About the Team - Department of Psychiatry

Principle Investigator

Dr. Oxana Palesh, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Professor, Department of Psychiatry Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center Chair in Cancer Research
Co-Leader, Cancer Prevention & Control Program
Director, Palesh Cancer Survivorship Treatment Research Laboratory

Email: Oxana.Palesh@vcuhealth.org

Dr. Palesh has authored/co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications focused on stress, sleep and medical illness and interventions to address them. She is on the editorial board of three high profile journals in cancer and stress and serves as a reviewer for numerous medical and psychological journals and conferences. Dr. Palesh is a recipient of numerous honors and awards, including from the National Institutes of Health, American Society for Clinical Oncology, Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer, University of Rochester, Stanford University and Virginia Commonwealth University. She is a frequently invited speaker at national and international conferences and has given over 45 invited talks and grand rounds nationally and internationally. Dr. Palesh was an International Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Study at Warwick University in the UK in 2019 and is presently a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University. She recently finished serving her 4-year term on the NIH review panel (Biobehavioral Medicine and Health Outcomes). Dr. Palesh has more than 20 years of experience conducting behavioral medicine research and randomized clinical trials (Phase II and III) involving interventions for stress, sleep, and health behaviors in cancer patients and post-treatment survivors. She has been continuously funded by NIH since 2002 and is presently a principal investigator on three NCI-funded R01 grants focused on understanding the etiology of cancer treatments’ side effects and developing treatments to address them.

Research Team

Chelsey McGill, Ph.D.

Chelsey McGill, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral fellow in the NCI-funded T32 Cancer Prevention and
Control Cancer Health Equity Training Program within the Department of Psychiatry and the
Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Dr. McGill
earned her doctoral degree in Health Psychology from Virginia State University. Her primary
research interest focuses on cancer prevention and health equity. During her NCI-funded T32
fellowship at the Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, she aims to enhance her knowledge
in developing and testing interventions to improve screening uptake. Additionally, she will
explore the factors associated with screening knowledge, barriers, and attitudes under the
mentorship of Dr. Oxana Palesh.

Rob Campbell

Rob graduated from the University of Virginia in 2024 with a Bachelor's degree in Biology and
Environmental Science. He is interested in research involving cancer care, the psychological
impact of cancer, and the quality of life of cancer patients and survivors. He hopes to attend
medical school in 2025, as he applied for this cycle in June. Aside from work, Rob enjoys
playing basketball, weightlifting, and hanging out with friends.

Ruth Nyagaka, B.A.
Clinical Research Coordinator

Ruth Nyagaka graduated from UC Berkeley with Bachelor's degrees in Molecular Cell Biology and Sociology. Ruth is interested in research areas such as mental and cognitive health, biostatistics, and medical sociology. She is looking forward to learning more about the impact of chemotherapy on the brain and the lived experiences of survivors. Outside of the lab, Ruth enjoys exercising with friends, reading, and dancing.

Christen Hong

Christen Hong received her Bachelor’s from the University of Connecticut. She has spent her
time working with special education students, and transitioned into the field of research.
Outside of research, she enjoys a good movie, a good laugh, spending time with family, friends,
and her dogs.