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Hematology and Oncology

Stolley Laboratory

Dr. Melinda Stolley’s work investigates how nutrition and physical activity influence survivorship outcomes and the biological, psychological, and social pathways that link behavior to health.

Melinda Stolley Laboratory Team

About the Lab

Over the past two decades, Dr. Stolley has led and collaborated on numerous NIH- and foundation-funded clinical trials and community-engaged interventions designed to reduce cancer burden and inequities.

Her research bridges translational science and real-world implementation, leveraging measures of physical function, body composition, patient-reported outcomes, and mechanistic biomarkers to better understand how physical activity and nutrition influence cancer survivorship.

As a principal investigator and mentor, she has built multidisciplinary teams that integrate psychology, oncology, cardio-oncology, exercise physiology, nutrition science, and community partnerships to advance rigorous, patient-centered research.

About the PI

Melinda Stolley, PhDMelinda Stolley, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and behavioral scientist whose research focuses on lifestyle interventions to promote cancer prevention and control, and to address cancer disparities. Dr. Stolley started her career as a clinician, having received a Master’s degree in counseling psychology from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. She then worked in outpatient and inpatient settings treating individuals with mental health challenges. At the same time, Dr. Stolley worked within an obesity lab at Northwestern University, Chicago, IL. It was this research experience that prompted her to pursue her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Her predoctoral internship at Rush University Medical Center provided targeted training in health psychology. She then completed a post-doctoral fellowship in clinical psycho-oncology.

After her postdoctoral training, Dr. Stolley established a research program focused on health behavior change interventions with the goal of impacting cancer prevention and control. In addition, her work seeks to address gaps in our understanding of the biological mechanisms linking obesity and health behaviors to quality of life, cancer and other health outcomes. A central focus of Dr. Stolley’s work is health equity. She engages patient advocates, community organizations, and advisory boards to iteratively design interventions that are culturally tailored, accessible, and relevant for populations experiencing disparities in cancer outcomes.

Dr. Stolley is the Ann E Heil Professor of Cancer Research in the Department of Medicine. She is also the Associate Director of Population Sciences and the Cancer Control Research Program Co-leader for the MCW Cancer Center. Dr. Stolley was the founding co-leader of the Community and Cancer Science Network, a state-wide initiative focused on transforming community-academic partnerships to understand and address cancer disparities. In addition to her research, Dr. Stolley mentors undergraduate, graduate, post-doctoral and early-career investigators.

Current Research

Every Day Counts
A lifestyle intervention efficacy trial for women with metastatic breast cancer, funded by the National Cancer Institute.

Moving Forward with Myeloma
A lifestyle intervention efficacy trial for individuals with multiple myeloma, funded by the National Cancer Institute.

Men Moving Forward
A lifestyle intervention efficacy trial for African American men with prostate cancer, funded by the National Cancer Institute.

Prostate Health Equity Project
A community-academic partnership addressing prostate cancer knowledge, screening and shared decision making among Black men in Milwaukee, funded by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin endowment.

Current Members

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Estefania Alonso

Research Program Coordinator II

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Sandra Contreras

Research Program Coordinator II

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August Davis, MS

Clinical Research Coordinator I

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Jayme Ewens

Community Program Coordinator I

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Meheret Gebreegziabher

Clinical Research Coordinator I

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Moriah Mitchell

Clinical Research Coordinator II

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Kathleen O’Connell

Program Manager I

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Shannon Reed

Research Program Coordinator I

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Margaret Tovar

Research Program Coordinator II

Recent Publications

Publications of Melinda Stolley PhD from the Faculty Collaboration Database

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