Bradley Corr, MD, serves as the inaugural holder of the professorship.

Benjamin Bitler, PhD, will serve as the inaugural holder of the professorship, and his teaching and research will focus on early screening and detection of ovarian cancer. Dr. Bitler’s research centers on ovarian cancer, Wnt signaling and epigenetics. He is committed to the fight against cancer through his work to elucidate the impact of cancer-related signaling and epigenetic regulation.

This fund would not be possible without the generosity of Tom Dunton and the collaboration of Kian Behbakht, MD, Emily McClintock Addlesperger Endowed Chair in Ovarian Cancer; Saketh Guntupalli, MD, FACOG, FACS, Chief of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology; Cheryl Kisling in the Office of the President and Hayley Nelson in the Office of Advancement.

Carolyn Lefkowits, MD, will serve as the inaugural holder of the professorship, and her teaching and research will focus on ovarian cancer education for clinicians, patients and communities. The Innovation Fund will provide support for ovarian cancer research within the Division of Gynecologic Oncology.

Dr. Lefkowits is the director of the Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship Program. She was drawn to gynecologic oncology to help patients throughout the course of their illness, including surgical and non-surgical treatments, surveillance and follow-up care after treatment. She has an inherent love of the field and its collaborative nature, both among fellow clinicians and her patients. She also enjoys the intellectual challenge of caring for complex conditions her patients have and keeping up to date on the latest therapeutic options.

This professorship would not be possible without the generosity of the benefactors and the collaboration of Saketh Guntupalli, MD, FACOG, FACS, Chief of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Carrie Radant and Hayley Nelson in the Office of Advancement.

This chair helped us recruit Christine Walsh, MD, MS to CU Anschutz from Cedars Sinai. Dr. Walsh will be joining the University in January of 2021 as a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and has been named as the inaugural chair holder. Dr. Walsh will lead our new clinical operation in the Northern Colorado, which is focused on increasing access to care and bringing gynecologic cancer care closer to patients’ homes. In addition, by partnering with the cancer researchers on campus and nationwide, Dr. Walsh will be leading the development of the Cancer Genetics Research Program in women's health with a mission to identify individuals with an inherited susceptibility to developing cancer in order to provide patient-centered care that optimizes screening, prevention and treatment strategies.

Saketh R. Guntupalli, MD is the inaugural Karen M. Jennison Endowed Chair in Gynecologic Oncology. He is Associate Professor and Director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology. He formerly served as Vice-Chair for Clinical Affairs/Quality in the Department of OB-GYN and director of the fellowship program in gynecologic oncology. He received his undergraduate degree from the Johns Hopkins University and his medical degree from the University of Texas at Houston. After a 4-year residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Guntupalli completed an additional 3-year surgical fellowship in gynecologic oncology and advanced pelvic surgery at Washington University in St. Louis.

Dr. Guntupalli is a leading national and international expert in women’s cancer and has lectured all over the world on surgical expertise and molecular mechanisms of cancer. He has authored over 60 clinical papers and has led multiple collaborative research studies focused on improving post-operative surgical outcomes as well as identifying novel therapies for the treatment of ovarian and uterine cancer. With over $3,000,000 in independent research funding, Dr. Guntupalli has led the NRG collaborative research consortium at the University of Colorado Cancer Center for nearly 4 years. Dr. Guntupalli has as an additional expertise in sexual dysfunction broadly in cancer patients, and has authored a New York Times reviewed book and multiple editorials in Forbes. He serves on multiple national committees including the Chair of Legislative Affairs for the Society of Gynecologic Oncology and as well as serving on the executive committee of the Western Association of Gynecologic Oncologists. He is a member of the editorial board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Kian Behbakht, MD, is the inaugural Emily McClintock Addlesperger Endowed Chair in Ovarian Cancer. He is Professor of Gynecologic Oncology and Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs and Quality for the CU Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He also serves as Director of the Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship Training Program, and Director of the Gynecologic Tumor and Fluid Bank. Throughout more than two decades in gynecologic oncology, Dr. Behbakht has been a leading investigator, a surgeon, clinician, and a member of national ovarian cancer treatment steering committees. He has contributed more than 80 peer-reviewed manuscripts, and his independent ovarian cancer research laboratory has held National Cancer Institute and U.S. Department of Defense ovarian cancer research awards. He collaborates extensively and exchanges knowledge with the leading researchers in ovarian cancer. He is recognized as a national and international authority on ovarian cancer etiology and treatment. Dr. Behbakht was trained in ovarian cancer research and clinical care by the pioneers of ovarian cancer genetics at the University of Pennsylvania in the 1990s. Guided by his mentors, he has carried on the passion for eliminating suffering from ovarian cancer through prevention and early detection, as well as designing more effective treatments.

T. Rajendra Kumar, PhD, is the inaugural Edgar L., Patricia M. Makowski and Family Endowed Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology. He is Professor and Associate Vice Chair of Research for the Division of Reproductive Sciences. Dr. Kumar received his PhD in 1989 from the University of Delhi, India and his postdoctoral training at the Vollum Institute, Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, OR. He then moved to Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, as a Research Associate and became an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology and Molecular & Cellular Biology. In 2004, he moved to University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, where he became a Tenured Professor in the Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology and Director of the Center for Reproductive Sciences, Institute for Reproductive Health and Regenrative Medicine. He joined the Division of Reproductive Sciences in May 2016. His research was published in Nature, Nature Genetics, Cell, PNAS, J Clinical Investigation, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Journal of Biological Chemistry, Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, and Endocrinology. He also co-edited textbooks entitled "Transgenics in Endocrinology," and "Gonadotropins: From Bench Side to Bedside."

By endowing a chair, the Makowski family will create a lasting legacy and this financial support will give Dr. Kumar the resources needed to accelerate his research focused on understanding the physiology and molecular biology of the reproductive axis in health and disease.