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Darla E. Kendzor, PhD
Family and Preventive Medicine

Darla E. Kendzor, PhD

Co-Director, TSET Health Promotion Research Center
Professor, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine

Health Promotion Research Center
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
655 Research Parkway, Suite 400
Oklahoma City, OK  73104

(405) 271-6872

darla-kendzor@ou.edu

Dr. Kendzor is a tenured Professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Co-Director of the TSET Health Promotion Research Center (HPRC), and Co-Leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at the NCI-Designated Stephenson Cancer Center (SCC). She established and leads the HPRC Tobacco Treatment Research Program (TTRP), which offers free tobacco cessation counseling and pharmacotherapy to the public while 1) collecting data relevant to the process of quitting and 2) facilitating recruitment into ongoing research studies.

Dr. Kendzor earned her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from Louisiana State University and completed her postdoctoral training in cancer prevention and health disparities research at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. Her published work has focused on tobacco use and cessation, medical cannabis use, cancer prevention and survivorship, mobile health assessment/intervention, and health disparities. She is MPI of the renewable $15.1 million TSET grant which supports the TSET Health Promotion Research Center and PI of the American Cancer Society Cancer Health Equity Research Center (CHERC) which will support research designed to understand and address cancer disparities in prevention and early detection in Oklahoma. Her NCI-funded research has focused on evaluating smoking cessation interventions, with an emphasis on using financial incentives to promote smoking cessation among socioeconomically disadvantaged adults via clinic- and smartphone-based methods. She was just awarded a new NCI grant to evaluate the combination of varenicline and nicotine lozenges, and a smartphone-based medication adherence intervention.

Academic Section(s):

OUFMC Research Division

Education:

Degree-Granting Institutions
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, PhD, 2007, Clinical and Behavioral Psychology

The University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, BA, 2000, Psychology

Postgraduate Training
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Tobacco-Related Health Disparities, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2007 – 2009

Clinical Psychology Internship, Clinical Psychology, Montgomery Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, 2006 – 2007

Clinical/Research Interests:

  • Tobacco cessation interventions for socioeconomically disadvantaged and vulnerable populations
  • Tobacco-related health disparities
  • Financial incentives for behavior change
  • Smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment/intervention
  • Cancer prevention 

Funding:

Current Funding         *Indicates trainee investigator

Kendzor DE (Principal Investigator), Ahluwalia J (Co-Principal Investigator), Businelle MS (Co-Investigator), Frank-Pearce SG (Co-Investigator), Baranskaya IV (Co-Investigator), Sifat M (Co-Investigator)*, Hébert ET (Co-Investigator).
"Randomized Factorial Trial of Varenicline with Nicotine Lozenges and a Smartphone Medication Adherence Intervention to Promote Smoking Cessation."
Sponsored by National Cancer Institute, Federal
Grant/Contract Number: R01CA298165
Total Direct Costs: $2,229,393
2025 – 2029

Kendzor DE (Principal Investigator), Cohn AM (Co-Principal Investigator), Doescher MP (Co-Principal Investigator), McQuoid JM (Co-Principal Investigator), Neil JM (Co-Principal Investigator).
"Oklahoma Cancer Health Equity Research Center (CHERC)."
Sponsored by American Cancer Society, Non-Profit
Grant/Contract Number: CHERC-24-1160021-01-CHERC
Total Direct Costs: $3,999,646
2025 – 2028

Kendzor DE (Principal Investigator - 30% Effort), Businelle MS (Co-Investigator), Vidrine DJ (Co-Investigator), Pearce-Frank S (Co-Investigator), Alexander AC (Co-Investigator)*, Dallery J (Co-Investigator), Shih YC (Co-Investigator).
"Automated Mobile Contingency Management for Smoking Cessation among Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Adults."
Sponsored by National Cancer Institute, Federal
Grant/Contract Number: R01CA251451
Total Direct Costs: $2,240,653
2021 – 2026

Kendzor DE (Co-Principal Investigator), Businelle MS (Co-Principal Investigator).
"TSET Health Promotion Research Center."
Sponsored by Oklahoma TSET, State
Grant/Contract Number: R23-02
Current Funding (Total Cost per Year): $15,100,000
2023 – 2026

