Newark, New Brunswick, & Blackwood, NJ
Professor
Division of Advanced Nursing Practice
Newark Health Sciences
SSB 1119A
(862) 228-1131
Specialty: Social Epidemiology, Social & Structural DOH, Health & Nursing Education, Health Promotion Pedagogy, Culture & Health, Public Health, Global Health
Dr. William D. Kernan is a social epidemiologist and Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) whose research examines how social and educational contexts influence health outcomes, health behavior, and access to well-being across diverse populations. Situated at the intersection of public health, social epidemiology, and health professions education, his scholarship investigates health disparities, prevention, the relationships between health and learning, and the communication and interpretation of health information, with particular attention to advancing health equity. A central focus of his work is advancing evidence-based practice and educational innovation in graduate health sciences education, including the role of curricular design, competency-based frameworks, and knowledge translation strategies in preparing future health professionals. His scholarship also emphasizes systematic review methodology, epidemiologic reasoning, and data literacy as foundations for integrating research evidence into education, clinical decision-making, and population health practice.
Dr. Kernan brings more than two decades of experience in public health practice, research, and higher education. Early in his career, he worked internationally as a U.S. Peace Corps Child Survival Officer and as a Health Monitoring Specialist with the United Nations World Food Programme, contributing to maternal and child health initiatives in Africa. His work addressed food systems, micronutrient deficiency malnutrition, lactation education, oral rehydration therapy, growth monitoring, well-baby clinics, and community and school-based gardens. These experiences shaped his long-standing commitment to population health, health equity, and culturally responsive health promotion.
While completing his graduate education, Dr. Kernan served as Director of Student Wellness and Health Education at both Vassar College and Columbia University Medical Center. During this time, he began a program of research examining the relationships between health and academic learning among graduate health sciences students. His work has contributed to scholarship on health-related barriers to learning and the role of health promotion within academic environments. Over the course of his career, Dr. Kernan has secured over $4 million in applied research funding to support community and educational health initiatives.
Dr. Kernan has served as a university faculty member for more than two decades and teaches courses in population health, health disparities, epidemiology, health education, research methods, leadership, health policy, and health interventions. He previously served two terms as chair of the Department of Public Health at William Paterson University, where he was a tenured professor of public health.
Health Education, Social Epidemiology, Population Health, Cultural Competence, Food Systems
Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)