About eight years ago, when a cardiologist told Colorado businessman Kerry Hicks, “I don’t have the greatest news for you,” and said he had pulmonary hypertension, Hicks had never heard of it before. The cardiologist told him what he was facing, and Hicks says the news struck him as “borderline between horrible and poor.”
Then the cardiologist told Hicks, “You will be pleased to know that the foremost internationally preeminent expert in pulmonary hypertension is located in our fair city, Dr. Badesch.”
Hicks says that by the time he and his wife went to see David Badesch, MD, a week later, he had “over-consumed literature” about pulmonary hypertension and found it “terrifying, mostly confusing, and always exhausting.”
Hicks adds: “I showed up sleep deprived. I had this high anxiety. And we’re in the exam room, and in walks Dr. Badesch. And the first thing that struck me was his calm bearing. I remember thinking, ‘That’s fantastic. That’s exactly what I need – a caring, compassionate, considerate, empathetic, engaging expert with listening skills. And I left feeling a profound sense of peace for the first time in weeks. If you’re a clinician, and your patient leaves and they feel a sense of peace, they’re in the right hands.”
Now, Hicks and his wife are returning the favor. Through a generous donation, they have established the Kerry and Megan Hicks Endowed Chair in Pulmonary Hypertension. Badesch, a University of Colorado Department of Medicine faculty member, has been named the inaugural holder of the chair.
→ More on endowed chairs in the CU Department of Medicine
The chair was announced Aug. 1 at a celebration on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, attended by the Hicks and Badesch families, colleagues, and other well wishers. The event was moved to a larger room in the Anschutz Health Sciences Building than originally planned because so many wished to attend. Among those on hand was Richard Krugman, MD, who was CU School of Medicine dean for 25 years.
Badesch is a professor in the CU Department of Medicine’s Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine and director of its Pulmonary Hypertension Program. He practices at the UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital pulmonary vascular disease clinic. His association with CU and the hospital date back to his fellowship in pulmonary disease 35 years ago.
In addition to his clinical skills, the chair recognizes Badesch’s decades of renowned research, contributing to the development of therapies for pulmonary hypertension.
→ First Holder of Endowed Chair Seeks to Help ‘Define the Ideal Patient Experience’
In his remarks at the celebration, CU Department of Medicine Chair Vineet Chopra, MD, MSc, thanked Kerry and Megan Hicks for their generosity. He noted that not that many years ago, “when patients were admitted with pulmonary hypertension, it was almost a terminal diagnosis. There were very few treatments. There was very little we could do for patients besides hope, pray, and provide very basic medications. All that has changed, largely because of the work that has been done here at CU Anschutz for many years. Your gift and your generosity will help ensure that that type of work continues for many years to come.”
Kerry Hicks is co-chairman at HW Investment Partners, and CEO and president of KMG Capital Partners. He formerly was CEO and chairman of Healthgrades, which he founded.
Chopra said Badesch and his team “have earned a worldwide reputation for excellence in the field of pulmonary hypertension. Dave has led many of the key clinical trials that have informed how to deliver innovative care to our patients.”
Chopra noted that pulmonary hypertension “is not a single-organ disease. It affects many other organs besides the lungs. This chair will support important research collaborations across many disciplines, including pulmonary cardiology, pediatrics, cardiothoracic surgery, interventional radiology, pathology, and others.”
Today, he said, “we have 15 therapies and growing for pulmonary hypertension currently approved by the FDA. And Dave and his team have had a leadership role in developing many of these drugs.”
In his remarks, Badesch also thanked Kerry and Megan Hicks, calling them “among the very most kind, generous, and thoughtful people I’ve ever met.” He said the couple “shares our desire to advance medical research in the area of pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary vascular disease.”
He also paid tribute to a long list of people who had supported his life and career, many of whom were in attendance, including his wife, Melanie, and their daughters; Chopra and other university leaders present and past; Fernando Holguin, MD, and his predecessors as pulmonary sciences division head; members of his pulmonary hypertension team; other donors; mentors; and colleagues.
“Our goals are simple: To lead in patient care, research, and training,” Badesch said. “This wonderful endowment that the Hicks have given us will help us in all three of those areas, and we're incredibly grateful.”
Kerry Hicks said he and his wife were proud to help “maintain the very high standards of excellence that Dr. Badesch and his team have set in pulmonary hypertension here at the university in perpetuity.”
Addressing Badesch, Hicks said: “Dr. Badesch, I came to you in desperate need, in a dark place, relying on your exceptional expertise. And you gave me that, and my family that, and so much more.” He added: “We’re so grateful to you, to your team, for everything you’ve done for me and my family, and for all your patients.”
In addition to establishing the endowed chair, Kerry and Megan Hicks also donated generously to create the Kerry and Megan Hicks Endowed Lectureship in Pulmonary Hypertension, a fund to support for a lectureship series in the Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine focused on pulmonary hypertension.
Photo at top: From left, CU Department of Medicine Chair Vineet Chopra, MD, MSc; Kerry and Megan Hicks; and David Badesch, MD, with medals recognizing the creation of the Kerry and Megan Hicks Endowed Chair in Pulmonary Hypertension, on Aug. 1, 2024, at the Anschutz Health Sciences Building. Photo by Mark Harden | CU Department of Medicine.