Contact Information
301 University Blvd.
Galveston, TX 77555-1124
P: 409-747-1633
E: mcswartz@utmb.edu
Teaching Areas of Interest
Research Methods and Applications, Health Behavior, Nutrition Research Practicums, Cancer Rehabilitation, Learning Health System approaches
Research Interests
Cancer rehabilitation, cancer survivorship, aging, eating behavior, physical activity, sedentary behavior, lifestyle intervention, eHealth, remote monitoring, ecological momentary assessment, and AI supported Just-In-Time Adaptive Interventions
Biography
Dr. Swartz’s training background includes public health, behavioral sciences, and rehabilitation sciences. She is also a registered and licensed dietitian. The Swartz lab’s overarching goal is to improve the quality of life for children, adolescents, and young adult (AYA) cancer patients and survivors.
The Swartz Lab focuses on two main areas: first, improving access to prehabilitation and rehabilitation services for cancer patients—especially those in the AYA group—and second, understanding the physical and cognitive benefits of physical activity in patients and survivors of children and AYA cancer.
To optimize access and improve the delivery of physical activity interventions to impact physical and cognition functions, her research has focused on developing scalable assessment approaches (e.g., telehealth tools to conduct physical function assessments) to inform the development of system-level interventions to promote health behaviors and facilitate the delivery of preventive care to attenuate functional decline and cognitive impairment among at-risk individuals.