Amy Public Health Advisor OAD
Wen-Ying Sylvia Chou Chou Wen-Ying Sylvia Program Director Social media; Palliative care and goals of care communication; Patient-provider communication; Qualitative and mixed methods health research; Health literacy; Global cancer control research; Health-related misinformation HCIRB, HSIRB
Joseph Ciccolo Ciccolo Joseph Program Director Cigarette Smoking Cessation, Addiction, Mental illness, Health Disparities, High-risk Populations TCRB
Samantha Cwalina Cwalina Samantha Cancer Research Training Award Fellow Tobacco product characteristics; Tobacco-related health disparities; Mental health; Young adult and military populations TCRB
Susan Czajkowski Czajkowski Susan Chief, HBRB Psychosocial and behavioral risk factors and interventions; Behavioral treatment development; Adherence to medical and behavioral regimens; Obesity; Health-related quality of life HBRB
Heather D'Angelo D'Angelo Heather Program Director Cancer health disparities; Multilevel health communication research and interventions; Place and health; Implementation science; Obesity prevention; Tobacco control HCIRB, HBRB
Chipper Dean Dean Chipper Program Director HBRB
Laura Dwyer Dwyer Laura Contractor - Cape Fox Facilities Services OAD, HBRB
Adaora Ezeani Ezeani Adaora iCURE Cancer Research Training Award Fellow Obesity; Prostate cancer risk, progression, and treatment; Lifestyle interventions; Health Disparities HBRB
Rebecca Ferrer Ferrer Rebecca Program Director Emotion/affective science; Judgment and decision making; Risk perception; Social psychology BBPSB, HBRB
Michele Fisher Fisher Michele Program Specialist OAD
Neal Freedman Freedman Neal Chief, TCRB Non-daily and low-intensity tobacco use; Emerging tobacco and cannabis products; Descriptive epidemiology of cancer and mortality trends TCRB
Anna Gaysynsky Gaysynsky Anna Contractor, ICF International HCIRB
Meredith Grady Grady Meredith Public Health Advisor TCRB, OAD
Rachel Grana Mayne Grana Mayne Rachel Program Director Behavioral factors associated with e-cigarette and other novel tobacco product use; Dual and polyuse of tobacco products; Dual and polyuse of tobacco products and cannabis; Tobacco cessation, particularly among youth and young adults TCRB
Paige Green Green Paige Chief, BBPSB Stress-mediated effects on cancer biology; Stress measurement and methodology; Psychoneuroimmunology BBPSB
Debbie Greenberg Greenberg Debbie Program Analyst OAD
Naomi Greene Greene Naomi Cancer Prevention Fellow Alcohol epidemiology and control; Breast cancer; Cancer risk factors; Health disparities; Intersectionality theory; LGBT health HBRB
Jennifer Guida Guida Jennifer Program Director Cancer survivorship; Aging; Treatment-related effects; Quality of life; Social relationships and health; Sleep and circadian rhythms BBPSB
Kara Hall Hall Kara Program Director Science of team science; Health behavior theory; Implementation science; System science approaches; Research methods; Intervention development; Sleep; Climate change HBRB
Paul Han Han Paul Senior Scientist Medical uncertainty; Shared decision making; Risk communication; Predictive modeling; Cancer screening; Cancer genomics; Palliative and end-of-life care OAD
Alyssa Harrell Harrell Alyssa Cancer Research Training Award Fellow Patient-provider communication; Health information seeking behaviors; Patient self-advocacy OAD
Katie Heley Heley Katie Cancer Prevention Fellow Health communication; Visual communication; Stigma; Media; Ethics HCIRB
Donna Hopkins Hopkins Donna Program Specialist BBPSB
Todd Horowitz Horowitz Todd Program Director Attention; Visual perception; Sleep and circadian rhythms BBPSB
Chloe Huelsnitz Huelsnitz Chloe Cancer Prevention Fellow Social Relationships; Risk Perception and Risk Communication; Dyadic Processes; Health Beliefs and Health Behavior OAD
Annette Kaufman Kaufman Annette Program Director Tobacco control; Policy; Applied social psychology; Risk perception; Multiple health behavior change; Health behavior theory; Health communication TCRB, OAD
William Klein Klein William Associate Director, BRP Social psychology; Risk perception; Decision-making OAD
