Mary C. White, ScD, MPH

Mary C. White, ScD, is an epidemiologist with more than 20 years of varied experience at CDC in the conduct and application of population studies for public health. In her current position as Chief of the Epidemiology and Applied Research Branch in CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Dr. White leads a program of applied research and science dissemination to support CDC programs and partners and address national priorities in cancer prevention and control. She provides direction and supervisory guidance to a multidisciplinary team that includes epidemiologists, economists, behavioral scientists, medical officers, statisticians, health communicators, and other public health professionals. The branch contributes data and scientific expertise on cancer prevention and risk behaviors, the appropriate use of cancer screening tests, the cost and cost-effectiveness of preventive health services, coordination of services and quality of life after a cancer diagnosis (cancer survivorship), and innovations to reduce cancer health disparities.

Dr. White first joined CDC as an epidemiologist in the Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects within the National Center for Environmental Health. She later served as acting chief of the Air Pollution and Respiratory Health Branch and then as chief of the Health Investigations Branch at the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Prior to coming to CDC, she was a health scientist at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in Washington, D.C., and an expert with the International Labor Organization in charge of an intervention to improve the nutritional status and working conditions of women factory workers in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Dr. White received her undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester, a master of public health in epidemiology from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and a doctorate of science in epidemiology and occupational health from the Harvard School of Public Health. She has published and lectured widely on topics related to the control of asthma, cancer, and other chronic diseases, the risks associated with exposure to hazardous substances, and the interpretation of scientific evidence for public health. Dr. White has received numerous awards for both scientific achievement and leadership in management, including the Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service and the HHS Award for Excellence in Management. She is a fellow of the American College of Epidemiology, a Public Health Leadership Institute Scholar, and an adjunct professor in the Department of Environmental Health at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.

Selected recent publications Dr. White has authored or co-authored include—

• 2017 Cervical cancer screening and incidence by age: unmet needs near and after the stopping age for screening.
• 2016 Forward: Cancer prevention can start early and last a lifetime.
• 2016 Labeling cancer risk factors as lifestyle limits prevention activities across the life span.
• 2015 Public health’s future role in cancer survivorship.
• 2015 Preventing premature deaths from breast and cervical cancer among underserved women in the United States: insights gained from a national cancer screening program.
• 2014 Disparities in cancer mortality and incidence among American Indians and Alaska Natives in the United States.
• 2014 Age and cancer risk: a potentially modifiable relationship.
• 2014 Challenges in meeting Healthy People 2020 objectives for cancer-related preventive services, National Health Interview Survey, 2008 and 2010.
• 2013 Cancer prevention for the next generation.
• 2013 Highlights from a workshop on opportunities for cancer prevention during pre-adolescence and adolescence.
• 2013 Exploring opportunities for colorectal cancer screening and prevention in the context of diabetes self-management: an analysis of the 2010 National Health Interview Survey.
• 2013 Breast MRI use uncommon among U.S. women.
• 2012 The lack of paid sick leave as a barrier to cancer screening and medical care-seeking: results from the National Health Interview Survey.
• 2012 Use of lung cancer screening tests in the United States: results from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey.
• 2012 Characteristics of U.S. counties with no mammography capacity.
• 2012 Higher incidence of clear cell adenocarcinoma of the cervix and vagina among women born between 1947 and 1971 in the United States.