Bio
As Director of Scientific Affairs, Caitlin Nichols, PhD, supports scientific strategy and execution, with a particular focus on lung cancer risk and screening guidelines, science communication, and participant-centered research. Caitlin also leads the Lung Cancer Genetics Study in collaboration with more than 20 lung cancer advocacy groups and the 23andMe Research Institute.
Previously, Caitlin served as a Research Director at AllStripes, Inc., where she directed scientific communications strategy and led multiple real-world data studies supporting drug development in rare diseases. Prior to that, she supported the Health Product team at 23andMe, Inc.
Caitlin holds a PhD in Biological and Biomedical Sciences from Harvard University. Her research, based at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, focused on identifying new ways to target cancer cells based on structural changes to their DNA. She earned her undergraduate degree in molecular biology from Brigham Young University, with a minor in editing.
As someone who benefits from enhanced cancer screening due to a family history of the disease, Caitlin’s commitment to this work is deeply personal, rooted in the belief that everyone at risk should benefit from information about and access to life-saving cancer screening, irrespective of who they are or where they live.
Outside of her professional work, Caitlin has tap danced since childhood. She enjoys urban hiking with her pitbull mix while listening to podcasts and hunting for new pastry spots. She is also an avid fan of live theatre and never misses an opportunity to see a new show on or off Broadway.