Karen Weihs, M.D. is known internationally as a clinician, scientist, educator and thought leader in the areas of PsychoOncology, Supportive Care and Psychosomatic Medicine. She is board certified in Psychiatry, Palliative Medicine and Hospice Care, as well as in Family Medicine.  Dr. Weihs’ NIH funded research investigates the biological, psychological and social mechanisms through which the stress of cancer impacts both emotional and physical health outcomes of cancer patients.  Her research career was launched with a Scientist Development Award for Clinicians for studies of family process and breast cancer outcomes.  This research continues with her current R01 funding from the National Cancer Institute for the project “Emotional Regulation and Depression in Breast Cancer Survivorship”.  Dr. Weihs’ mentorship for graduate students in clinical psychology, family studies, art therapy has contributed to the next generation of psychosomatic medicine researchers.   She is recognized for her leadership in bringing together colleagues from diverse backgrounds to study the interface of emotion science, neural systems, cancer biology and social processes as it impacts basic and applied research on PsychoOncology.  She has served on the leadership Council for the American Psychosomatic Society since 2009 and will complete her term as president in the spring of 2016.  In this capacity, she contributed to the strategic plan for the organization and led the first Special Emphasis Symposium- “Toward Precision Cancer Care: Biobehavioral Contributions to the Exposome” – in the fall of 2012.   Dr. Weihs founded the multidisciplinary clinical service, Supportive Care for Healing, at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, for which the mission is to provide “Practical resources, support and healing opportunities in life transitions with cancer for patients and their close others”.  In 2008 she was honored with the Award for Excellence in Clinical Care by the American PsychoOncology Society. She is currently Professor with Tenure at the University of Arizona, Department of Psychiatry and a Comprehensive Member of the University of Arizona Cancer Center. She is a graduate of the University of Iowa, College of Medicine and completed her training in Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.