Linda Ko, PhD

Dr. Ko is a Professor of Family Medicine and Population and Public Health Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine (KSOM) at the University of Southern California (USC), and the Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Family Medicine at USC. She is a Full Member of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and the inaugural Director of the Dissemination and Implementation Program at the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute (‘USC CTSI’). She has a broad background in behavioral science with specific training and experience in behavioral interventions, dissemination and implementation science, and participatory research approach. She has led multiple NIH (R24 MD008068, U01 MD010540-01, OT2HD107544-01) and CDC-funded trials (U48DP006398-01-01) to improve health outcomes in populations underrepresented in research. She has also mentored numerous early-career faculty to successfully build their research programs and be promoted through career ranks. She has published over 100 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals on topics of multi-level interventions, dissemination and implementation, and participatory research approach.

• Foregone Preventive Care and Unmet Mental Healthcare Needs Among U.S. Youth. Am J Prev Med. 2025 Aug; 69(2):107644.. View in PubMed
• Evaluation of an implementation support program for rural communities using a two-tiered, embedded framework. Cancer Causes Control. 2025 Jul 30.. View in PubMed
• “It’s not about me. It’s about what’s best for my community”: Factors impacting COVID-19 vaccine uptake among Native Americans and Latinos from two agricultural communities. J Rural Health. 2025 Jun; 41(3):e70057.. View in PubMed
• Corrigendum to “Reopening schools safely and educating youth (ROSSEY) study: Protocol for a community-based, cluster randomized controlled trial” [Contemporary Clinical Trials, 139 (2024) 107480]. Contemp Clin Trials. 2025 May; 152:107873.. View in PubMed
• Community leaders’ perceptions of pain and research engagement: Implications for participant diversity and inclusion in pain clinical trials. J Pain. 2025 Apr 08; 105389.. View in PubMed
• A Video Decision Aid Decreases Fear of Colonoscopy After an Abnormal Fecal Immunochemical Test Result: A Pilot Study. J Cancer Educ. 2025 Apr 05.. View in PubMed
• Perspectives of Hispanic and Latinx Community Members on AI-Enabled mHealth Tools: Qualitative Focus Group Study. J Med Internet Res. 2025 Feb 06; 27:e59817.. View in PubMed
• Patient Perspectives on Personalized Risk Communication Using Polygenic Risk Scores to Inform Colorectal Cancer Screening Decisions. AJPM Focus. 2025 Feb; 4(1):100308.. View in PubMed
• Promoting inclusion in COVID-19 research for diverse Hispanic/Latino(x) populations: Recommendations from the RADx® Underserved Populations Hispanic/Latino/Latinx working group. J Clin Transl Sci. 2025; 9(1):e31.. View in PubMed
• Implementation of a bilingual and bicultural navigation program for Hispanic children with traumatic brain injuries. Brain Inj. 2025; 39(9):730-741.. View in PubMed
• Financial toxicity among pediatric oncology families during therapy and early survivorship: a qualitative analysis. Support Care Cancer. 2024 Dec 17; 33(1):36.. View in PubMed
• Factors that shape COVID-19 pediatric vaccine decision-making in rural agricultural communities: A qualitative study. Vaccine. 2024 12 02; 42(26):126389.. View in PubMed
• Development of the Better Research Interactions for Every Family (BRIEF) intervention to support recruitment for neonatal clinical trials: an intervention mapping guided approach. Trials. 2024 Sep 12; 25(1):610.. View in PubMed
• Critical lessons from a pragmatic randomized trial of home-based COVID-19 testing in rural Native American and Latino communities. J Rural Health. 2024 09; 40(4):709-719.. View in PubMed
• Colonoscopy Outreach for Rural Communities (CORC): A study protocol of a pragmatic randomized controlled trial of a patient navigation program to improve colonoscopy completion for colorectal cancer screening. Contemp Clin Trials. 2024 06; 141:107539.. View in PubMed
• Reopening schools safely and educating youth (ROSSEY) study: Protocol for a community-based, cluster randomized controlled trial. Contemp Clin Trials. 2024 04; 139:107480.. View in PubMed
• Correction to: Financial navigation: staff perspectives on patients’ financial burden of cancer care. J Cancer Surviv. 2024 Apr; 18(2):631-632.. View in PubMed
• Examining cultural adaptations of the savvy caregiver program for Korean American caregivers using the framework for reporting adaptations and modifications-enhanced (FRAME). BMC Geriatr. 2024 01 20; 24(1):79.. View in PubMed
• The intersection of community engagement and team science research: A scoping review. J Clin Transl Sci. 2024; 8(1):e208.. View in PubMed
• Organization Theory for Implementation Science (OTIS): reflections and recommendations. Front Health Serv. 2024; 4:1449253.. View in PubMed
