REPORT TO OUR COMMUNITY 2023
OUR VISION Passionate individuals and teams delivering a cancer-free frontier through scientific discovery and human touch
CONTENTS FROM O UR LEADERS
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Message from Our CEO MARY BECKERLE, PHD
Together, We Are Moving Mountains DON MILLIGAN, MBA
FEATURES
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Lifted in Body, Mind, & Spirit SPENCER KIRK
A Place of Healing, Hope, & Promise REBECCA CRESSMAN
Overcoming Distance as a Disparity & Other Inequities in the Area We Serve
A ME S SAG E FROM OUR
C EO
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untsman Cancer Institute’s vision is to deliver a cancer-free frontier through scientific discovery and human touch. What does this mean? It means relentlessly working to advance cancer science, improving access to lifesaving care, preventing more cancers, and relieving the suffering of individuals and families impacted by cancer. This will not be accomplished in one act alone. Our drive to deliver a cancer-free frontier has already begun and will not stop until we have pushed past all boundaries of what we currently know and understand about cancer, bringing forth new knowledge, new cures, and new hope. Consider this: just six weeks after dedicating the major cancer hospital expansion on our campus, the Kathryn F. Kirk Center for Comprehensive
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What do we mean by delivering a cancer-free frontier? It
means relentlessly progressing toward a future where cancer is eliminated for every individual in every community. — M A RY BEC K ER L E , P HD Huntsman Cancer Institute CEO
Cancer Care and Women’s Cancers, we announced plans for a second comprehensive cancer center site for Huntsman Cancer Institute in Utah County. The Kathryn F. Kirk Center and our planned campus in Utah County will increase access for thousands of people, bringing world-class cancer care closer to home. These enable us to open doors for the next generation of scientists and cancer care providers. The incredible impact of the Kathryn F. Kirk Center was made possible by a community of donors as well as our devoted providers and staff, united to make a difference for cancer patients. And our dream to establish a
comprehensive cancer center in Vineyard, Utah, is catalyzed by a lead matching gift of $75 million from the Huntsman Foundation—the largest single donation from the Jon M. and Karen Huntsman family to Huntsman Cancer Institute since its founding. Yet one family cannot do it alone—it is up to each of us to stand side by side to help bring world-class cancer care to patients and families who need it now. Learn how you can take part at huntsmancancer.org/vineyard. To our patients throughout Utah, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming—or wherever you may be—YOU are why we are here. We commit to working each and every day to bring the world’s best in compassionate, science-based care to more communities. From our mobile screening clinic to our community clinic locations, from affiliate hospitals in neighboring states to new frontiers, our patients will find places of caring, places of love, and places with leading-edge treatments to ensure the best possible outcomes anywhere on the planet, right here in the Mountain West.
The next Huntsman Cancer Institute location in Vineyard, Utah.
L EAR N MO R E : huntsmancance r.org/ v i n eya rd
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fter many years of planning, anticipation, and effort, we opened the Kathryn F. Kirk Center for Comprehensive Cancer Care and Women’s Cancers in the summer of 2023. This monumental achievement was supported by many internal and external partners who encouraged and supported us during every phase of this project. With the efforts of nearly 250 construction workers each day at its peak and more than one million hours of work spanning three years, the Kathryn F. Kirk Center brings Huntsman Cancer Institute’s footprint at the flagship location to more than one million square feet. Yet the significance goes beyond the physical size and architectural skill. The positive impacts will be felt throughout the Mountain West, across our country, and around the world. To put it into perspective, the Kathryn F. Kirk Center was built with 320 tons of rebar, equivalent to the weight of a Boeing 747, and 2,323 tons of steel, comparable to the weight of 72 loaded buses. Crews literally and figurately moved a mountain to build this building. These remarkable feats associated with design and construction
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Don Milligan at the tour of the surgical floor of the Kathryn F. Kirk Center.
TOGETHER, WE ARE
M OV I N G M O U N TA I N S
not only symbolize the strength and integrity of the new space, but they also reflect the people we are dedicated to serving. Other key features of the 220,000-square foot expansion include 48 inpatient rooms, 20 exam rooms, four stateof-the-art operating rooms, specialty blood and marrow transplant services, and more space for our Wellness and Integrative Health Center. On behalf of the Huntsman Cancer Institute leadership team, I extend heartfelt gratitude to the Kirk family, construction workers, architects, valued partners, generous donors, and the full Huntsman Cancer Institute team whose instrumental roles brought the Kathryn F. Kirk Center to life. Your collective expertise and commitment to excellence characterized by professionalism and dedication have created a remarkable new physical space and fortified our mission to understand, diagnose, treat, and ultimately end cancer. This mission guides all we do and finds a powerful expression in the Kathryn F. Kirk Center. It showcases our unwavering commitment to
translating knowledge into tangible impact. The dedicated floor for breast and gynecologic cancers is a testament to our resolve to tackle specific cancer challenges head-on, while the expanded Wellness and Integrative Health Center reflects our holistic approach to patient well-being. The addition of new inpatient rooms and four operating suites enable us to advance our capabilities further and extend our reach, making a positive difference in the lives of those with cancer. Thank you for your exceptional contributions. Your commitment to our mission and the relentless pursuit of progress is truly remarkable. It is an honor to stand alongside you.
