The Beat Detecting Cancer Before Symptoms: Trudy McKanna on How GRAIL’s Galleri Test Is Transforming Early Detection
About Trudy McKanna:
Trudy McKanna is an accomplished medical affairs leader with extensive experience across medical education, field medical strategy, and people management. Currently serving as Senior Field Medical Director at GRAIL, she brings more than two decades of expertise spanning oncology, organ health, genetics, and medical ethics. Prior to GRAIL, she spent nine years at Natera in progressively senior roles, including Senior Director of Medical Affairs for Organ Health, where she led medical strategy, built and managed high-performing teams, and shaped national KOL engagement efforts across transplant and renal genetics. Her background includes over a decade as a genetic counselor and supervisor at Spectrum Health, leadership roles in professional organizations such as the Michigan Association of Genetic Counselors, and academic appointments with Michigan State University. As co-founder and vice president of the Rockford Food Allergy Network, she also helped strengthen community education and advocacy around food allergy awareness. Trudy holds a Master of Science in Genetic Counseling from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science in Biology/Biochemistry from Hope College.
Things You’ll Learn:
- Early detection significantly changes survival outcomes; identifying cancer before it metastasizes can quadruple five-year survival rates.
- Multi-cancer early detection utilizes cell-free DNA and methylation patterns to detect signals from over 50 cancers with a simple blood draw.
- Adding this test to standard screening results in seven times more cancers being found, with over half detected at early stages.
- The false-positive rate is exceptionally low at 0.4%, making it viable for population-scale screening.
- Access and equity improve significantly when screening can be conducted in primary care settings, mobile units, employer sites, and underserved communities.
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