Larissa White, PhD, MPH, CPH, is an Investigator at the Institute for Health Research. Dr. White’s research focuses on cancer epidemiology and health services, with a special interest in prevention, early detection, and diagnosis of gynecologic, peritoneal, and gastrointestinal cancers. She is currently conducting research on clinical outcomes of genetic testing for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) syndrome.

Dr. White completed her doctoral training in public health and epidemiology at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she also received her Master of Public Health degree. Her past research includes disparities in diagnosis of cancer of unknown primary (CUP), and disparities in screening and diagnosis of cervical cancer. Dr. White also completed field work in infectious disease diagnosis and care, including HIV/AIDS and tropical diseases.

Selected Research:

• Improving Strategies for Cancer Reduction Through Early-detection and Engagement (I-SCREEN)

To reduce cancer-related mortality by rapidly investigating emerging, novel screening technologies in diverse study cohorts to ensure that efficacious new technologies have broad reach to decrease, and not widen, cancer-related health disparities.

• Funder: National Cancer Institute
• Study End Date: 12/31/2027


• Genetic Risk Analysis in Ovarian Cancer (GRACE)

To implement and assess the feasibility of an ovarian cancer traceback testing program, an approach that identifies living and deceased patients with a prior diagnosis of ovarian cancer who may have an unrecognized pathogenic genetic variant associated with increased cancer risk and offer genetic testing to the proband and their family members to improve detection.

• Funder: National Cancer Institute
• Study End Date: 02/29/2025

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