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When Natasha Allard's close friend Dave was diagnosed with stage 4 testicular cancer at age 26, the University at Buffalo postdoctoral associate started paying more attention to how cancer was upending the lives of young people.

At the time, Allard, Ph.D. '26, was working in marketing and communications at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. She learned that cancer is increasingly being diagnosed in young adults, while holding steady or declining in older adults.

This knowledge spurred Allard, who earned her MBA from UB in 2014, to pursue a doctorate in community health and health behavior. She wanted to focus on educating young adults about paying attention to their bodies, listening to their instincts and getting symptoms checked out sooner.

Under the mentorship of Heather Orom, Ph.D., associate professor of community health and health behavior in the School of Public Health and Health Professions, Allard completed her dissertation. She found many young adults waited months or even years after noticing symptoms to see a physician. She developed that study into an article published Aug. 22 in the journal Cancer Causes & Control.

Orom served as co-author, along with Thomas Feeley, Ph.D., SUNY distinguished professor in the UB Department of Communication, two researchers with Roswell Park and one with Hunter College's Department of Psychology.

According to the American Cancer Society, cancer now ranks among the five leading causes of death for adults ages 20 to 39.

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