Donation establishes the Elwood V. Jensen Scholars Program in the Section of Hematology/Oncology at UChicago Medicine

Inspiring tomorrow’s leaders in cancer research

BY KATE DOHNER

An $11.4 million gift from anonymous donors will establish the Elwood V. Jensen Scholars Program in the Section of Hematology/Oncology at the University of Chicago Medicine. Designed to grow the next generation of leaders in oncology research, the program offers exceptional trainees sufficient resources and time to devote to rigorous research that informs innovations in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

The donors were motivated by the impact UChicago Medicine has had in advancing discovery and treatment of cancer, naming the program after the late Elwood V. Jensen, PhD, a professor emeritus at the University of Chicago. Jensen received the Lasker Award in 2004 for his work establishing the role

of hormones in cancer and pioneering chemotherapy, helping to radically change the way doctors treat the disease.

The inaugural Elwood V. Jensen Scholar, Fred Howard, MD, recently completed his third year as a medical oncology fellow at UChicago Medicine.

Embracing unconventional approaches

“Elwood V. Jensen’s spirit of scientific curiosity and willingness to embrace alternative approaches led to the development of new treatments that have since helped millions,” said Sonali M. Smith, MD, Elwood V. Jensen Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Section of Hematology/Oncology.

Like Jensen, Howard takes an out-of-thebox approach to his study of breast cancer, using multiple streams of data, including artificial intelligence and clinical information, to make clinically relevant predictions. Through this work, Howard seeks to identify which patients will respond well to chemotherapy, while also better predicting which patients’ disease is likely to recur.

“We use artificial intelligence to look at factors that a pathologist may not be able to see and that aren’t necessarily intuitive,” Howard said. “By combining information across different areas, like genetics and pathology, we’ve been able to outperform other models and more accurately predict risk of recurrence.”

Using this model, Howard hopes to decrease delays in treatment and reduce the cost of care, while also providing a tool that can be used anywhere. “I would like to evaluate these approaches in low-resource settings to impact the health of women with breast cancer worldwide,” he said.

With funding as the inaugural Elwood V. Jensen Scholar, Howard seeks to transition to more independent research, eventually building his own lab and acquiring additional resources to speed his work.

In May 2022, Howard received a Young Investigator Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology, bestowed on promising young physicians to support their career development and encourage quality research.

Building and sustaining a strong team

The Elwood V. Jensen Scholars Program bolsters the mission of UChicago Medicine’s planned new cancer center, which will be Chicago’s first freestanding clinical cancer center. The endowed fund will support generations of promising young physician-scientists.

“We cannot create a world-class facility that reimagines cancer care without an outstanding team of expert physicianscientists,” said Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, Director of the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Thanks to this generous gift, we will be able to empower the next generation of cancer researchers who will be trained by our exceptional faculty to push the boundaries of what is possible.”

YESTERDAY | Elwood V. Jensen, PhD, conducted groundbreaking research that led to estrogen receptor-based therapies for breast cancer. TODAY | Fred Howard, MD, inaugural Elwood V. Jensen Scholar, uses artificial intelligence and other data to help identify which breast cancer patients will respond well to chemotherapy and whether cancer will recur.