Dr. Karen Mustian received the Distinguished Alumni Award. This award is the highest honor given to an alumnus by the School. It is for a person who has attained national and/or international stature through their achievements in one or more areas of teaching, scholarship, service, administration, leadership, creative endeavors, human relationships, and inspiration.
Dr. Mustian graduated with a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology and Exercise Psychology. She is recognized internationally as a founding member of the field of exercise oncology, and is an international leader in the fields of cancer control and survivorship; behavioral oncology; exercise oncology; geriatric oncology; and gender, sexuality, and women’s health.
Dr. Mustian is the Dean’s Professor of Surgery, Cancer Control, Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Rochester’s School of Medicine and Dentistry and Co-Leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program at the Wilmot Cancer Institute.
She has received more than $80 million in research funding, authored more than 150 publications, and received more than 40 awards for her contributions to the field. She has led several landmark clinical trials as a pioneer in exercise oncology, including the first nationwide randomized controlled clinical trial to establish the role of yoga in the treatment of cancer-related and treatment-related side effects.