Rena Kass

Rena Kass, MD is an Associate Professor with dual appointments in the Department of Surgery (Division of General Surgery Specialties and Surgical Oncology) and the Department of Medicine at Penn State Cancer Institute, part of Penn State University's College of Medicine. Her research spans two distinct but significant medical domains with substantial impact as evidenced by her 900 citations and h-index of 15 across 31 research outputs.

Her primary research interests focus on Breast Cancer (100% of her research fingerprint), particularly in surgical oncology, cancer survivorship, and metastatic breast cancer treatment. She also conducts significant research in Virology, specifically on human coronavirus transmission and inactivation. Her work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to good health and well-being.

Dr. Kass's recent publications demonstrate strong impact, with her 2021 coronavirus research being picked up by 217 news outlets, referenced in 3 patents, mentioned in 2 policy sources, and discussed across numerous social media platforms with 502 X (Twitter) posts and 9 Facebook pages. Her research has substantial real-world applications and public health relevance.

Her research portfolio shows a clear pattern of addressing critical health challenges through both clinical oncology and infectious disease research, with particular attention to practical interventions that can improve patient outcomes and public health measures.