Cancer Hospital Executive Director
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LIFTED IN
B O DY, M I N D, & SPI RI T
Kristen and Spencer Kirk, their daughters, and Theresa Werner, MD, at the dedication of the Kathryn F. Kirk Center.
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Images of Kathryn F. Kirk Center by Architectural Nexus, Inc., archnexus.com
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risten and I are grateful for the foresight and vision of Jon and Karen Huntsman that enabled the creation of Huntsman Cancer Institute, which provides the gift of hope to so many individuals and their families. We recognize the work of the hundreds of dedicated employees and the leadership at Huntsman Cancer Institute that facilitated the creation of the Kathryn F. Kirk Center for Comprehensive Cancer Care and Women's Cancers. This expansion is possible only because of the significant community of generous donors who joined the Kirk family to make this remarkable facility a reality. My mother, Kathryn Fairbanks Kirk, was born and raised in Salt Lake City; she graduated from the University of Utah and was enjoying a successful career when she met widower Donald Angus Kirk, MD. Kathryn married Don, taking in his three young children. She embraced her role as wife and mother as they added seven more children to their family.
While raising 10 children, Kathryn continued serving and enriching the community with her considerable talents. It is noteworthy what Jon M. Huntsman, Sr. said, and I heard it: “Kathryn could run any Fortune 500 company.” Excelling in every endeavor, Kathryn was a talented musician, author, educator, and church and community leader. Her powerful example, radiant personality, and irrepressible optimism inspired and lifted those around her. Devastatingly, we lost Kathryn to metastatic cancer in 1984. She was 57. On the first floor of this magnificent building is a tribute to Kathryn that concludes with the following: “May all who enter through these doors find the hope they seek, be touched by the healing hands of God, and lifted in body, mind, and spirit.”
SPEN C E R KIRK 09
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s a professional radio and television broadcaster, I’ve educated the community about all kinds of cancer for decades. I have encouraged people to support cancer research and be proactive with their health—telling listeners and viewers to get their screenings on schedule. And for women, to get their mammograms, know their breast density, learn their family history, and any other factor that could raise their risk. I leaned into breast cancer in particular, because it took both my grandmother’s and my mother’s life. My mother fought it with all the treatments that were available. She so wanted to live. She loved life. One of my most vivid memories, when she was back on chemo again, was her singing karaoke to classic R&B songs and dancing with her grandkids while bald and leaning on a walker. Because of my family history, I began getting annual mammograms at age 35. I shared my screening appointments on radio and television in public service campaigns—always with the camera angle from behind, of course. In July 2019, I was called back after my routine mammogram. A follow up ultrasound and biopsy revealed I had Stage 2b breast cancer, the ‘b’ indicating it had spread to my lymph nodes. It was scary and sobering. Soon, I was at Huntsman Cancer Institute in the expert hands of my surgical superhero, Dr. Jane Porretta, and the outstanding oncologist Dr. Mei Wei.
Step by step, I was given support from genetic counselors who searched but didn’t find a genetic mutation in my DNA, radiation oncologists, and passionate, knowledgeable nurses in every area of the hospital—whether in surgery, radiation therapy, infusion, or while lying face down in MRIs or face up in CAT scans. My loving husband and sons were respectfully welcomed and patiently educated during my hospital stays. I’ll never forget the tender care I received in my most helpless moments in the ICU. Each morning that I’d arrive for chemo infusion or radiation, I’d drive the hour from my home and up the winding path to the cancer hospital, its giant, mirrored walls reflecting the mountains and valleys below. It became much more than a place of diagnosis and treatment. There is an anthropological research theory called Cultural Geography. It looks at how people ascribe meaning to places, buildings, and locations. The new Kathryn F. Kirk Center has profound meaning. It may appear to be made of bricks and mortar, glass and steel, but to cancer survivors, it’s a visible symbol of our collective hopes and dreams. It symbolizes a continuous commitment to provide the most advanced cancer care in the world. On behalf of all who will walk through the doors, I thank you for giving all of us a new beginning—a place of healing, hope, and promise.
REBECCA CRE S S M AN Huntsman Cancer Institute breast cancer patient and guest of honor at the Kathryn F. Kirk Center dedication.
