Chancellor Don Elliman welcomed generous benefactors and community members to a live panel discussion titled “How we are Redefining the Future of Cancer Care with the University of Colorado Cancer Center” on July 23.
The discussion featured CU Cancer Center leaders who shared insights on how researchers and clinicians have been working around the clock to advance cancer treatments and care throughout the COVID-19 crisis. The panelists highlighted the importance of support for clinical trials, the use of telehealth to reach more individuals, and the need for more research to eliminate health disparities affecting cancer patients.
CU Cancer Center Director Richard Schulick, MD, MBA, FACS, underlined the value of philanthropic support for investigator-initiated trials (IITs), which are critical for developing new treatments and therapies for cancer patients. “Philanthropy allows us the ability to pursue high-risk, high-reward projects that could result in the next great cure,” he said.
CU Cancer Center Deputy Director James DeGregori, PhD, emphasized the importance of philanthropy in helping facilitate collaboration across disciplines to spur big discoveries, noting that the CU Cancer Center uses philanthropic resources to “purposefully connect basic scientists and clinicians.”
Chancellor Elliman explained that the CU Cancer Center’s work is essential to realizing the vision of the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. “No one from the Rocky Mountain region will have to travel beyond this campus to receive the finest care in the world,” he said.
The panelists highlighted that the pandemic has not put a hold on scientific discovery. “Great medical advancements are made during a crisis,” noted CU Cancer Center Deputy Director Cathy Bradley, PhD. “Nothing focuses you like a crisis.”
Guest contributor: Courtney Keener, CU Anschutz Office of Advancement