Kensey Bergdorf-Smith, PhD

Dr. Kensey Bergdorf-Smith is a native West Virginian with strong ties to Appalachia. She holds two bachelor’s degrees from West Virginia University: a Bachelor of Science in Immunology and Medical Microbiology and a Bachelor of Multidisciplinary Studies with emphases in Biology, Leadership Studies, and Political Science. She received her PhD in Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University, where she worked to improve treatment options for patients with aggressive cancers.

She was named a Nath Outstanding Graduate and a Foundation Scholar at West Virginia University. As a Milan Puskar Leadership Scholar, she presented original work on college graduate retention in West Virginia on a national platform. She served as a Washington Fellow with the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, during which she advocated for funding for the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health with members of Congress. She also served as a West Virginia Science and Technology Policy Fellow.

Outside of her science policy work, Dr. Bergdorf-Smith enjoys spending time with her husband, daughters, and dogs, traveling, painting, and photography. Several of the images on this website were taken by Dr. Bergdorf-Smith on her travels through West Virginia!