Whitney F. Maxwell

Whitney F. Maxwell, MS, MMSc

Languages spoken: English

Academic Information

Departments Adjunct - Internal Medicine , Adjunct - Huntsman Cancer Institute , Adjunct - Population Health Sciences

Divisions: Oncology

Research Interests

  • BRCA1/2 (Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome)
  • Breast Cancer Genetics
  • Cancer Genetics
  • Cancer Clinical Genetics Communication

Whitney Maxwell is a board-certified genetic counselor with a master’s degree in human genetics and genetic counseling from Emory University and a bachelors and master's degree from Brigham Young University in psychology. She is currently the Director of Huntsman's Inherited Cancer Research (ICR) Shared Resource and the Family Cancer Assessment Clinic. She has over 10 years experience as a clinical genetic counselor where she specializes in assessing genetic risk factors for breast and ovarian cancer including BRCA1/2, ATM, CHEK2, PALB2.

As ICR Director helps with project planning and insight into study feasibility for germline or high-risk cancer projects, manage utilization of genetic counseling or coordinator expertise on grant funded projects, oversee use of data including 30,000 gene positive or family history positive research participants with biospecimens, and pedigree expansion for hereditary cancer projects. Her personal research expertise includes hereditary breast and ovarian cancer screening, testing, and follow up care as well as expansion of hereditary cancer information to understudied populations in Utah. She also has a personal research interest in expanding access to genetic counseling and testing utilizing novel service delivery models and digital health tools.

