University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Hematology Clinical Trials Unit Leadership

The Hematology Clinical Trials Unit is led by Daniel Pollyea, MD, Derek Schatz, and Natalie Pfenning.

Daniel Pollyea, MD

Associate Professor, Division of Hematology

I believe in finding the best, most cutting edge treatments to personalize care for my patients. View more on my CU Doctors Profile.

Derek Schatz

Clinical Research Operations Manager

My name is Derek Schatz, and I am the Clinical Research Operations Manager for the HCTU. I have been with the Division of Hematology for ten and a half years, with nine of those years being dedicated to the HCTU. During this time, it has been very exciting to see the tremendous growth that has occurred, and it has really been a remarkable team to contribute to and be a part of. The success of the HCTU and the Division of Hematology is truly a testament to all of the great employees that it is made up of.

Outside of work, most of my time is spent chasing around my three kids and all of their activities. My wife Codi, and three children (Brayden, Lily, and Blakely) along with Timber our Golden Doodle love to spend time in the mountains, and the beautiful outdoors of Colorado whenever we have a break in the action.

Natalie Pfenning

Clinical Research Manager

My name is Natalie Pfenning (previously Natalie Monson), and I am the Clinical and Regulatory Supervisor for the HCTU. I’ve been with the team five years as of April 2021.

Prior to joining the HCTU, I graduated in May 2010 from the University of Kansas (Rock Chalk!) with a BA in Human Biology. Following graduation, I worked at KU Med in a basic science laboratory studying traumatic brain injury then moved into the clinical research field in March 2013, specializing in islet cell transplantation research at Northwestern University in Chicago. In 2016, we decided to move from Chicago to Denver and I landed a CRC role with the HCTU, and have loved learning the hematology/oncology landscape over the last several years!

Outside of work, I spend the majority of time hanging out with my family- my husband Will, our dogs Berkeley and Hobbs, our son, Theo, and daughter, Elsie. We love exploring Colorado whether it’s hot or cold, spending time on the slopes in winter or hiking and enjoying afternoons on the patio in the summer.