CU Anschutz Gynecologic Oncology Winter/Spring 2026 Newsletter

May 7, 2026

Dr. Christine Walsh Named Division Chief of Gynecologic Oncology

We are pleased to announce that Christine Walsh, MD, MS, has been appointed Division Chief of Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine.

Dr. Walsh has been with the division for five years, leading the Ovarian Cancer Genetics program and a large clinical practice in Northern Colorado. She earned her undergraduate degree from Stanford University and her medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. After completing her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Mass General/Brigham and Women’s program in Boston, she completed her fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai. She then remained on the faculty at Cedars-Sinai/UCLA for 17 years before joining the University of Colorado Anschutz.

A nationally recognized leader in ovarian cancer, Dr. Walsh has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and holds numerous national leadership positions, including Program Chair for the 2026 Society of Gynecologic Oncology Annual Meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her research, clinical work, and mentorship continue to advance patient care, education, and innovation in women’s health.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Walsh on her new role and in supporting her leadership of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology.

CU Anschutz Gynecologic Oncology in the Media

Bradley Corr, MD, and Benjamin Bitler, PhD, launched a Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate a promising new combination therapy for treatment-resistant ovarian cancer, an important step that brings groundbreaking laboratory discoveries closer to patients and offers renewed hope for improved outcomes.

The team’s groundbreaking work has also gained national attention and was recently featured in:

• Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN): Resistant Ovarian Cancer Combination Therapy Shows Promise
• News Medical: New drug combination shows promise for overcoming resistance in ovarian cancer

UCHealth Nurse, Toni Moses, RN, continues to care for patients even as she faces her own diagnosis of stage IV ovarian cancer. Now participating in a clinical trial led by Dr. Brad Corr and the CU Anschutz Ovarian Cancer Innovations Group, Toni embodies resilience, compassion, and hope—turning her personal diagnosis into an opportunity to advance research and bring hope to future patients.

Bradley Corr, MD, addresses common misconceptions about cancer clinical trials, clarifying that participants are never “guinea pigs,” trials often build on standard care, and patients can self-refer or withdraw at any time. Understanding the facts helps patients explore cutting-edge treatments while contributing to research.

Division Announcements

The Division of Gynecologic Oncology recently attended the 2026 Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer in San Juan, Puerto Rico, proudly representing CU Anschutz through program leadership roles, presentations, session moderating, workshops, and more.

Christine Walsh, MD, MS, served as Program Co-Chair for the SGO meeting. She moderated the Scientific Plenary I – Advancing Science through Clinical Trials session and presented a poster.

Nicole Marjon, MD, PhD, served as a Program Committee Member for the SGO meeting.  She served as moderator for the Focused Forum VI – Translational Frontier and Rapid Fire Oral III – Translational and ADC sessions.

Bradley Corr, MD, presented an Oral Distillation for Scientific Plenary II – Transforming endometrial cancer care.

Benjamin Bitler, PhD, presented an Oral Distillation for Focused Forum VI – Translational Frontier.

Carolyn Lefkowits, MD, MPH, MS, served as workshop leader for the Program Director Network and as workshop faculty for Opening the Door: A framework for navigating prognosis conversations with confidence.

Lindsay Brubaker, MD, was the moderator for the poster tour, Targets, Tactics, and Therapies, and the workshop leader for Opening the Door: A framework for navigating prognosis conversations with confidence.

Saketh Guntupalli, MD, served as the moderator for the Helping Patients Thrive poster tour.

Kian Behbakht, MD, MBA, served as the poster tour moderator for a session detailing cutting edge biomarkers in ovarian cancer detection and gynecologic cancer treatment.

Jill Alldredge, MD, presented an Oral Distillation for the Tumor Board.

Stephanie Wang, MD (fellow), was a case presenter for the Tumor Board and a poster presenter

Katie Linder, MD (fellow), presented a poster, an Oral Abstract in Rapid Fire Oral III – Translational and ADC – Epigenetic drivers of FOLR expression in high-grade serous carcinoma, and received a grant from the Foundation for Women’s Cancer.

Daisy Cruz, MD (fellow), presented a poster and was a speaker for the LEAD program (Leadership, Engagement, and Action in Development).