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Madeo AC, Marable J, Kukhareva P, Kohlmann WK, Bradshaw RL, Maxwell W, Martin C, Davis-Rivera L, Ahsan MD, Borsato EP, Elkin EB, Kaphingst KA, Frey MK, Sharaf RN, Kawamoto K, Fiol GD, Schlechter C, Allen CG (2026). An exploratory mixed-methods study using the ELICIT framework to identify stakeholder-informed implementation strategies for a population health platform. BMC Health Serv Res.
  2. Zhong L, Bather JR, Goodman MS, Kaiser-Jackson L, Volkmar M, Bradshaw RL, Lorenz Chambers R, Chavez-Yenter D, Colonna SV, Maxwell W, Flynn M, Gammon A, Hess R, Mann DM, Monahan R, Yi Y, Sigireddi M, Wetter DW, Kawamoto K, Del Fiol G, Buys SS, Kaphingst KA (2025). Importance of Prior Patient Interactions With the Healthcare System to Engaging With Pretest Cancer Genetic Services via Digital Health Tools Among Unaffected Primary Care Patients: Findings From the BRIDGE Trial. Health Serv Res, 61(2), e14652.
  3. Ahsan MD, Kaphingst KA, Kohlmann WK, Bradshaw RL, Allen CG, Schlechter C, Kukhareva P, Maxwell W, Martin C, Davis-Rivera L, Madeo AC, Borsato EP, Frey MK, Kawamoto K, Fiol GD, Elkin EB, Sharaf RN (2026). Economic Evaluation of GARDE: A Digital Health Platform for Population-Level Hereditary Cancer Risk Assessment. JCO Oncol Pract, OP2500708.
  4. Yang R, MacInnis RJ, Milne RL, Nguyen-Dumont T, Maxwell WF, Genkinger JM, Glendon G, Kathleen Cuningham Foundation Consortium for Research Into Familial Breast Cancer kConFab, Ross EA, Andrulis IL, Colonna SV, Daly M, John EM, Kurian AW, Terry MB, Hopper JL, Southey MC, Phillips KA, Li S (2026). Risks of non-breast, non-ovarian cancers for BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variant carriers: a prospective cohort study. BMC Med, 24(1).
  5. Del Fiol G, Borsato E, Bradshaw RL, Bian J, Woodbury A, Gauchel C, Eilbeck KL, Maxwell W, Ellis K, Madeo AC, Schlechter C, Kukhareva PV, Allen CG, Kean M, Elkin EB, Sharaf R, Ahsan MD, Frey M, Davis-Rivera L, Kohlmann WK, Wetter DW, Kaphingst KA, Kawamoto K (2025). GARDE-Chat: a scalable, open-source platform for building and deploying health chatbots. J Am Med Inform Assoc, 33(3), 593-602.
  6. Guziak M, Chavez-Yenter D, Sears E, Gammon A, Lumpkins CY, Maxwell WF, Phillips L, Taber P, Del Fiol G, Kaphingst KA (2026). Views on a Chatbot for Cancer Family History Collection among Leaders of Hispanic and Pacific Islander Communities in Utah. Public Health Genomics, 29(1), 55-72.
  7. Yi Y, Kaiser-Jackson L, Bather JR, Goodman MS, Chavez-Yenter D, Bradshaw RL, Chambers RL, Espinel WF, Hess R, Mann DM, Monahan R, Wetter DW, Ginsburg O, Sigireddi M, Kawamoto K, Del Fiol G, Buys SS, Kaphingst KA (2025). Bridging Technology and Pretest Genetic Services: Quantitative Study of Chatbot Interaction Patterns, User Characteristics, and Genetic Testing Decisions. J Med Internet Res, 27, e73391.
  8. Brock PL, Webster M, Liyanarachchi S, Byrne L, Hedges DJ, Gulhati P, Hicks JK, Chan CHF, Onel K, Stout LA, Maxwell W, Pickarski JC, Estrada-Veras J, Salhia B, Axell L, Holman LL, Abdel-Rahman MH, Ringel MD (2025). Germline POT1 Variants in a Pan-Cancer Cohort. JCO Precis Oncol, 9, e2400946.
  9. Dean M, Jowers B, Conley C, Camacho E, Espinel W, Kaphingst KA (2025). Acceptability of the ePOWER intervention: Managing previvors' cancer-related uncertainty and supporting decision making. PEC Innov, 6, 100402.
  10. Zhong L, Rodriguez Y, Espinel W, Ozanne EM, Kaphingst KA (2024). Investigating genetic counselors' communication with Lynch syndrome patients about cascade testing: Barriers, facilitators, and strategies. J Genet Couns, 34(2), e1937.
  11. Bather JR, Goodman MS, Harris A, Del Fiol G, Hess R, Wetter DW, Chavez-Yenter D, Zhong L, Kaiser-Jackson L, Chambers R, Bradshaw R, Kohlmann W, Colonna S, Espinel W, Monahan R, Buys SS, Ginsburg O, Kawamoto K, Kaphingst KA, BRIDGE research team (2025). Social vulnerability and genetic service utilization among unaffected BRIDGE trial patients with inherited cancer susceptibility. BMC Cancer, 25(1), 180.
