Staff: Jennifer M. Bowers, PhD, MPH
Jennifer M. Bowers, PhD, MPH
Cancer Prevention Fellow
jennifer.bowers@nih.gov
240-276-5478
Jennifer Bowers, Ph.D., M.P.H., is a Cancer Prevention Fellow in the Basic Biobehavioral and Psychological Sciences Branch of the Behavioral Research Program. Dr. Bowers' research interests focus on social psychological factors involved in cancer prevention, such as perceived risk, social influence, and self-perceptions.
Dr. Bowers' primary area of expertise for her doctoral work was skin cancer prevention among young people. Within this topic, she conducted studies of acculturation, stigma, self-affirmation, and the self-perceptions of former indoor tanners. Her dissertation was a mixed methods project that used HINTS indoor tanning data analyzed concurrently with semi-structured interviews to understand young people's perceptions of tanning.
Dr. Bowers is interested in developing projects that involve a range of cancer-related health behaviors and cognitions during her fellowship, including sun-protective behaviors, sleep, tobacco use, cancer screening decisions, risk perceptions, dyadic relationships, and cultural norms.
Dr. Bowers earned a Ph.D. in Social and Health Psychology from Stony Brook University in 2020. Her pre-doctoral work was funded by an NCI T32 training grant at Memorial Sloan Kettering's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Bowers also holds a Master of Public Health degree in Applied Biostatistics and Epidemiology from the Yale School of Public Health and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Rivier University.
Current and/or past BRP mentors include Rebecca Ferrer.
Research Areas
- Cancer Prevention
- Social Influence
- Risk Perceptions
- Decision Making
- Adolescent Health Behavior
Selected Publications and Presentations
- Bowers JM, Seidenberg AB, Kemp JM. Skin Cancer Diagnosis Among People With Disabilities. Am J Prev Med 2023 Apr 14; S0749-3797(23):00172-1.
- Bowers JM, Hamilton JG, Wu YP, Moyer A, Hay JL. Acculturation, Sun Tanning Behavior, and Tanning Attitudes Among Asian College Students in the Northeastern USA. Int J Behav Med 2022 Feb; 29(1):25-35.
- Bowers JM, Geller AC, Schofield E, Li Y, Hay JL. Indoor Tanning Trends Among US Adults, 2007-2018. Am J Public Health 2020 Jun; 110(6):823-828.
- Bowers JM, Moyer A. Effects of school start time on students' sleep duration, daytime sleepiness, and attendance: a meta-analysis. Sleep Health 2017 Dec; 3(6):423-431.
- Hay JL, Bowers JM, Hamilton JG. Genomics and behavior change. Handbook of Health Psychology, 1st Edition .
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