The long range goal of Dr. Pereira’s research program is to improve health outcomes and promote the well-being of individuals with chronic and/or life-limiting illnesses, with an emphasis on malignancies that occur commonly or exclusively among women. Grounded in the biobehavioral model of tumor growth and development, her research seeks to understand the psychoneuroimmunologic (PNI) influences on cancer initiation, recurrence, progression, and mortality, as well as on cancer-related quality of life.