  12. Kaphingst KA, Kohlmann WK, Lorenz Chambers R, Bather JR, Goodman MS, Bradshaw RL, Chavez-Yenter D, Colonna SV, Espinel WF, Everett JN, Flynn M, Gammon A, Harris A, Hess R, Kaiser-Jackson L, Lee S, Monahan R, Schiffman JD, Volkmar M, Wetter DW, Zhong L, Mann DM, Ginsburg O, Sigireddi M, Kawamoto K, Del Fiol G, Buys SS (2024). Uptake of Cancer Genetic Services for Chatbot vs Standard-of-Care Delivery Models: The BRIDGE Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open, 7(9), e2432143.
  13. Poteet B, Ali N, Bellcross C, Sherman SL, Espinel W, Hipp H, Allen EG (2022). The diagnostic experience of women with fragile X-associated primary ovarian insufficiency (FXPOI). J Assist Reprod Genet, 40(1), 179-190.
  14. Harriman JW, Espinel WF, Vagher J, Gammon A (2022). BRCA1/2 Variants Identified Through Tumor Genomic Profiling: Assessing Genetic Counseling Outcomes. JCO Precis Oncol, 6, e2100375.
  15. Mooney R, Espinel W, Elrick A, Kehoe K, Kohlmann W, Kaphingst KA (2021). Uptake of genetic counseling and multi-gene panel testing among women in the Intermountain West with previous negative BRCA1 and BRCA2 results contacted for updated testing. J Genet Couns, 31(2), 470-478.
  16. Chavez-Yenter D, Kimball KE, Kohlmann W, Lorenz Chambers R, Bradshaw RL, Espinel WF, Flynn M, Gammon A, Goldberg E, Hagerty KJ, Hess R, Kessler C, Monahan R, Temares D, Tobik K, Mann DM, Kawamoto K, Del Fiol G, Buys SS, Ginsburg O, Kaphingst KA (2021). Patient Interactions With an Automated Conversational Agent Delivering Pretest Genetics Education: Descriptive Study. J Med Internet Res, 23(11), e29447.
  17. Kaphingst KA, Kohlmann W, Chambers RL, Goodman MS, Bradshaw R, Chan PA, Chavez-Yenter D, Colonna SV, Espinel WF, Everett JN, Gammon A, Goldberg ER, Gonzalez J, Hagerty KJ, Hess R, Kehoe K, Kessler C, Kimball KE, Loomis S, Martinez TR, Monahan R, Schiffman JD, Temares D, Tobik K, Wetter DW, Mann DM, Kawamoto K, Del Fiol G, Buys SS, Ginsburg O, BRIDGE research team (2021). Comparing models of delivery for cancer genetics services among patients receiving primary care who meet criteria for genetic evaluation in two healthcare systems: BRIDGE randomized controlled trial. BMC Health Serv Res, 21(1), 542.
  18. Chavez-Yenter D, Kimball K, Kohlmann W, Chambers R, Bradshaw R, Espinel W, Flynn M, Gammon A, Goldberg E, Hagerty K, Hess R, Kessler C, Monahan R, Temares D, Tobik K, Mann D, Kawamoto K, Del Fiol G, Buys S, Ginsburg O, Kaphingst K (2021). Investigating Patient Interactions with an Automated Conversational Agent Delivering Pre-test Genetics Education: A Descriptive Study. J Med Internet Res.
  19. Koptiuch, C, Espinel, W, Kohlmann, W, Zhao, J, Kaphingst, K (2021). Implications of Multigene Panel Testing on Psychosocial Outcomes: a Comparison of Pancreatic and Breast/Ovarian patients. JCO Precis Oncol, 5, 235-244.
  20. Koptiuch C, Espinel WF, Kohlmann WK, Zhao J, Kaphingst KA (2021). Implications of Multigene Panel Testing on Psychosocial Outcomes: A Comparison of Patients With Pancreatic and Breast or Ovarian Cancer. JCO Precis Oncol, 5.
  21. Sutherland N, Espinel W, Grotzke M, Colonna S (2020). Unanswered Questions: Hereditary breast and gynecological cancer risk assessment in transgender adolescents and young adults. J Genet Couns, 29(4), 625-633.
  22. Moody EW, Vagher J, Espinel W, Goldgar D, Hagerty KJ, Gammon A (2022). Comparison of Somatic and Germline Variant Interpretation in Hereditary Cancer Genes. JCO Precis Oncol, 3, 1-8.
  23. Greenberg S, Buys SS, Edwards SL, Espinel W, Fraser A, Gammon A, Hafen B, Herget KA, Kohlmann W, Roundy C, Sweeney C (2019). Population prevalence of individuals meeting criteria for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer testing. Cancer Med, 8(15), 6789-6798.
  24. Moody, E, Vagher, J, Espinel, W, Goldgar, D, Hagerty, K, Gammon, A (2019). Comparison of Somatic and Germline Variant Interpretations in Hereditary Cancer Genes. JCO Precis Oncol, 3, 1-8.
  25. Espinel W, Charen K, Huddleston L, Visootsak J, Sherman S (2015). Improving Health Education for Women Who Carry an FMR1 Premutation. J Genet Couns, 25(2), 228-38.
  26. Allen EG, Grus WE, Narayan S, Espinel W, Sherman SL (2014). Approaches to identify genetic variants that influence the risk for onset of fragile X-associated primary ovarian insufficiency (FXPOI): a preliminary study. Front Genet, 5, 260.

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