• Twenty years of capacity building across the cancer prevention and control research network. Cancer Causes Control. 2023 Dec; 34(Suppl 1):45-56.. View in PubMed
• Bilingual randomized controlled trial design, of a telephone-based intervention to promote rehabilitation adherence; A study focus on recruitment of Hispanic children with traumatic brain injury. Contemp Clin Trials. 2023 12; 135:107362.. View in PubMed
• Investigating the effects of rurality on stress, subjective well-being, and weight-related outcomes. Wellbeing Space Soc. 2023 Dec; 5.. View in PubMed
• Implementation studio: implementation support program to build the capacity of rural community health educators serving immigrant communities to implement evidence-based cancer prevention and control interventions. Cancer Causes Control. 2023 Dec; 34(Suppl 1):75-88.. View in PubMed
• The special sauce of the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network: 20 years of lessons learned in developing the evidence base, building community capacity, and translating research into practice. Cancer Causes Control. 2023 Dec; 34(Suppl 1):217-239.. View in PubMed
• Financial navigation: Staff perspectives on patients’ financial burden of cancer care. J Cancer Surviv. 2023 10; 17(5):1461-1470.. View in PubMed
• A Multi-Study Synthesis of Facilitators and Barriers to SARS-CoV-2 Testing Enrollment in School Settings. Pediatrics. 2023 07 01; 152(Suppl 1).. View in PubMed
• Reflections From School Communities in Underserved Populations on Childhood COVID-19 Vaccination. Pediatrics. 2023 07 01; 152(Suppl 1).. View in PubMed
• Publisher Correction: Factors impacting implementation of nutrition and physical activity policies in rural schools. BMC Public Health. 2023 Mar 21; 23(1):538.. View in PubMed
• Factors impacting implementation of nutrition and physical activity policies in rural schools. BMC Public Health. 2023 02 10; 23(1):308.. View in PubMed
• The community voices program to facilitate community-academic researcher partnerships: Stakeholder perspectives on the program’s usefulness. J Clin Transl Sci. 2023; 7(1):e237.. View in PubMed
• Factors influencing COVID-19 testing among Native Americans and Latinos in two rural agricultural communities: a qualitative study. Front Public Health. 2023; 11:1220052.. View in PubMed
• An agricultural community’s perspectives on COVID-19 testing to support safe school reopening. Front Public Health. 2023; 11:1215385.. View in PubMed
• The Impact of a Comic Book Intervention on East African-American Adolescents’ HPV Vaccine-Related Knowledge, Beliefs and Intentions. J Immigr Minor Health. 2022 Dec; 24(6):1489-1500.. View in PubMed
• Interventions to address cancer-related financial toxicity: Recommendations from the field. J Rural Health. 2022 09; 38(4):817-826.. View in PubMed
• Associations between neighborhood built environment, residential property values, and adult BMI change: The Seattle Obesity Study III. SSM Popul Health. 2022 Sep; 19:101158.. View in PubMed
• A pragmatic randomized trial of home-based testing for COVID-19 in rural Native American and Latino communities: Protocol for the “Protecting our Communities” study. Contemp Clin Trials. 2022 08; 119:106820.. View in PubMed
• Adaptation of a Mailed-FIT Kit and Patient Navigation Intervention to Increase Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Screening Among Spanish-Speaking Hispanic/Latino Patients. Hisp Health Care Int. 2022 06; 20(2):80-88.. View in PubMed
• Home Delivery of Water for Caries Prevention in Latinx Children (“Sediento por una Sonrisa,” Thirsty for a Smile): Protocol for a Single-Arm Feasibility Study. JMIR Res Protoc. 2022 Apr 15; 11(4):e37200.. View in PubMed
• How cancer programs identify and address the financial burdens of rural cancer patients. Support Care Cancer. 2022 Mar; 30(3):2047-2058.. View in PubMed
• School-Academic Partnerships in Support of Safe Return to Schools During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Pediatrics. 2022 02 01; 149(12 Suppl 2).. View in PubMed
• Implementation of School-Based COVID-19 Testing Programs in Underserved Populations. Pediatrics. 2022 02 01; 149(12 Suppl 2).. View in PubMed
• Mobilizing Established School Partnerships to Reach Underserved Children During a Global Pandemic. Pediatrics. 2022 02 01; 149(12 Suppl 2).. View in PubMed
• Feasibility and acceptability of home delivery of water for dental caries control in Latinx children-“Sediento por una Sonrisa,” Thirsty for a Smile: Single-arm feasibility study. Front Public Health. 2022; 10:916260.. View in PubMed
• Increasing Access to Organization Theories for Implementation Science. Front Health Serv. 2022; 2:891507.. View in PubMed
• Applying Theory to Explain the Influence of Factors External to an Organization on the Implementation of an Evidence-Based Intervention. Front Health Serv. 2022; 2:889786.. View in PubMed
