Tricia Scannell Laursen is President and Executive Director of DetecTogether, a national nonprofit advancing a patient-powered approach to earlier cancer detection. DetecTogether equips people with the skills to recognize meaningful health changes, know when to seek care, and work effectively with healthcare providers toward a timely and accurate diagnosis, effective care, and the best possible outcomes.
Tricia joined DetecTogether shortly after its founding by Jim and Nancy Coghlin and their family in 2009. Inspired by their determination to address the devastating consequences of delayed cancer diagnosis, she helped transform an important insight into a growing movement: screening is essential and earlier detection also relies on individuals recognizing when something is not right and knowing how and when to act.
Drawing on three decades of leadership experience in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, Tricia has led the development and expansion of 3 Steps Detect®, a practical, evidence-informed framework developed with guidance from DetecTogether’s medical advisors. It equips people with lifelong skills to recognize important health changes, seek care promptly, communicate clearly, and advocate for timely evaluation and appropriate follow-up.
Under her leadership, DetecTogether has evolved from an organization focused primarily on addressing this gap for teens and young adults into a scalable model serving people across the lifespan and reaching communities nationwide. Its programs and outreach initiatives now reach high school and college students, firefighters and first responders, employees, and community members through tailored live training, digital learning, train-the-trainer partnerships, and targeted social media campaigns that reinforce early detection skills and encourage earlier action. By working with schools, fire departments, employers, healthcare leaders, and community organizations, Tricia and the DetecTogether team are embedding these skills into the institutions and cultures that influence people’s everyday lives.
The impact extends beyond awareness to measurable action. In DetecTogether’s most recent long-term participant study, 94% reported at least one positive change in how they respond to health changes, seek care, or engage with healthcare providers following training. More than half—56%—had also encouraged someone else to seek medical care, extending the impact of the training to the people around them. Among those who noticed a concerning health change, 94% sought medical care, and 66% said 3 Steps Detect® contributed to an earlier evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment.
Tricia’s leadership is distinguished by mission clarity, continual improvement, and a commitment to placing real people at the center of every strategy. She has helped build an organization in which survivors become advocates, educators bring early detection skills to their students, and firefighters teach fellow firefighters how to respond to cancer risk with the same readiness they bring to every emergency.
In 2025, Tricia was named Healthcare Innovator of the Year by the Massachusetts-based Worcester Business Journal for advancing a patient-powered approach to earlier cancer detection. She holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Bentley University and an MBA from Clark University.
Her vision is ambitious and deeply practical: to make the skills, confidence, and support needed to act on potential cancer warning signs an advantage available to everyone.
