Dr. Jerod Stapleton is a prevention scientist with expertise and research interests that include: (1) conducting mixed methods etiological studies to better understand health behavior through the lens of behavioral and decision-making theories; (2) applying etiological insights and prevention science principles to the design and evaluation of behavioral interventions; and (3) utilizing digital platforms for delivering behavioral interventions. He has a sustained history of federal grant funding, consistently publishes in top tier journals (nearly 50% with student authors) and is an active team science collaborator on multiple projects.

In his Markey leadership role, Dr. Stapleton develops infrastructure and programming to support scientific education, trans-disciplinary collaborations, and career success. He has been a dedicated mentor throughout his career to mentees spanning from undergraduate students to early career faculty. His commitment to service is reflected in serving the National Institutes of Health as a standing member of a grant review study section and regular service to the National Cancer Institute as a site visit reviewer for cancer center funding applications.

Dr. Stapleton is an internationally recognized leader in the field of skin cancer and melanoma prevention. His research focuses on explicating the impact of social, cultural, and policy factors on skin cancer risk behaviors and he has created and tested multiple theory-driven behavioral interventions to reduce cancer risk. His research has been cited by the World Health Organization, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and he has been invited to speak by the National Cancer Institute, the American Academy of Dermatology, and the JAMA Author Network Interviews.

At the University of Kentucky, Dr. Stapleton has expanded his research focus to developing and testing interventions to improve outcomes among cancer survivors in communities throughout Kentucky and beyond. This includes a multi-principal investigator R01 award from the National Cancer Institute, in partnership with the University of Colorado, to test the efficacy of an intervention to increase the utilization of supportive care programs and improve quality of life among lung cancer survivors living in rural areas of Kentucky. Additional ongoing projects relate to increasing informed participation in clinical trials among individuals diagnosed with cancer and improving the delivery of supportive palliative care to advanced stage cancer patients.

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