Niketta Womack is a lecturer in the Environmental and Health Sciences department.
Dr. Niketta Womack is an Epidemiologist, data scientist, and U.S. Public Health Service officer with more than 17 years of experience in disease surveillance, data analysis, outbreak response, and public health data systems. She serves as the Lead for the Data Analytics and Visualization Team within the National Wastewater Surveillance System at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where she oversees a multidisciplinary team focused on analyzing, visualizing, and interpreting wastewater data related to emerging infectious diseases.
Dr. Womack earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Georgia State University, her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from Tulane University, and her Doctor of Public Health from Georgia Southern University. She has spent her career at federal agencies, including the CDC and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where she has held key leadership roles supporting national surveillance initiatives and emergency response efforts during events such as the COVID-19 and Zika outbreaks.
At Spelman College, Dr. Womack teaches Introduction to Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Practice. She enjoys helping students make meaningful connections between public health theory and real-world application. Her classroom is a space where curiosity and critical thinking are encouraged, and where each session will incorporate case studies or current events to engage students in discussion and problem-solving.
What excites Dr. Womack most about the field of epidemiology is its power to uncover patterns, inform public health action, and tell stories through data. She is passionate about helping students understand the relevance and impact of epidemiology in their everyday lives and future careers.
Teaching at Spelman is especially meaningful to Dr. Womack. As someone who spent three transformative years at Clark Atlanta University and remains connected to the Atlanta University Center community, she values the opportunity to support and uplift the next generation of Black women scholars and changemakers.
Outside of work, Dr. Womack enjoys hosting Sunday dinners, planning themed gatherings for friends and family, traveling to new places, volunteering in her community and finding joy in everyday moments. She brings this same energy and intentionality into her classroom by creating a welcoming environment where students feel seen, supported, and inspired.
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