Ogunsanya M (Principal Investigator)*, Kendzor DE (Co-Investigator).
"Development and Preliminary Evaluation of a Tailored mHealth App Designed to Improve Quality of-Life Outcomes in Prostate Cancer Survivors."
Sponsored by Department of Defense, Federal
Grant/Contract Number: PC230551/13963800
Total Direct Costs: $898,842
2024 – 2027

Froehlich-Grobe K (Principal Investigator), Kendzor DE (Co-Investigator).
"Addressing Tobacco Cessation Among Smokers with Spinal Cord Injury and Their Healthcare Providers."
Sponsored by Craig H. Neilson Foundation, Private
Grant/Contract Number: 1149537
Total Direct Costs: $550,000
2024 – 2027

Mannel RS (Principal Investigator), Kendzor DE (Co-Leader, Cancer Prevention and Control Program - 5% Effort).
"Stephenson Cancer Center – Cancer Center Support Grant."
Sponsored by National Cancer Institute, Federal
Grant/Contract Number: P30CA225520
2019 – 2028

Mentored Grants

Alexander AC (Principal Investigator)*, Kendzor DE (Primary Mentor), Businelle MS (Mentor), Cheney M (Mentor), McNeill LH (Mentor), Cohn AM (Mentor).
"HealthyCells: A Culturally-Tailored Smoking Cessation Smartphone Intervention for African Americans with Adjunctive Treatment for Sedentary Behavior."
Sponsored by National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Federal
Grant/Contract Number: K01MD015295
Total Direct Costs: $621,735
2021 – 2026

Pope Z* (Co-Principal Investigator), Klinedinst T* (Co-Principal Investigator), Robertson MC* (Co-Principal Investigator), Kendzor DE (Mentor).
"A Digitally Mediated Occupational Therapy Program to Increase Physical Activity in Urban and Rural Breast Cancer Survivors Who Have Undergone Breast-conserving Surgery or Mastectomy."
Sponsored by ACS/OUHSC, The University of Oklahoma (Institutional)
Grant/Contract Number: ACS IRG
Total Direct Costs: $60,000
2024 – 2025

Cruvinel E (Principal Investigator)*, Kendzor DE (Mentor), Richter K (Primary Mentor), Scheuermann T (Mentor), Yi R (Mentor), Gajewski B (Mentor).
"Using Contingency Management to Promote Adherence to Smoking Cessation Treatment Among Hospitalized Smokers."
Sponsored by National Institute on Drug Abuse, Federal
Grant/Contract Number: K01DA055779
Total Direct Costs: $733,639
Additional Information: Dr. Cruvinel is appointed at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
2022 – 2027

Machado N (Principal Investigator), Kendzor DE (Primary Mentor)*, Richter K (Mentor)
"Transforming Quality Metrics to Improve Tobacco Treatment in Medicaid."
Postdoctoral Fellowship Grant, Sponsored by American Cancer Society, Non-Profit
Grant/Contract Number: PF-24-1198256-01-HOPS
Total Direct Costs: $147,500
2025 – 2027

Completed Funding (Selected)

Kendzor DE (Principal Investigator), Businelle MS (Co-Investigator), Wetter DW (Co-Investigator), Swartz M (Co-Investigator).
"Small Financial Incentives to Promote Smoking Cessation in Safety Net Hospital Patients."
Sponsored by National Cancer Institute, Federal
Grant/Contract Number: R01CA197314
Total Direct Costs: $1,092,514
2015 – 2022

Kendzor DE (Principal Investigator).
"Pathways Between Socioeconomic Status and Behavioral Cancer Risk Factors."
Sponsored by American Cancer Society, Foundation
Grant/Contract Number: MRSGT-10-104-01-CPHPS
Total Direct Costs: $674,840
Additional Information: Mentored Research Scholar Grant
July 2010 – June 2015

Select Publications:

