Dannell D. Boatman, EdD, MS

Assistant Professor

Organization:

West Virginia University School of Medicine

Department:

Cancer Prevention and Control

Classification:

Faculty

Member

Organization:

West Virginia University WVU Cancer Institute

Department:

WVU Cancer Institute Research Programs

Classification:

Faculty

• MS, Kansas State University, 2016
• EdD, AT Still University of Health Sciences, 2020
• MS, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2023

Dannell Boatman, EdD, MS, is a health communication researcher with the WVU Cancer Institute and an Assistant Professor in the WVU School of Medicine, Department of Cancer Prevention and Control. Her research focuses on advancing health communication strategies to improve cancer outcomes in rural communities. She specializes in translating scientific evidence into clear, actionable messaging across clinical, community, and digital settings. Her work integrates communication and behavioral sciences with community insights to make health information effective, accessible, and actionable.

As director of the Communicating for Health in Appalachia by Translating Science (CHATS) Lab, she leads interdisciplinary research to design communication interventions that resonate with rural populations and drive positive health behaviors. She and her team launched the CHATS Core at the WVU Cancer Institute to support researchers and practitioners in translating their research to different audiences to amplify the impact of their work.

Dr. Boatman’s path to research was shaped by early work as a practice facilitator in rural West Virginia primary care clinics, where she helped implement evidence-based strategies to increase cancer screening rates. This practical experience deepened her understanding of rural health challenges and inspired her pursuit of graduate training. She completed postdoctoral training at the WVU Cancer Institute where she honed her expertise in cancer prevention and control and developed an independent research agenda in cancer communication science. Since her faculty appointment in 2023, she has advanced this research agenda by serving as principal investigator or other key personnel on federal and private foundation grants.

She was selected as a 2023 Putnam Scholar (Academy of Communication in Healthcare) and a 2024 Research Scholar (WV Clinical and Translational Science Institute). She serves on the American Cancer Society’s National Lung Cancer Roundtable Stigma and Nihilism Task Group, the World Health Organization’s Health Information Integrity Alliance, and the editorial board of PEC Innovation.

CHATS Lab

Dr. Boatman’s research focuses on improving cancer outcomes in rural communities by advancing practical interventions grounded in communication, behavioral, and knowledge translation sciences. Her work spans health communication within clinical, community, and digital spaces with an appreciation and recognition of Appalachian cultural contexts. She uses mixed methods approaches to design research that reflects the populations she serves to ensure her work is effective, accessible, and actionable.