Nathaniel Woodard

Nathaniel Woodard, PhD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Health and Health Behavior at the University at Buffalo's School of Public Health and Health Professions. His research focuses on health equity, particularly addressing cancer-related disparities affecting Black and African American populations through community-based interventions. He holds a PhD and MPH from the University of Maryland School of Public Health and a BA from the University of Rochester. Previously, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of North Carolina's Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

His research interests include cancer prevention, cancer treatment and survivorship, and the intersection of social determinants of health with cancer outcomes. He employs community engagement strategies to design culturally tailored interventions, such as a video library promoting physical activity among Black colorectal cancer survivors. His work also examines structural racism, neighborhood factors, and religiosity in shaping health behaviors and disparities.

Woodard’s recent publications highlight themes like neighborhood change’s impact on mental health, state-level structural racism’s influence on substance use, and the role of organizational capacity in church-based cancer education programs. His contributions bridge basic science and community practice, such as exploring antioxidants’ efficacy in chemotherapy through collaborations with NCI-designated cancer centers.

Professional affiliations include the Society of Behavioral Medicine, the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network, and the American Association for Cancer Research. His work emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration to address systemic inequities in cancer care and outcomes.