From left to right: Mei Wei, MD, Rebecca Cressman, and Jane Porretta, MD
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A PLACE OF
H EA L I N G, H O PE, & P RO M I S E
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The new Kathryn F. Kirk
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Center has profound meaning. To cancer survivors, it’s a
visible symbol of our collective hopes and dreams. — R EBECCA CRE S S M A N
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Karen Huntsman, right, and cancer survivor Patricia Cabrera cutting the ribbon at the dedication of the Kathryn F. Kirk Center.
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OVERCOM ING
D ISTA N C E AS A DISPARIT Y & OTHER INEQUITIES IN
THE AREA WE SERVE A
bout 50% of cancers can be prevented through healthy behaviors and cancer screening. Yet the ability to access quality care is a key component in determining cancer risk and outcomes. So are economics.
eliminate this inequity if we are to meaningfully reduce the pain and suffering due to cancer.”
In the United States, the poverty level for a family of four is defined by an annual income of $30,000 or less. “Unfortunately, people living in poverty have a far greater likelihood of getting almost every type of cancer,” says David Wetter, PhD, senior director of cancer health equity science and director of the Center for Health Outcomes and Population Equity (HOPE) at Huntsman Cancer Institute. “It’s critical to
Huntsman Cancer Institute is committed to understanding cancer and using that knowledge to improve care for everyone in our designated area of service, the Mountain West—a vast region that includes all of Utah, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming. “These rural, frontier, and diverse populations face major challenges in cancer prevention and care,” says Neli Ulrich, PhD, MS, chief scientific officer and executive director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Huntsman Cancer Institute. “We view the area we serve with a deep sense of responsibility and are committed to designing, implementing, and delivering strategies to reduce the burden of cancer across all communities.”
Igmu, the Turtle Island Tales mascot, tries dry meat in a video about how to make traditional First Nations foods, part of the CAIRHE 2gether program wellness kit.
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The Center for Health Outcomes and Population Equity (HOPE) team
In 2023, the Center for HOPE, in partnership with the Montana State University Center for American Indian and Rural Health Equity (CAIRHE), received a multimillion dollar grant as part of the National Cancer Institute’s Persistent Poverty Initiative. Funding will support two major projects, called HOPE and CAIRHE 2gether. Chelsey Schlechter, PhD, MPH, is a researcher at Huntsman Cancer Institute and assistant professor of population health sciences at the University of Utah. Her project will address social and economic factors in Utah that relate to tobacco use. Tobacco usage greatly increases the risk of cancer and is heavily concentrated in areas where people experience poverty and are medically uninsured.
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Emily Tomayko, PhD, RD, is a CAIRHE researcher and assistant professor in health and human development at Montana State University. Her project will address environmental and economic factors related to obesity and increased cancer risk in Native American populations across four Mountain West states. This project utilizes Turtle Island Tales, a culturally tailored, home-based wellness program to reach families and educate them through recipes, activities, videos, and more. “HOPE and CAIRHE 2gether establish the foundation to address poverty as a fundamental cause of cancer-related health inequities across Montana and Utah, as well as additional states,” says Ulrich. “We are thrilled about this important new partnership and the potential it has to improve health in communities more at risk.”
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These rural, frontier, and diverse populations face major challenges in cancer prevention and care. We are committed to designing, implementing, and
delivering strategies to reduce the burden of cancer across all communities. — N E L I UL R I C H, P HD, MS
Chief Scientific Officer Comprehensive Cancer Center Executive Director
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BY THE NUMBERS STAT I S T I C S F ROM J U LY 2 0 2 2 -J U N E 2023
RESEARCH
662 533 325 263 $238M 46
Research
PROJECTS
Trainees
ADVANCING
Clinical TRIALS
Research TEAMS
Cancer Research INVESTMENT
First-in-Human PHASE I TRIALS
Proton Therapy
Surgical
Inpatient
TREATMENTS
CASES
STAYS
Radiation
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TREATMENTS
Radiology
19
PROCEDURES
Infusion VISITS
87
Outpatient VISITS
111 175 236 548
*Includes all Huntsman Cancer Institute locations
CLINICAL CARE An Average Day*
WE ARE NOT SLOWING DOWN. These are just some of the ways we are delivering a cancer-free frontier in the coming year: A second mobile screening clinic to serve rural communities farthest from a major medical center More engagement with communities across the area we serve, including Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Montana, and Wyoming Bringing innovative research from the labs to our clinics, giving patients access to the newest and best treatments today
Created by Huntsman Cancer Institute’s Communications and Public Affairs team H UNTSMAN CANCER IN S T IT UT E, A N AT IO N AL CA NC E R I NS T I T U T E - DE S I G NAT E D CO M PR E HE NS I V E C A NCE R CE N TE R © 2 0 2 3 - SA LT L A K E C I T Y, U TA H