*Indicates trainee author

  1. Kendzor DE, Davie M*, Chen M, Hart J, Frank-Pearce SG, Doescher MP, Alexander AC*, Businelle MS, Ogunsanya M*, Sifat MS*, Boozary LK*. (2025). Incentivizing Tobacco Helpline Engagement in Persistent Poverty Counties: A Randomized Trial. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 68 (2), 336-347. DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2024.10.014
  2. Alexander AC*, Businelle MS, Cheney MK, Cohn AM, McNeil LH, Short KR, Frank-Pearce SG, Bradley D, Estrada K, Flores I, Fronheiser J, Kendzor DE. (2025). A Mobile Health Intervention with Financial Incentives to Promote Smoking Cessation and Physical Activity Among Black Adults: A Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol. JMIR Research Protocols, 14, e69771. DOI: 10.2196/69771
  3. Kendzor DE, Businelle MS, Frank-Pearce SG, Waring JJC*, Chen S, Hebert ET*, Swartz MD, Alexander AC*, Sifat MS*, Boozary LK*, Wetter DW. (2024). Financial incentives for smoking cessation among socioeconomically disadvantaged adults: A randomized controlled trial. JAMA Network Open, 7(7), e2418821. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.18821
  4. Sifat MS*, Alexander AC*, Businelle MS, Frank-Pearce SG, Boozary LK*, Wagener TL, Ahluwalia JS, Kendzor DE. (2024). E-Cigarette switching and financial incentives to promote combustible cigarette cessation among adults accessing shelter services: A pilot study. Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports, 13, 100295. DOI: 10.1016/j.dadr.2024.100295
  5. Niznik T*, Boozary LK*, Chen M, Cohn AM, Ulahannan SV, Henson CE, Alexander AC*, Moore KN, Holman LL, Queimado L, Kendzor DE. (2024). Symptom trajectories over time by cannabis use status among patients undergoing cancer treatment. Scientific Reports, 14(1). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-78501-4
  6. Businelle MS, Perski O, Hébert ET*, Kendzor DE. (2024). Mobile health interventions for substance use disorders. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 20(1), 49-76. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-080822-042337
  7. Azizoddin DR, Cohn AM, Ulahannan S, Henson CE, Alexander AC*, Moore K, Holman LL, Boozary LK*, Sifat MS*, Kendzor DE. (2023). Cannabis Use Among Adults Undergoing Cancer Treatment. Cancer, 129(21), 3498-3508. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.34922
  8. Sifat MS*, Hébert ET*, Ahluwalia JS, Businelle MS, Waring JJC*, Frank-Pearce SG, Bryer C, Benson L, Madison S, Planas LG, Baranskaya IV, Kendzor DE. (2023). Varenicline Combined with Oral Nicotine Replacement Therapy and Smartphone-Based Medication Reminders for Smoking Cessation: A Pilot and Feasibility Study. JMIR Formative Research, 7. DOI: 10.2196/48857
  9. Ogunsanya ME, Sifat M, Bamidele OO, Ezenwankwo EF, Clifton S, Ton C, Knight JM, Odedina FT, Greer JA, Dwyer K, Kendzor DE. (2023). Mobile health (mHealth) interventions in prostate cancer survivorship: a scoping review.  J Cancer Surviv., 17(3):557-568. doi: 10.1007/s11764-022-01328-3. Epub 2023 Jan 11. PMID: 36627464.
  10. Thrul J, Howe CL, Devkota J, Alexander AC*, Allen AM, Businelle MS, Hébert ET*, Heffner JL, Kendzor DE, Ra CK, Gordon JS. (2023). A Scoping Review and Meta-Analysis of the Use of Remote Biochemical Verification Methods of Smoking Status in Tobacco Research. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 25(8), 1413-1423 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntac271
  11. Boozary LK*, Frank-Pearce SG, Alexander AC*, Sifat, MS*, Kurien J*, Waring JJC*, Ehlke S*, Businelle MS, Ahluwalia JS, Kendzor DE. (2022). Tobacco use characteristics, treatment preferences, and motivation to quit among adults accessing a day shelter in Oklahoma City. Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports, 5, 100117. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dadr.2022.100117
  12. Kendzor DE, Businelle MS, Vidrine DJ, Frank-Pearce SG, Shih YCT, Dallery J, Alexander AC*, Boozary LK*, Waring JJC*, Ehlke SJ*. (2022). Mobile Contingency Management for Smoking Cessation among Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Adults: Protocol for a Randomized Trial. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 114. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2022.106701