Gynecologic Pathology Highlights

Research Accomplishments

Faculty within the Department of OB-GYN and Gynecologic Pathology have made significant contributions to advancing gynecologic cancer care through innovative research.

Rebecca Wolsky, MD, Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology, has implemented next-generation sequencing (NGS) and immunohistochemistry (IHC)–based approaches to enhance prognostication in endometrial carcinomas. Her work translates cutting-edge molecular tools directly into real-world clinical practice at our tertiary care center (Davies et al., Int J Gynecol Pathol., 2024). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37922951/

Amber Berning, MD,  Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology, has explored the biology of rare ovarian tumors, including mixed malignant germ cell tumors with glioblastoma transformation, providing critical insights that guide accurate diagnosis and individualized treatment strategies (Sylvester et al., Gynecol Oncol Rep., 2025). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41169947/

Brooke Liang, MD, Instructor/Fellow in the Department of Pathology,  has investigated folate receptor alpha (FRα/FOLR1) and HER2 expression in high-grade serous and endometrial carcinomas, improving scoring reproducibility and establishing new standards for biomarker evaluation that inform diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making (Liang et al., Int J Gynecol Pathol., 2026 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41217393/; McHenry et al., Histopathology, 2026).  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40769949/

Scholarly Presentations

Rebecca Wolsky, MD, Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology, presented on HPV-associated glandular lesions and mimics at the 2026 British Association of Gynecologic Pathologists (BAGP) Cervical Pathology Conference.

Miriam Post, MD, Professor in the Department of Pathology, discussed hereditary cancer syndromes in gynecologic pathology at the 2025 CU Genetic Counselors Educational Retreat, emphasizing the integration of genetics into clinical practice.

Brooke Liang, MD, Instructor/Fellow in the Department of Pathology, presented a project on anal cancer screening and surgical pathology–cytology correlation at the 2025 American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) Annual Meeting, supporting improved screening protocols.

Gynecologic Pathology Fellowship Achievement

The Gynecologic Pathology Fellowship continues to develop outstanding clinician-scientists:

Lynelle Smith, MD (2023–2024), contributed to studies on molecular classification of endometrial carcinomas and the management of rare thyroid carcinomas arising in struma ovarii. She has now joined the CU Anschutz faculty as an Assistant Professor in Gynecologic, Breast, and Cytopathology.

Ashlyn Fong, MD (2024–2025), advanced research in PI3K pathway mutations, ARID1A biomarker evaluation, and estrogen receptor status thresholds in endometrial cancers. She has joined the faculty at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada, continuing her trajectory of impactful scholarship and mentorship.

Meet the Faces of CU Anschutz Pathology at Gynecologic Oncology Multidisciplinary Conference (MDC)

• Amber Berning, MD, Associate Professor
• Miriam Post, MD, Professor
• Lynelle Smith, MD, Assistant Professor
• Rebecca Wolsky, MD, Associate Professor

These accomplishments highlight the Department of Pathology’s commitment to translating research into improved diagnostics, guiding personalized therapies, and mentoring the next generation of leaders in gynecologic pathology.

Upcoming Event

Jodi’s Race

Join the University of Colorado Anschutz Division of Gynecologic Oncology and the Colorado Gynecologic Cancer Alliance (CGCA) at City Park for the 17th Annual Jodi’s Race for Awareness on Saturday, June 13th, 2026. This event stands as the second-largest ovarian cancer run/walk in the nation. Join us in celebrating the strength of women who have fearlessly fought ovarian cancer, while also spreading vital awareness about this important cause!

Event Date: Saturday, June 13
Location: Denver’s City Park
Registration: jodisrace.org

Event Recaps

Hope and Healing: Gynecologic Cancer Survivorship and Beyond

The Hope and Healing: Gynecologic Cancer Survivorship and Beyond conference was hosted by the CU Anschutz Division of Gynecology Oncology and the Colorado Gynecologic Cancer Alliance (CGCA) on Thursday, February 5th, 2026, at the University of Colorado Anschutz Health Sciences Building (AHSB). The event connected patients, survivors, caregivers, and loved ones to support, resources, and community. Over 135 individuals joined for a day of learning, discussion, and questions. Navigating gynecologic cancers during and after treatment is challenging, but you don’t have to do it alone. Let’s continue to thrive together!

