Susan Wojcicki’s family is supporting research into earlier lung cancer detection and expanding public awareness through the foundation named after the former YouTube chief executive.
Her husband, Dennis Troper, mother, Esther Wojcicki, and sisters, Anne and Janet Wojcicki, discussed her life and their work in an interview published by Silicon Valley Girl on 5 November 2026. The conversation covered her approach to raising five children, her cancer diagnosis and the research she helped initiate.
The Susan Wojcicki Foundation, which launched on 12 May 2026, focuses on identifying lung cancer risk, improving detection and supporting prevention research. Its public education campaign now includes a YouTube channel and collaborations with digital creators.
A diagnosis without respiratory symptoms
Wojcicki received a late-stage lung cancer diagnosis in 2022, aged 54. According to the foundation’s account, she was an active runner who had never smoked and had no respiratory symptoms.
After her diagnosis, she brought together researchers, clinicians and technology specialists to explore the disease’s causes and possible treatments. The foundation says her work supported more than 20 projects across 14 institutions, including the establishment of the Lung Cancer Genetics Study.
She died in 2024 at the age of 56.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 10% to 20% of lung cancers in the United States occur among people who have never smoked or have smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes during their lifetime. Other risk factors include radon, secondhand smoke and certain environmental or workplace exposures.
Genetics study seeks 10,000 participants
The Lung Cancer Genetics Study aims to recruit 10,000 people diagnosed with the disease. The project examines genetic information alongside participants’ health histories and experiences.
Adults aged 18 or older who live in the United States and have received a lung cancer diagnosis may qualify. Participation involves consent procedures, research surveys and, for eligible new participants, a saliva sample for genetic analysis.
The study provides eligible participants with access to genetic testing at no cost. Its organisers state that the service does not provide a lung cancer diagnosis or a lung cancer-specific genetic health report.
The foundation works with the 23andMe Research Institute and more than 20 lung cancer advocacy organisations on the project. Qualified researchers can apply to access de-identified genetic and questionnaire data through a controlled-access database.
Research targets gaps in early detection
The foundation has also announced a partnership with Brown University and Brown University Health Cancer Institute to establish a collection of biological samples for lung cancer research.
The project includes samples from people with early-stage disease and those who do not qualify for existing screening programmes.
Another supported project involves the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Researchers are working towards a blood-based test to identify people who have never smoked but face a higher risk of lung cancer.
In the United States, the US Preventive Services Task Force recommends annual low-dose CT screening for adults aged 50 to 80 with at least a 20 pack-year smoking history who currently smoke or quit within the previous 15 years.
A 20 pack-year history is equivalent to smoking one pack a day for 20 years. The task force’s recommendation weighs reduced lung cancer mortality against risks including false-positive results, unnecessary procedures and radiation exposure.
Foundation brings awareness campaign to YouTube
The foundation’s YouTube initiative brings its education work to the platform Wojcicki led for nearly a decade. Its campaign addresses misconceptions about who develops lung cancer and shares information about research and early detection.
Alongside its video content, the foundation provides graphics, short videos, social media templates and discussion materials for creators, partner organisations and the public.
