TESTIMONIALS

Richard D. Schulick, MD, MBA, FACS

Professor & Chair of the University of Colorado, Department of Surgery

Director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center

The Aragón/Gonzalez-Gíustí Chair

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Dear Gary,

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Cancer League of Colorado’s partnership has been vital to the University of Colorado Cancer Center. We are humbled by your continued support. As we reflected on all we have accomplished together, we wanted to find a way to show the significant impact you have had on our ability to grow and lead as a cancer center. This report represents our longstanding relationship and highlights that what you have done for this campus has played a key role in our upward trajectory. We were hoping to be able to share this report with you in person, but are sending via email until we can get together once again.  Without a doubt, the work of the League has directly translated into improving lives, and saving lives.

With kind regards,

Rich

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Gary, 

Thanks to the vision of Cancer League of Colorado, we are improving the lives of patients throughout the Rocky Mountain region.

Since our partnership began in 1985, you have given us the resources to make significant strides in understanding and treating cancer. By helping us build a foundation of success, you are enabling decades of future research and clinical care at the University of Colorado Cancer Center. As we look forward to the opportunities ahead, we are most excited about providing the best possible care to our patients— care that is informed by the latest research and delivered by world-class health care professionals. By combining basic science, translational research and clinical care on one campus, we are transforming cancer care and rapidly changing the therapies available to patients.

Your investments in our research are investments in our future. Your partnership is where cures begin. Thanks to your support, we are able to create opportunities for our faculty, and fuel innovation and discovery. Thank you for joining us on this journey.

THANK YOU
With warm regards,

Richard

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CHRISTOPHER LIEU, MD

Division of Medical Oncology

In 2011, Dr. Lieu joined the CU Cancer Center following a fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He was attracted to CU Anschutz because of the outstanding faculty and collaborative culture. Today, his work is focused on drug discovery and novel therapeutics for cancer specific to detection and treatment of young-onset colorectal cancer. His team is bringing findings from the lab to clinical trials as quickly as possible. Private support is helping Dr. Lieu accomplish his ambitious research goals. He also leads the allocation of funding from Cancer League of Colorado to faculty with promising research.

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“Without private support, research doesn’t happen! With your partnership, we can fund research that otherwise would not be possible. Our researchers and patients are indebted to our community for pushing the field forward and creating an atmosphere of innovation.”

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BREELYN WILKY, MD

Division of Medical Oncology

Dr. Wilky was recently recruited to the CU Cancer Center in 2018 from the University of Miami. She is an expert in sarcomas, rare cancers of bone and soft tissue that affect all ages of patients, who desperately need new therapies. In addition to seeing patients, she oversees laboratory research and designs and runs clinical trials to find treatments that improve the immune system’s ability to kill sarcomas. Dr. Wilky also works with Dr. Lieu to allocate funding from Cancer League of Colorado to the most promising research ideas.

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“In cancer research, the distance between new discoveries in the laboratory and the patients waiting for early clinical trials is the smallest of any field in medicine. Particularly when we are studying immune therapies, it’s critical that we learn something from every single patient who is treated with these new drugs. With investigator initiated trials, and the additional support from Cancer League of Colorado, we have the critical resources to do exactly this. We study our patients’ immune systems in blood and tumors before and after therapy, identify the barriers, and try therapies in the lab that can improve the next generation of clinical trials for our patients. It’s bench to bedside and back again!”

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SANA KARAM, MD, PHD

Division of Radiation  Oncology

Dr. Karam joined the CU Cancer Center in 2013 following her residency training in radiation oncology at Georgetown University. At CU Anschutz, she treats head and neck
cancer patients, and manages a research lab. Dr. Karam uses experiences in the clinic to inform her research. When treatments fail or she sees opportunities to improve the
patient experience, she uses resources in her lab to create new cancer treatments. Being in the clinic also gives her the opportunity to see treatments in action to ensure a positive
quality of life for her patients. Dr. Karam’s specific research focus is on developing novel therapeutics for radiosensitization of head and neck cancers, and improving patient lives.

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“I most enjoy successfully treating cancer. But even when an aggressive cancer has spread throughout a patient’s body and no treatment is available, I feel I can serve an important role by helping them understand and decide among their options. In the lab, I am also fortunate to help develop next-generation therapies for our patients.”

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