Whitney F. Maxwell

Whitney F. Maxwell, MS, MMSc

Languages spoken: English

Academic Information

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

Divisions: Oncology

Academic Office Information

Whitney.Maxwell@hci.utah.edu

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. 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 (2026). Risks of non-breast, non-ovarian cancers for BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variant carriers: a prospective cohort study. BMC medicine, 24(1),
  2. Guziak M, Chavez-Yenter D, Sears E, Gammon A, Lumpkins CY, Maxwell WF, Phillips L, Taber P, Del Fiol G, Kaphingst K (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.
  3. 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 C (2026). An exploratory mixed-methods study using the ELICIT framework to identify stakeholder-informed implementation strategies for a population health platform. BMC health services research,
  4. 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 K (2026). 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 services research, 61(2), e14652.
  5. 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 R (2026). Economic Evaluation of GARDE: A Digital Health Platform for Population-Level Hereditary Cancer Risk Assessment. JCO oncology practice, OP2500708.
  6. 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 (2026). GARDE-Chat: a scalable, open-source platform for building and deploying health chatbots. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 33(3), 593-602.
  7. 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 M (2025). Germline POT1 Variants in a Pan-Cancer Cohort. JCO precision oncology, 9, e2400946.
  8. 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 K (2025). Bridging Technology and Pretest Genetic Services: Quantitative Study of Chatbot Interaction Patterns, User Characteristics, and Genetic Testing Decisions. Journal of medical Internet research, 27, e73391.
  9. Dean M, Jowers B, Conley C, Camacho E, Espinel W, Kaphingst K (2025). Acceptability of the ePOWER intervention: Managing previvors' cancer-related uncertainty and supporting decision making. PEC innovation, 6, 100402.
  10. Zhong L, Rodriguez Y, Espinel W, Ozanne EM, Kaphingst K (2025). Investigating genetic counselors' communication with Lynch syndrome patients about cascade testing: Barriers, facilitators, and strategies. Journal of genetic counseling, 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 tea (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 S (2024). Uptake of Cancer Genetic Services for Chatbot vs Standard-of-Care Delivery Models: The BRIDGE Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA network open, 7(9), e2432143.
  13. Poteet B, Ali N, Bellcross C, Sherman SL, Espinel W, Hipp H, Allen E (2023). The diagnostic experience of women with fragile X-associated primary ovarian insufficiency (FXPOI). Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics, 40(1), 179-190.
  14. Harriman JW, Espinel WF, Vagher J, Gammon (2022). BRCA1/2 Variants Identified Through Tumor Genomic Profiling: Assessing Genetic Counseling Outcomes. JCO precision oncology, 6, e2100375.
  15. Mooney R, Espinel W, Elrick A, Kehoe K, Kohlmann W, Kaphingst K (2022). 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. Journal of genetic counseling, 31(2), 470-478.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. 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 precision oncology, 5, 235-244.
  19. 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 K (2021). Patient Interactions With an Automated Conversational Agent Delivering Pretest Genetics Education: Descriptive Study. Journal of medical Internet research, 23(11), e29447.
  20. Koptiuch C, Espinel WF, Kohlmann WK, Zhao J, Kaphingst K (2021). Implications of Multigene Panel Testing on Psychosocial Outcomes: A Comparison of Patients With Pancreatic and Breast or Ovarian Cancer. JCO precision oncology, 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. Greenberg S, Buys SS, Edwards SL, Espinel W, Fraser A, Gammon A, Hafen B, Herget KA, Kohlmann W, Roundy C, Sweeney (2019). Population prevalence of individuals meeting criteria for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer testing. Cancer medicine, 8(15), 6789-6798.
  23. 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 precision oncology, 3, 1-8.
  24. Moody EW, Vagher J, Espinel W, Goldgar D, Hagerty KJ, Gammon (2019). Comparison of Somatic and Germline Variant Interpretation in Hereditary Cancer Genes. JCO precision oncology, 3, 1-8.
  25. Espinel W, Charen K, Huddleston L, Visootsak J, Sherman S (2016). 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 S (2014). Approaches to identify genetic variants that influence the risk for onset of fragile X-associated primary ovarian insufficiency (FXPOI): a preliminary study. Frontiers in genetics, 5, 260.

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