Our scientific investigators are focused on understanding the science behind diet, exercise, and metabolic health, and their effect on cancer risk, development, and treatment. Our team is led by Lee Jones, Jessica Scott, and Neil Iyengar.

Lee Jones

Program Director
[email protected]

As an exercise scientist, I am focused on the efficacy and mechanisms of exercise training on cardiovascular toxicities and tumor initiation and progression. My research program aims to take a translational approach to investigation of the efficacy of targeted exercise training to mitigate cancer therapy–associated cardiovascular injury and to inhibit tumor growth and progression. I currently serve on several working groups with the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and my research program has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, AKTIV Against Cancer, the American Cancer Society, and the US Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program.

Jessica Scott

I am an assistant member in the Exercise Oncology Research Laboratory. I joined MSK in February 2017 after five years as a senior scientist in the exercise physiology and countermeasures laboratory at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. My current research is focused on the characterization of multisystem deconditioning using novel exercise testing, imaging, and biomarker techniques and the efficacy of exercise training to prevent or reverse dysfunction.

Neil Iyengar

My research investigates the links between metabolic health and cancer. I work with a highly productive team composed of clinical and laboratory scientists at Memorial Sloan Kettering, Weill Cornell Medicine, and The Rockefeller University, where I hold a joint research position. Our team has established that inflammation in the breast is a key contributor to obesity-related breast cancers. As obesity rates are on the rise in the United States and worldwide, we are seeing an increase in obesity-related cancers. We have shown that inflammation in the fatty tissue of the breast and at other anatomic sites occurs in most obese and overweight individuals and even in some individuals who are normal weight. Therefore, a key component of my research program is the development of clinical trials — including diet, exercise, and medication — that aim to prevent obesity-related cancers as well as improve outcomes in people with fatty-tissue inflammation.