George Kueppers Kueppers George Cancer Research Training Award Fellow Cancer-related, communication-based behavioral interventions; Communicating emerging cancer risk factors (behavioral and psychological, substance use, obesity); Communication and information sharing between cancer research, media, and clinical settings; Public awareness and knowledge about cancer prevention and control; Communication technology and health disparities HCIRB, HBRB
Stephanie Land Land Stephanie Program Director Tobacco use and cessation among cancer patients; Tobacco use and cancer prevention and screening; Clinical trials TCRB
Kristen Mangold Mangold Kristen Public Health Advisor TCRB, OAD
Margaret Mayer Mayer Margaret Program Director TCRB
Larae McCarty McCarty Larae Program Specialist HCIRB
Tommie McKoy McKoy Tommie Program Analyst OAD
Richard Moser Moser Richard Training Director and Research Methods Coordinator Statistical methodology; Survey methodology; Data harmonization; Health cognitions; End-of-life OAD
Abigail Muro Muro Abigail Cancer Research Training Award Fellow HCIRB
Linda Nebeling Nebeling Linda Deputy Associate Director Nutrition; Energy balance; Health promotion; Cancer prevention OAD
Wendy Nelson Nelson Wendy Program Director Decision making/behavioral economics; Bioethics; Adherence; Adherence to new cancer therapies; Communicating genetic risk; Cognitive effects of cancer and cancer treatment BBPSB, HCIRB
Mary O'Connell O'Connell Mary Scientific Program Manager OAD
Frank Perna Perna Frank Program Director Physical activity; School policy; Skin cancer prevention; Sport psychology; Cancer survivorship; Biopsychosocial mechanisms and theories of behavior change HBRB, IS
Catherine Pichardo Pichardo Catherine Cancer Research Training Award Fellow OAD, HBRB
Heather Platter Platter Heather Cancer Prevention Fellow Decision-making; Risk perception and risk communication; Health literacy; Lung cancer screening; Tobacco control and prevention, smoking cessation OAD, TCRB
Yvonne Prutzman Prutzman Yvonne Program Director Smoking cessation; Co-morbid conditions; Emerging technologies for cessation; Youth smoking TCRB, HBRB
Romy RW RW Romy Cancer Research Training Award Fellow Health communication; Health disparities; Doctor-patient communication; Intergroup/intercultural contact; Cultural identity; Technology-mediated communication; Health misinformation; Social scientific methodologies BBPSB, HCIRB
Carolyn Reyes-Guzman Reyes-Guzman Carolyn Program Director Low-dose/infrequent cigarette smoking; Concurrent use of multiple tobacco products; Behavioral epidemiology (tobacco use and its impact on other behaviors such as alcohol use, sleep health and mental health); Tobacco biomarkers of exposure and harm TCRB
Maria Roditis Roditis Maria Program Director Youth tobacco use; Health communication; Addiction; Tobacco control policy TCRB
Jacob Rohde Rohde Jacob Cancer Prevention Fellow Health communication; Message design; Tobacco prevention and control; Social media; Social network analysis HCIRB
Catherine Schweppe Schweppe Catherine Presidential Management Fellow BBPSB
Nicole Senft Everson Senft Everson Nicole Program Director Interpersonal health communication; Intergroup Interactions; Technology-mediated communication; Affective experience and behavior; eHealth and mHealth disparities; Survey and experimental research methods HCIRB, BBPSB
Leeann Siegel Siegel Leeann Cancer Research Training Award Postdoctoral Fellow Tobacco Control and Cessation, Health Communication, Health Disparities TCRB
Amanda Small Small Amanda Cancer Research Training Award Fellow Environmental Influences on Health; Temporal Dynamics; Everyday Psychological Stress; Chronic Stress Environments; Worry and Risk Perception; Cancer Survivorship HBRB
Brennan Streck Streck Brennan Cancer Prevention Fellow Mind-body Connection; Psychological Stress; Cancer Survivorship; Aging; Psychoneuroimmunology BBPSB
Alesa Teague Teague Alesa Program Specialist TCRB
Gina Tesauro Tesauro Gina Public Health Advisor OAD
Robin Vanderpool Vanderpool Robin Branch Chief, HCIRB Rural cancer control; HPV vaccination; Cancer screening; Cancer survivorship; Implementation science; Patient-provider communication; Community outreach and engagement HCIRB
Kimberly Woodhouse Woodhouse Kimberly Program Specialist HBRB
Jennifer Zink Zink Jennifer Cancer Prevention Fellow Pediatric Energy Balance Behaviors; Childhood Obesity; Primary Cancer Prevention HBRB