Biobehavioral Influences on Accelerated Aging: Relevance for Cancer Survivorship
Dr. Kelly Rentscher is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine and an MCW Cancer Center Scholar at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She obtained her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Arizona and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the UCLA Norman Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology. Dr. Rentscher’s research examines biobehavioral factors that contribute to accelerated aging in midlife and older adults and cancer survivors. She has a particular interest in understanding the biological mechanisms that link experiences of stress and adversity to increased risk for accelerated aging and age-related outcomes such as cognitive decline and frailty. Importantly, her work also aims to identify protective factors that may buffer the effects of stress on these outcomes and serve as novel targets for intervention to prevent or slow accelerated aging to improve quality of life and extend the healthspan and lifespan. Dr. Rentscher serves as Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on several NIH- and institution-funded projects, including a K01 Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award that examines biobehavioral modifiers of accelerated aging in hematopoietic cell transplant recipients.