Laura Nathan, PhD

Laura Nathan is a medical sociologist and Professor Emerita of Sociology at Mills College. She is most recently retired from the teaching faculty in Sociology and Political Economy at University of California, Berkeley. A long-time volunteer with the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the ACS Cancer Action Network, she currently serves as a Board Member of the ACS Northern California Coastal Region and a California Legislative Ambassador. She has been involved with the work of the American Cancer Society at every level (local to national) and was Chair of the California Division Board of Directors 2009-2010. Her work in the cancer arena has focused on psychosocial aspects of cancer and access to care, with an emphasis on addressing disparities. From 2010 until 2013, she chaired the ACS California Access to Care team. From 2010 to 2013, she was integrally involved as a presenter at conferences and webinars bringing information about the Affordable Care Act to lay audiences. In 2010, she represented the American Cancer Society as a consultant to VINACOSH, the Vietnamese Tobacco Control Coalition, in their development of recommendations for nationwide tobacco control in Vietnam. Professor Nathan has participated in the development of portions of the last two iterations of the California Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan.