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Jennifer W. Bea, PhD

Professor of Medicine (Research Scholar Track), Division of Hematology & Oncology, College of Medicine – Tucson
Professor, Health Promotion Sciences, Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health
Cancer Prevention and Control Program Co-Leader, U of A Cancer Center
Shared Resource Director, Behavioral Measurement and Interventions
Jennifer W. Bea, PhD
jbea@uacc.arizona.edu

Jennifer W. Bea, PhD is a physiological scientist, focused on body composition and chronic disease research, with an emphasis on cancer. She also is the Director of the Body Composition Research Laboratory and a member of the Collaboratory for Metabolic Disease Prevention & Treatment at the U of A. As an expert in body composition imaging, lifestyle interventions, and circulating biomarkers, Dr. Bea has made significant strides in understanding how to tailor interventions to optimize body composition and health, particularly related to health disparities.

Degrees

  • PhD: University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, Physiological Sciences, 2007
  • MS: Oregon State University, Corvalis, Oregon, Human Performance - Exercise Physiology , 1999
  • BS: Occidental College, Los Angeles, Kinesiology and Exercise Science, 1996
Research Interests

Dr. Bea has evaluated risk factors for cancer across the lifespan, lifestyle, and obesity being predominate. Among many contributions to interventional cancer prevention and control (CPC) are Dr. Bea’s investigations into weight loss, and separately, resistance training on metabolic regulation and change in body composition among postmenopausal breast cancer survivors. Dr. Bea has also led  seminal dyadic lifestyle interventions among male and female Native American cancer survivors called, Restoring Balance in Indian Country and female Hispanic/Latina cancer survivors called Vida Plena. Epidemiologic investigations have examined adiposity and novel endocrine factors related to cancer incidence and mortality. She has significantly contributed to understanding early life markers of cancer risk, such as excess adiposity, metabolic dysfunction, and inflammation among young girls. Cancer prevention and control training is a passion for Dr. Bea. She previously coordinated the CPC postdoctoral fellowship and is now the Contact PI of STEP-UP, an R25 CPC training program for undergraduate and early graduate students, and the Research Education Core Lead for the Partnership for Native American Cancer Prevention.