2024 3rd Annual Ovarian Cancer Think Tank Meeting Commentary 

The University of Colorado Anschutz Ovarian Cancer Innovations Group (OCIG) hosted its Annual Ovarian Cancer Think Tank Meeting. We published a second paper in the European Journal of Gynaecological Oncology, focusing on the use of AI and computational biology to explore tumor biology, pathology, and precision medicine in the management of rare ovarian cancer subtypes, such as carcinosarcomas. To read the resulting published commentary, please visit https://www.ejgo.net/articles/10.22514/ejgo.2026.002 

GynOnc Research Series

Curious about gynecologic cancer research but not a science expert?

Join the CU Anschutz Division of Reproductive Sciences (DRS), CU Anschutz Ovarian Cancer Innovations Group (OCIG), and the Colorado Gynecologic Cancer Alliance (CGCA) for a new quarterly virtual series highlighting the OB-GYN Department’s latest advances in gynecologic cancer prevention, detection, and treatment—presented in clear, accessible language for patients, caregivers, advocates, clinicians, and all interested in women’s health.

Join our next session! Email us at [email protected] to be added to the event contact list.

Research & Grants

Benjamin Bitler, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of OB-GYN, Wyatt Shields IV, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Bioengineering, and Courtney Bailey, PhD student, received the Grubstake Award from the CU Anschutz Gates Institute. Their project, “Macrophage Backpacks for Delivering Olaparib to High-grade Serous Carcinomas,” was awarded $300,000 over 2 years. The Gates Institute awarded $1.5 million from the Gates Grubstake Fund to CU researchers.

Taylor Benson, PhD, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Colorado Anschutz, was awarded the HERA Ovarian Cancer Foundation’s “Outside-the-Box” grant to study WNT4-driven metabolic remodeling for early detection of ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC). This research, funded in memory of Anne Emery Kyllo, explores how a common genetic variant increases WNT4 production, raising ovarian cancer risk, particularly in East Asian populations. 

Katharine Linder, MD, a Gynecologic Oncology fellow in the Department of OB-GYN, received the BRIDGES 2.0 Accelerator Research & Alice Chisolm Grant from the Foundation for Women's Cancer (FWC). She was recognized at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) 2026 Annual Meeting in April 2026 for her proposed research, "CXCR2 inhibition and macrophage polarization in the tumor immune microenvironment."

Faculty Profile: Rebecca Wolsky, MD

Rebecca Wolsky, MD, is Associate Professor and Director of Obstetric & Gynecological Pathology at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine. She serves as Program Director of the Breast and Gynecological Pathology Fellowship at CU Anschutz and began her term as co-chair of the Education Committee for the International Society of Gynecological Pathologists (ISGyP) in March 2025.

Dr. Wolsky attended Stanford University for her undergraduate degree in Linguistics. After finding her calling in medicine, she completed the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program at Columbia University in New York City, followed by medical school and residency at the University of Chicago. She returned to the west for Gynecologic Pathology and General Surgical Pathology fellowships at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). After attending for a few years at the San Francisco General Hospital with faculty appointment at UCSF, she joined the University of Colorado in 2019, along with her husband Dr. Corey Bills (Emergency Medicine, Global Health) and daughter, Aya.

Dr. Wolsky’s clinical and research focus is on endometrial and cervical pathology. She actively collaborates with gynecologic pathologists, oncologists, and basic science researchers on innovative, grant-funded projects, including ongoing work with Drs. Ben Bitler and Matt Sikora. Her research emphasizes the molecular and histopathologic characterization of gynecologic malignancies to improve patient risk stratification and treatment planning.

Her recent work includes studies on TP53 mutations in endometrial cancer, the role of HER2 in gynecologic oncology, and the use of next-generation sequencing for prognostication and clinical decision-making in endometrial cancers. Dr. Wolsky’s findings have been featured in journals such as the International Journal of Gynecological Pathology and Gynecologic Oncology. She is also an invited speaker at national and international conferences, including the Cervical Pathology-Pitfalls and Difficulties Conference of the British Association of Gynecological Pathology and the CU Ovarian Cancer Think Tank.

Through her clinical, research, and educational efforts, Dr. Wolsky is committed to advancing the understanding of gynecologic cancers while training the next generation of pathologists and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration to improve patient care.