Dawn M. Holman, MPH

Dawn M. Holman, MPH, is a behavioral scientist in the Epidemiology and Applied Research Branch of CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control. Her work is focused on opportunities to reduce cancer risk through community-level strategies that make it easier for people to adopt healthy behaviors and reduce harmful exposures at every stage of life.

Ms. Holman leads a collaboration with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors to develop resources that empower public health practitioners and community leaders to implement evidence-based strategies to reduce cancer risk in their communities and address health inequities. She also leads efforts to develop communication materials that explain how social determinants of health influence cancer risk and highlight opportunities for action to advance health equity.

Ms. Holman leads the Division’s skin cancer prevention efforts, including use of national data to examine sun-protective behaviors, indoor and outdoor tanning, and sunburn among U.S. adolescents and adults and trends over time in the incidence of skin cancer. She led the development of CDC’s Melanoma Dashboard, annual Skin Cancer Prevention Progress Reports, and other skin cancer prevention resources. In addition, Ms. Holman served as a lead writer for the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer and as a member of the coordination team for The Community Guide review of community-level interventions to prevent skin cancer.

Ms. Holman completed her undergraduate education at the University of Georgia with a bachelor of science and earned her master of public health from Emory University. Before coming to CDC, Ms. Holman worked at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University as the project coordinator of the Pool Cool program, a research-based, sun-safety education program designed for use at outdoor swimming pools.

Recent articles Ms. Holman has first-authored include—

• 2023 Acral lentiginous melanoma incidence by sex, race, ethnicity, and stage in the United States, 2010–2019.
• 2022 Beliefs associated with sunscreen use among non-Hispanic White older adults.
• 2021 The context of sunburn among U.S. adults: common activities and sun protection behaviors.
• 2019 Clinical counseling on sun protection and indoor tanning avoidance: A survey of current practices among U.S. health care providers.
• 2019 Prevalence of indoor tanning among U.S. high school students from 2009 to 2017.
• 2019 Association between sun protection behaviors and sunburn among U.S. older adults.
• 2019 Sunburn prevalence among US adults, National Health Interview Survey 2005, 2010, and 2015.
• 2018 Shade as an environmental design tool for skin cancer prevention.
• 2018 Prevalence of sun protection use and sunburn, and association of demographic and behavioral characteristics with sunburn among U.S. adults.
• 2018 Trends in melanoma incidence among non-Hispanic whites in the United States, 2005 to 2014.
• 2017 Cancer prevention during early adulthood: highlights from a meeting of experts.
• 2017 The association between beliefs about vitamin D and skin cancer risk-related behaviors.
• 2016 Opportunities during early life for cancer prevention: highlights from a series of virtual meetings with experts.
• 2016 The association between adverse childhood experiences and risk for cancer in adulthood: a systematic review of the literature.
• 2015 Patterns of sunscreen use on the face and other exposed skin among U.S. adults.
• 2014 Cancer prevention and worksite health promotion: time to join forces.
• 2014 The association between demographic and behavioral characteristics and sunburn among U.S. adults—National Health Interview Survey, 2010.
• 2014 Opportunities for cancer prevention during midlife: highlights from a meeting of experts.
• 2014 Barriers to HPV vaccination among U.S. adolescents: a systematic review of the literature.
• 2013 Strategies to reduce indoor tanning: current research gaps and future opportunities for prevention.
• 2013 Highlights from a workshop on opportunities for cancer prevention during preadolescence and adolescence.
• 2013 Correlates of intentional tanning among adolescents in the United States: a systematic review of the literature.
• 2012 Sunburn and sun protective behaviors among adults aged 18–29 years—United States, 2000–2010.
• 2011 Examination of the increase in thyroid cancer incidence among younger women in the United States by age, race, geography, and tumor size, 1999–2007.
• 2011 Dietary behaviors related to cancer prevention among pre-adolescents and adolescents: the gap between recommendations and reality.

Ms. Holman has led the production of five supplemental journal issues—

• In Pediatrics about cancer prevention during early life.
• In the Journal of Adolescent Health about cancer prevention during pre-adolescence and adolescence.
• In the American Journal of Preventive Medicine about cancer prevention during early adulthood.
• In the American Journal of Preventive Medicine about cancer prevention during midlife.
• In The Gerontologist about cancer prevention during older adulthood.

Ms. Holman offers her perspective in the blog post, The Bright Side of Going Dark.