Jo L. Freudenheim

Jo L. Freudenheim is a SUNY Distinguished Professor and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs at the University at Buffalo's School of Public Health and Health Professions. Her research focuses on cancer epidemiology, particularly breast cancer etiology and prognosis, with emphasis on nutritional and alcohol-related risk factors. She leads the Atabey study examining breast cancer disparities in Puerto Rican women and the WEB study investigating post-diagnosis breast cancer factors. Freudenheim holds adjunct appointments at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Research Institute on Addictions.

Education includes a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and MS in Preventive Medicine from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1986), and a BS from the University of Michigan. Her work bridges molecular and population-level cancer research, including microbiome studies, epigenetic mechanisms, and environmental exposures.

Research interests span cancer prevention, social determinants of health, and the interplay between lifestyle factors (diet, alcohol) and disease outcomes. Recent projects address caregiving among disabled populations and the impact of electronic cigarettes on lung health.

Her 300+ publications cover breast cancer subtypes in Black women, alcohol cessation benefits, and microbiome-disease associations. Awards include the Abraham Lilienfeld Teaching Award (2020) and SUNY Chancellor's Research Award (2005).