  13. Kendzor DE, Ehlke SJ*, Boozary L*, Smith MA, Cohn AM. (2022). Characteristics of Adults with a Medical Cannabis License, Reasons for Use, and Perceptions of Benefit Following Medical Cannabis Legalization in Oklahoma. Preventive Medicine Reports, 27(101777). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101777
  14. Boozary LK*, Frank-Pearce SG, Alexander AC*, Waring JJC*, Ehlke SJ*, Businelle MS, Cohn AM, Kendzor DE. (2021). Correlates of e-cigarette use among adults initiating smoking cessation treatment. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 224, 108724. PMID: 33940324. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108724
  15. Kendzor DE, Businelle MS, Waring JJC*, Mathews AJ, Geller DW, Barton JM, Alexander AC*, Hébert ET*, Ra CK*, Vidrine DJ. (2020). Automated Mobile Delivery of Financial Incentives for Smoking Cessation among Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Adults: A Feasibility Study. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 8(4). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/15960
  16. Alexander AC, Hébert ET, Businelle MS, Kendzor DE. (2019). Greater perceived importance of earning abstinence-contingent incentives is associated with smoking cessation among socioeconomically disadvantaged adults. Addict Behav., 95: 202-205. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.04.001. PMID: 30959415; PMCID: PMC6545141.
  17. Kendzor DE, Allicock M, Businelle MS, Sandon LF, Gabriel KP, Frank SG. (2016). Evaluation of a shelter-based diet and physical activity intervention for homeless adults. Journal of Physical Activity & Health, 14, 88-97. PMID: 27775471. DOI: 10.1123/jpah.2016-0343
  18. Kendzor DE, Shuval K, Gabriel KP, Businelle MS, Ma P*, High RR, Cuate EL*, Poonawalla IB*, Rios DM*, Demark-Wahnefried W, Swartz MD, Wetter DW. (2016). Impact of a mobile phone intervention to reduce sedentary behavior in a community sample of adults: A quasi-experimental evaluation. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 18(1), e19. PMID: 26810027. DOI: 10.2196/jmir.5137
  19. Kendzor DE, Businelle MS, Poonawalla IB*, Cuate EL*, Kesh A*, Rios DM*, Ma P*, Balis DS. (2015). Financial incentives for abstinence among socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals in smoking cessation treatment. American Journal of Public Health, 105(6), 1198-11205. PMID: 25393172. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2014.302102
  20. Kendzor DE, Businelle MS, Reitzel, LR, Rios DM*, Scheuermann TS, Pulvers K, Ahluwalia JS. (2014). Everyday discrimination is associated with nicotine dependence among African American, Latino, and White smokers. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 16(6), 633-640. PMID: 24302634. DOI: 10.1093/ntr/ntt198
  21. Kendzor DE, Businelle MS, Reitzel LR, Castro Y, Vidrine JI, Mazas CA, Cinciripini PM, Lam CY, Adams CE, Correa-Fernández V, Cano MÁ, Wetter DW. (2014). The influence of discrimination on smoking cessation among Latinos. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 136, 143-148. PMID: 24485880. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2014.01.003
  22. Kendzor DE, Caughy MO, Owen MT. (2012) Family income trajectory during childhood is associated with adiposity in adolescence: a latent class growth analysis. BMC Public Health, 12:611. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-611. PMID: 22863369; PMCID: PMC3549776.
  23. Kendzor DE, Reitzel LR, Mazas CA, Cofta-Woerpel LM, Cao Y, Ji L, Costello TJ, Vidrine JI, Businelle MS, Li Y, Castro Y, Ahluwalia JS, Cinciripini PM, Wetter DW. (2012). Individual- and area-level unemployment influence smoking cessation among African Americans participating in a randomized clinical trial. Social Science & Medicine, 74(9), 1394-1401. PMID: 22405506. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.01.013
  24. Kendzor DE, Businelle MS, Costello, TJ, Castro, Y, Reitzel, LR, Cofta-Woerpel LM, Li Y, Mazas CA, Vidrine JI, Cinciripini PM, Greisinger AJ, Wetter DW. (2010). Financial strain and smoking cessation among racially/ethnically diverse smokers. American Journal of Public Health, 100(4), 702-706. PMID: 20167886. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2009.172676
  25. Businelle MS, Kendzor DE, Reitzel LR, Costello TJ, Cofta-Woerpel L, Li Y, Mazas CA, Vidrine JI, Cinciripini PM, Greisinger AJ, Wetter DW. (2010). Mechanisms linking socioeconomic status to smoking cessation: A structural equation modeling approach. Health Psychology, 29(3), 262-273. PMID: 20496980. DOI: 10.1037/a0019285