• Does mailing unsolicited HPV self-sampling kits to women overdue for cervical cancer screening impact uptake of other preventive health services in a United States integrated delivery system? Prev Med. 2022 01; 154:106896.. View in PubMed
• The impact of medical tourism on cervical cancer screening among immigrant women in the U.S. BMC Womens Health. 2021 12 15; 21(1):414.. View in PubMed
• Rural Latino parent and child physical activity patterns: family environment matters. BMC Public Health. 2021 11 08; 21(1):2043.. View in PubMed
• BMI and related risk factors among U.S. Marshallese with diabetes and their families. Ethn Health. 2021 11; 26(8):1196-1208.. View in PubMed
• Participation and engagement of a rural community in Ciclovía: progressing from research intervention to community adoption. BMC Public Health. 2021 10 30; 21(1):1964.. View in PubMed
• Characterising percentage energy from ultra-processed foods by participant demographics, diet quality and diet cost: findings from the Seattle Obesity Study (SOS) III. Br J Nutr. 2021 09 14; 126(5):773-781.. View in PubMed
• Aligning implementation science with improvement practice: a call to action. Implement Sci Commun. 2021 Sep 08; 2(1):99.. View in PubMed
• The South Korean Government’s Response to Combat COVID-19 Misinformation: Analysis of “Fact and Issue Check” on the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website. Asia Pac J Public Health. 2021 07; 33(5):620-622.. View in PubMed
• The impact of an educational forum intervention on East African mothers’ HPV vaccine-related knowledge, attitudes, and intentions to vaccinate their adolescent children. Vaccine. 2021 06 23; 39(28):3767-3776.. View in PubMed
• “Blood pressure monitoring should be a habit”: adaptation of the Check. Change. Control. program for Asian American older adults, from group-based in-person to one-on-one telephone delivery. Transl Behav Med. 2021 06 17; 11(6):1244-1253.. View in PubMed
• Development of a theory-based HPV vaccine promotion comic book for East African adolescents in the US. BMC Public Health. 2021 06 14; 21(1):1137.. View in PubMed
• Development and evaluation of an online continuing education course to increase healthcare provider self-efficacy to make strong HPV vaccine recommendations to East African immigrant families. Tumour Virus Res. 2021 06; 11:200214.. View in PubMed
• “We understand our community”: implementation of the Healthy Eating Healthy Aging program among community-based organizations. Transl Behav Med. 2021 03 16; 11(2):462-469.. View in PubMed
• Managing Outliers in Adolescent Food Frequency Questionnaire Data. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2021 01; 53(1):28-35.. View in PubMed
• Factors Associated with Buying Medications Abroad by Nativity and Race/Ethnicity in the US. J Immigr Minor Health. 2020 Dec; 22(6):1184-1192.. View in PubMed
• Small increments in diet cost can improve compliance with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Soc Sci Med. 2020 12; 266:113359.. View in PubMed
• A cross-sectional analysis of physical activity and weight misreporting in diverse populations: The Seattle Obesity Study III. Obes Sci Pract. 2020 Dec; 6(6):615-627.. View in PubMed
• Why Aren’t Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Being Measured and What Role Do Cancer Researchers Play? Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2020 09; 29(9):1837-1839.. View in PubMed
• Private well stewardship within a rural, agricultural Latino community: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health. 2020 Jun 05; 20(1):863.. View in PubMed
• Employment Changes Following Breast Cancer Diagnosis: The Effects of Race and Place. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2020 06 01; 112(6):647-650.. View in PubMed
• Understanding the processes that Federally Qualified Health Centers use to select and implement colorectal cancer screening interventions: a qualitative study. Transl Behav Med. 2020 05 20; 10(2):394-403.. View in PubMed
• Finding Dr. Kim: Information Sources of Korean Immigrants’ Search for a Doctor in the U.S. Healthcare (Basel). 2020 Apr 09; 8(2).. View in PubMed
• Advancing the use of organization theory in implementation science. Prev Med. 2019 12; 129S:105832.. View in PubMed
• An application of the Science Impact Framework to the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network from 2014-2018. Prev Med. 2019 12; 129S:105821.. View in PubMed
• Psychosocial Factors of Diet and Physical Activity among Rural, Hispanic Children: Findings from a Multilevel Health Intervention Study. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2019 12; 6(6):1218-1227.. View in PubMed
• Rural-urban differences in financial burden among cancer survivors: an analysis of a nationally representative survey. Support Care Cancer. 2019 Dec; 27(12):4779-4786.. View in PubMed
• “We brought our culture here with us”: A qualitative study of perceptions of HPV vaccine and vaccine uptake among East African immigrant mothers. Papillomavirus Res. 2019 06; 7:21-25.. View in PubMed
