Lifestyle Lab Members
Roberto M. Benzo, PhD, MS
Dr. Roberto Benzo is the Director of the Lifestyle Lab and an Assistant professor in the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Benzo completed his post-doctoral Fellowship at the University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Benzo received his doctoral (2019) and master's degree (2015) in health promotion from the University of Iowa. Dr. Benzo's interdisciplinary research is focused on studying the role of lifestyle behaviors such as physical activity, sedentary behavior, and dietary intake in cancer prevention and control.
In summary, Dr. Benzo’s research encompasses understanding the determinants of lifestyle behaviors, designing and evaluating innovative and effective behavior change interventions, and translating research findings into practice. Dr. Benzo has experience using digital solutions such as ecological momentary assessments (EMA), survey design, and activity monitoring (research- and commercial-grade) to examine the complex relationships between real-world environments and health behaviors. As a trained behavioral and health promotion scientist, Dr. Benzo leads the behavioral measurement and analyses and oversees general laboratory activities. One of his team’s current research projects focuses on developing a digital lifestyle intervention for colorectal cancer survivors to increase the uptake of recommendations and positively impact cancer- and health-related outcomes. Another project is focused on studying the impact of sedentary behavior and light-intensity physical activity on patient-reported outcomes in lung cancer survivors.
Dr. Benzo’s work has been published in several peer-reviewed scientific journals, including the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Psycho-oncology, Nutrition and Cancer, the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Medical Journal of Preventative Medicine, and Childhood Obesity.
Macy Tetrick, BS
Clinical Research Assistant
Macy manages all daily activities of the lab, including study personnel supervision, scheduling coordination, manuscript and presentation development, and project management.
Collaboration With Other Ohio State Labs and National Research Teams
The Lifestyle Lab has partnered with numerous Ohio State clinicians and scientists, including:
- Electra D. Paskett, PhD, Marion N. Rowley Designated Chair in Cancer Research, and director of the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control
- Brian Focht, PhD, Vice Chair & Professor in the Department of Human Sciences
- Matthew Kalady, MD, Colorectal surgeon and Director of the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, and Medical Director of Clinical Cancer Genetics
- Carolyn J. Presley, MD, MHS, Geriatric/Thoracic Medical Oncologist, Tenure Track Associated Professor in the Division of Medical Oncology/Department of Internal Medicine at The Ohio State University, Comprehensive Cancer Center and The James Cancer Hospital/Solove Research Institute
- Anne Noonan, MD, Medical Oncologist, Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at The Ohio State University, Section Chief of the Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology Section.
- Zach Chaplow, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, Lecturer, Certified Exercise Physiologist (ACSM) and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (NSCA) in the Exercise and Behavioral Medicine Laboratory
- Elizabeth Sanders, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Design, Expert in Design Methods
- Colleen K. Spees, PhD, MEd, RDN, LD, FAND, Associate Professor in the Division of Medical Dietetics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine
- Jessica L. Krok-Schoen, PhD, MA, Assistant Professor in the College of Medicine’s School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences
In addition to collaborations with OSU clinicians and scientists, the Lifestyle Lab also partners with nationally and internationally recognized experts at the University of Miami and the Mayo Clinic, including:
- Emma Fortune Ngufor, PhD, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the Division of Health Care Delivery Research, Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Mayo Clinic
- Sara St. George, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Science, University of Miami
- Marissa Kobayashi, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Psychology, University of Miami
The lab welcomes collaborators who can enhance its approach to studying lifestyle behaviors in cancer prevention and control and who share the team’s motivation to promote health equity for marginalized communities.
For more information on the team, collaborations, opportunities, and lab-specific inquiries, please get in touch with Dr. Roberto Benzo at Roberto.Benzo@osumc.edu.