She received her bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Akron and her Masters and PhD from the University of Pittsburgh. Her entire nursing career has been in the area of oncology care. Dr. Bender has an extensive background in oncology research with a focus on cognitive function during and after treatment for cancer. She is now developing an intervention to help people compensate for the changes in cognitive function they experience with cancer treatment. She is a co-investigator and symptom management consultant for the study.