• Use of Evidence-Based Interventions and Implementation Strategies to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening in Federally Qualified Health Centers. J Community Health. 2018 12; 43(6):1044-1052.. View in PubMed
• Reducing overuse of cervical cancer screening: A systematic review. Prev Med. 2018 11; 116:51-59.. View in PubMed
• The Impact of Written Emotional Disclosure on Cancer Caregivers’ Perceptions of Burden, Stress, and Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Health Commun. 2018 07; 33(7):824-832.. View in PubMed
• Food availability and food access in rural agricultural communities: use of mixed methods. BMC Public Health. 2018 05 16; 18(1):634.. View in PubMed
• Together We STRIDE: A quasi-experimental trial testing the effectiveness of a multi-level obesity intervention for Hispanic children in rural communities. Contemp Clin Trials. 2018 04; 67:81-86.. View in PubMed
• Adolescent Perspectives on Patient-Provider Sexual Health Communication: A Qualitative Study. J Prim Care Community Health. 2017 Oct; 8(4):332-337.. View in PubMed
• Ciclovia in a Rural Latino Community: Results and Lessons Learned. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2017 Jul/Aug; 23(4):360-363.. View in PubMed
• The impact of medical tourism on colorectal screening among Korean Americans: A community-based cross-sectional study. BMC Cancer. 2016 12 01; 16(1):931.. View in PubMed
• A Brief Community-Based Nutrition Education Intervention Combined With Food Baskets Can Increase Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among Low-Income Latinos. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2016 10; 48(9):609-617.e1.. View in PubMed
• Development of a Practical Model for Targeting Patient Decision Support Interventions to Promote Colorectal Cancer Screening in Vulnerable Populations. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2016; 27(2):465-78.. View in PubMed
• Job Talks and Interviews: How to Stand Out and Fit In: A Report from the American Society of Preventive Oncology Junior Members Interest Group. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2016 Jan; 25(1):224-5.. View in PubMed
• Race/Ethnicity and Primary Language: Health Beliefs about Colorectal Cancer Screening in a Diverse, Low-Income Population. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2015 Aug; 26(3):824-38.. View in PubMed
• Active living environment assessments in four rural Latino communities. Prev Med Rep. 2015; 2:818-23.. View in PubMed
• Understanding the patient-provider communication needs and experiences of Latina and non-Latina White women following an abnormal mammogram. J Cancer Educ. 2014 Dec; 29(4):781-9.. View in PubMed
• Understanding HPV vaccine uptake among Cambodian American girls. J Community Health. 2014 Oct; 39(5):857-62.. View in PubMed
• Information processing versus social cognitive mediators of weight loss in a podcast-delivered health intervention. Health Educ Behav. 2014 Apr; 41(2):197-206.. View in PubMed
• Gastric cancer in asian american populations: a neglected health disparity. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2014; 15(24):10565-71.. View in PubMed
• Cultural and linguistic adaptation of a multimedia colorectal cancer screening decision aid for Spanish-speaking Latinos. J Health Commun. 2014; 19(2):192-209.. View in PubMed
• Testing a Spanish-language colorectal cancer screening decision aid in Latinos with limited English proficiency: results from a pre-post trial and four month follow-up survey. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2012 Jun 12; 12:53.. View in PubMed
• An examination of sociodemographic, health, psychological factors, and fruit and vegetable consumption among overweight and obese U.S. veterans. Mil Med. 2011 Nov; 176(11):1281-6.. View in PubMed
• Information processes mediate the effect of a health communication intervention on fruit and vegetable consumption. J Health Commun. 2011 Mar; 16(3):282-99.. View in PubMed
• The Role of Giving and Receiving Emotional Support on Depressive Symptomatology among Older Couples: An Application of the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model. J Soc Pers Relat. 2011 Feb; 28(1):83-99.. View in PubMed
• Thoughts on being productive during a graduate program: the process and benefits of a peer working group. Health Promot Pract. 2011 Jan; 12(1):12-7.. View in PubMed
• Pilot weight control intervention among US veterans to promote diets high in fruits and vegetables. Prev Med. 2010 Sep-Oct; 51(3-4):279-81.. View in PubMed
• Mediators of fruit and vegetable consumption among colorectal cancer survivors. J Cancer Surviv. 2010 Jun; 4(2):149-58.. View in PubMed
• “It Turned My World Upside Down”: Latino Youths’ Perspectives on Immigration. J Adolesc Res. 2010 May; 25(3):465-493.. View in PubMed

• Jang, Yuri
• Oh, Hans
• Borson, Soo
• Lenz, Heinz-Josef
• Unger, Jennifer
• Haiman, Christopher
• Dunton, Genevieve
• Goran, Michael
• Klausner, Jeffrey