Melinda Stolley, PhD

Ann E. Heil Professor of Cancer Research, Associate Director of Population Sciences and Co-Leader, Cancer Control research program, Cancer Center; Professor, Medicine (Hematology/Oncology)

Locations

Hematology and Oncology

Contact Information

mstolley@mcw.edu

Research Experience

Health Behavior

Leadership Positions

Associate Director of Cancer Prevention and Control

Research Interests

Dr. Stolley is a health psychologist with expertise in behavioral interventions across the cancer continuum. Her research focuses on lifestyle behavior change to improve patient-reported and cancer outcomes. She has nearly 25 years of experience developing and testing lifestyle change interventions among children, adults and cancer survivors. An important aspect of this work is her focus on partnering with underserved communities to identify and pursue relevant research questions. Dr. Stolley has a strong portfolio of NCI-funded grants to examine the effects of lifestyle interventions on behavioral, psychosocial and physiological outcomes. Her work also seeks to understand the mechanistic pathways that link behavior change to improved patient-reported and cancer outcomes. Dr. Stolley co-leads the Statewide Community and Cancer Science Network which applies a novel transdisciplinary approach to transform community-academic partnerships to address cancer disparities. Dr. Stolley is deeply committed to training and facilitating a diverse workforce. She leads the NCI T32-funded Biobehavioral Oncology Post-Doctoral Training Program at MCW with Dr. Jennifer Knight. Dr. Stolley also initiated and directs a summer cancer disparities research training program for undergraduates and first year medical students and partnered with Milwaukee Public Schools to develop a high school cancer education program.

Tumors, Treatments, and Trust: Cancer Characteristics, Outcomes, and Screening Uptake in Transgender and Gender-Diverse Patients.

(Istl AC, Lawton S, Kamaraju S, Stolley M, Petroll AE, Cortina CS.) Ann Surg Oncol. 2024 Sep;31(9):5560-5569 PMID: 38861206 PMCID: PMC11309885 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85195645715 06/11/2024
An Annual Symposium on Disparities in Milwaukee, WI, with a 2023 Focus on Older Adults with Cancer.

(Kamaraju S, McKoy J, Williams GR, Gilmore N, Minami C, Bylow K, Rajalingam H, Cortina CS, Beckert A, Stolley M, Bullock D, Kurzrock R, Jatoi A.) Curr Oncol Rep. 2024 Aug;26(8):855-864 PMID: 38801612 PMCID: PMC11300154 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85194589535 05/27/2024
Stay on Track: A Pilot Randomized Control Trial on the Feasibility of a Diet and Exercise Intervention in Patients with Breast Cancer Receiving Radiotherapy.

(SenthilKumar G, Schottstaedt AM, Peterson LL, Pedersen LN, Chitambar CR, Vistocky A, Banerjee A, Longo JM, Kelly T, Currey A, Stolley MR, Bergom C.) Cancer Res Commun. 2024 May 07;4(5):1211-1226 PMID: 38530195 PMCID: PMC11075661 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85193115138 03/26/2024
Adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy for breast cancer: a qualitative exploration of attribution of symptoms among post-menopausal women.

(Lee AY, Lyons AT, Makris V, Kamaraju S, Stolley MR, Neuner JM, Flynn KE.) Support Care Cancer. 2024 Apr 02;32(4):265 PMID: 38565669 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85189209769 04/03/2024
Equipping Faith-Based Communities for Cancer Support Ministry: A Pilot Study of Cancer Support Training for Members of African-American Churches in the USA.

(Kwarteng JL, White K, Nevels D, Brown S, Stolley MR.) J Relig Health. 2024 Apr;63(2):1523-1537 PMID: 38453721 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85186850594 03/08/2024
Examining the role of social relationships on health and health behaviors in African American men with prostate cancer: a qualitative analysis.

(Awoyinka I, Tovar M, Young S, Beyer K, Kwarteng J, Knight J, Stolley M.) Support Care Cancer. 2024 Feb 21;32(3):178 PMID: 38381216 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85185668818 02/21/2024
Engaging the community served: a U.S. Cancer Center's Facebook live cancer awareness campaign for Spanish-speaking Latinos during COVID-19.

(Mora J, Romo R, Dempsey S, Silva B, Nevels D, Leone GW, Stolley M.) Cancer Causes Control. 2023 Dec;34(12):1037-1042 PMID: 37490139 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85165639290 07/25/2023
Current Insurance Policy Coverage for Screening Mammography in Transgender and Gender-Diverse Individuals.

(Cortina CS, Siegel EL, Polovneff A, Sahyouni G, Neuner JM, Petroll AE, Stolley M.) Ann Surg Oncol. 2023 Nov;30(12):6978-6980 PMID: 37620531 PMCID: PMC10591886 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85168660167 08/25/2023
Exercise as Medicine: Can We Preserve Cardiac Health Through Physical Activity?

(Stolley MR, Lewandowski D.) JACC CardioOncol. 2023 Oct;5(5):653-655 PMID: 37969649 PMCID: PMC10635883 11/16/2023
Impact of a Cancer Health Education Curriculum Among Milwaukee Public High School Students.

(Kerschner A, Jensik K, Berg D, Visotcky A, Banerjee A, Stolley M.) J Cancer Educ. 2023 Jun;38(3):1034-1041 PMID: 36251146 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85140023174 10/18/2022
Exploring health behaviors and the feasibility of a lifestyle intervention for patients with multiple myeloma.

(Hodge A, Sheean P, O'Connor P, Tyler K, Kerschner A, Williams A, Jensik K, Visotcky A, D'Souza A, Hari P, Dhakal B, Chhabra S, Flynn KE, Hagen P, Stolley M.) Support Care Cancer. 2022 Dec;30(12):9771-9779 PMID: 36287278 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85140591976 10/27/2022
Leveraging Social Determinants of Health to Reduce Hospital Length of Stay: A Pilot QI Project for Solid Tumor Oncology Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

(Kamaraju T, Atkinson D, Wright T, Charlosn J, Wetzel T, Campbell G, Cadman J, Williams J, Egede L, Retseck J, Banerjee A, Ehrlich V, Stolley M, Power S.) WMJ. 2022 Oct;121(3):205-211 PMID: 36301647 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85140859344 10/28/2022