Betsey Wagener earned her B.A. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Wittenberg University Ohio) She obtained her Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from University of Arizona. She completed her postdoctoral training at the University of Arizona. She joined the NIH Office of Intramural Training and Education as Deputy Director of the Graduate Partnerships Program in 2008. Betsey has also worked with Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation as a Research Program Manager, and with Roche Tissue Diagnostics as a Project Manager. In 2019, she returned to University of Arizona to work with the Skin Cancer Prevention research team.