Cancer Research

CDC's Division of Cancer Prevention and Control (DCPC) conducts and supports studies, often in collaboration with partners, to develop and apply sound science to reduce the burden of cancer and eliminate health disparities. This research uses many different areas of expertise (behavioral science, economics, epidemiology, health services, medicine, and statistics) to address the public health research needs of DCPC programs, health care providers, people affected by cancer, and the larger comprehensive cancer control community.

Featured Scientist: Natasha Buchanan, Ph.D.

Natasha Buchanan, PhD is a behavioral scientist in CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control's Epidemiology and Applied Research Branch. Dr. Buchanan serves as the technical lead and/or principal investigator for several domestic and international CDC-funded projects focusing on breast cancer in young women, cervical cancer prevention and control, cancer survivorship, and cancers among children, adolescents, and young adults.
Dr. Buchanan recently completed a systematic literature review and a media review and hosted a panel meeting, all focusing on risk and protective factors, early detection, and survivorship issues related to breast cancer in young women (under 45 years). She also serves as a technical lead on a study examining transitional care services among adult survivors of childhood cancers, and is collaborating on a journal monograph focusing on factors affecting clinical trial accrual among adolescent cancer survivors.
Dr. Buchanan provides technical assistance to CDC country offices and Ministries of Health in East Africa and Latin America on community sensitization and education regarding cervical cancer prevention and control. She serves as the principal investigator of the Kenya Medical Research Institute/CDC Cervical Cancer Qualitative Assessment Study, which examines knowledge, awareness, and beliefs of women, men, and other stakeholders about human papillomavirus (HPV), the HPV vaccine, and cervical cancer screening, treatment, and palliative care in Kenya.
Dr. Buchanan’s research interests include investigating the social, cultural, behavioral, and psychological factors that impact cancer prevention and control, health disparities, cancer survivorship, and patient outcomes.
Dr. Buchanan completed her undergraduate education at Spelman College with bachelor of arts degrees in psychology and Spanish, and earned her master of arts and doctorate of philosophy degrees from the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Buchanan also completed predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships in health psychology at Emory University School of Medicine and at the Yale University Child Study Center/ Yale University School of Medicine, where she was also an Edward Zigler Child Development and Social Policy fellow. Dr. Buchanan has been honored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Southeastern Psychological Association for her research and published work in oncology and health psychology.
Some of the most recent articles Dr. Buchanan has authored or co-authored include—