The MCW Cancer Center welcomes Jennifer Knight, MD, MS, FACLP as the new co-leader of the Cancer Control (CC) Program. A Professor of Psychiatry, Medicine, and Microbiology & Immunology, Dr. Knight brings deep expertise in cancer psychiatry, psycho-oncology, and biobehavioral research, positioning her to strengthen the Program’s scientific scope and clinical impact. She will serve alongside Melinda Stolley, PhD, and succeeds Joan Neuner, MD, MPH, whose leadership helped build a strong foundation for advancing population science and behavioral health at the Cancer Center.
Dr. Knight is a leading voice in psycho-oncology, a field that explores how mental health and biology intersect in cancer care. Through her research, she investigates how factors like stress impact the body—specifically how the brain, immune system, and cancer processes interact. The aim is to improve not just emotional well-being but also physical outcomes for patients.
“I was always interested in how the brain impacts the body,” Dr. Knight shared. This early curiosity led her to medical school, followed by dual training in internal medicine and psychiatry.
In her Biobehavioral Oncology Lab, Dr. Knight and team study how social and biological factors such as socioeconomic status, stress, sleep, and immune function affect cancer treatment outcomes, with a focus on understanding and addressing health disparities. “People under more stress tend to have worse cancer outcomes—that’s a clear disparity,” she explained.
Her research focuses on patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) and cellular therapies, high-stakes treatments where outcome inequities are especially concerning. Although HCT and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies are becoming more common, Dr. Knight noted that the role of psychosocial factors in treatment success remains largely overlooked.
This gap in understanding drives much of Dr. Knight’s work. In a study published in PNAS, Dr. Knight and colleagues found that biological stress signals linked to social disadvantage can be transferred from donor to recipient during HCT. Using data from over 2,000 donor-recipient pairs in the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR), their findings demonstrate how social conditions directly impact health and emphasize the need to address community inequities.
In another study published in Blood Advances, Dr. Knight led a phase 2 trial that identified propranolol, a widely used beta blocker, as a promising way to improve outcomes for patients undergoing stem cell transplants and cellular therapies, especially those under high stress or from disadvantaged backgrounds. The study showed that stress weakens the immune system and raises the risk for complications, while propranolol reduces these effects, potentially improving recovery and survival. Because it is safe, affordable, and widely used, propranolol may be a practical tool to help reduce cancer care disparities.
Beyond her research, Dr. Knight plays an active leadership role across the cancer research enterprise. She is a central figure in the Cancer Research Forum, is the founding Chair of the Biobehavioral Oncology Group, and Chair of the Population Science and Behavioral Health Disease-Oriented Team.
Dr. Knight also co-leads the NCI T32 Biobehavioral Oncology Training Program with Dr. Stolley. The fellowship pairs students with Cancer Center mentors as well as mentors across MCW, emphasizing a comprehensive approach to cancer disparities that spans prevention through survivorship. Dr. Knight herself benefitted from mentors and believes it is vital. “I have been privileged to have had, and continue to have, some fantastic mentors,” she said. “Mentorship is everything, both for scientific growth and personal development. If we don’t train others—and level up the work we have built—then the science and impact will not continue.”
This commitment to growth and collaboration extends into Dr. Knight’s new role as co-leader of the CC Program, where she intends to foster greater interdisciplinary partnerships across the Center’s three research Programs. She is also committed to making survivorship a key scientific focus of the Cancer Center. “Survivorship is a wide and often misunderstood term,” she said. “I hope to highlight the important ways the brain and psychosocial factors influence a patient’s cancer experience and directly impact clinical outcomes.”
Learn more about Dr. Knight and her research.