Leanne Burnham, PhD

Dr. Leanne Burnham is a Postdoctoral Fellow within the City of Hope Division of Health Equities whose research focuses on prostate cancer as it affects high-risk Black and Latino men. She obtained her B.S. in Biology at The University of Akron, and her initial clinical experience at the Minority Men’s Health Clinic within the Cleveland Clinic Department of Urology provided insight into how this disease affects men of color more aggressively. Dr. Burnham subsequently obtained her Ph.D. in Physiology from Loma Linda University School of Medicine. While there, she volunteered with a translational team implementing large-scale community-based health fairs that specifically targeted high-risk, underserved men from low-income neighborhoods.

Dr. Burnham partnered with other scientists, physicians, and nurses to successfully host Black Men’s Health Fairs providing prostate education and screening to over 500 men in California and New York. Dr. Burnham brought her passion and skill set to City of Hope in 2018. Since joining Dr. Rick Kittles’ multidisciplinary prostate cancer research team, she has spearheaded multiple health fairs offering PSA screening and education to diverse communities with many more planned in the pipeline. Her overall goal is to improve health outcomes in Black men with prostate cancer by encouraging earlier detection and informing patients of high-quality treatment options.