Director's Welcome Message
Cornelia Ulrich, MS, PhD
Mary C. Beckerle Presidential Endowed Chair in Cancer Research and Leadership
Professor of Population Health Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
As we approach the renewal of our federal designation as a top cancer center, we enter a pivotal and exciting moment for Huntsman Cancer Institute. Every five to seven years, Huntsman Cancer Institute undertakes the rigorous process of renewing our National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center designation—a milestone that invites both reflection and forward vision. Following our 2019 “Exceptional” review and highest score in our history, we have continued to build remarkable momentum, advancing high-impact work to meet the urgent needs of the Area We Serve.
Renewing our Comprehensive Cancer Center designation is demanding work, but it is also a valuable moment to take stock of how far we’ve come, how our research is improving care and prevention, and where we’re headed with confidence and shared purpose. In the last seven years, Huntsman Cancer Institute has further strengthened its impact.
Our progress has been fueled by sustained support for cutting-edge research, made possible through federal funding, philanthropy, strategic partnerships, and the State of Utah. Together, these resources power discovery across the cancer continuum and enable us to translate scientific breakthroughs into meaningful benefits for patients and communities. Above all, our momentum is driven by our collective dedication to make a lasting difference for cancer patients and their families.
We are deeply grateful that nearly nine out of ten patients who come to Huntsman Cancer Institute volunteer to contribute tissue samples for research, enabling studies that inform future treatments. Patients who receive treatment today stand on the shoulders of those who have participated in research over the past decades. Thank you!...
As we approach the renewal of our federal designation as a top cancer center, we enter a pivotal and exciting moment for Huntsman Cancer Institute. Every five to seven years, Huntsman Cancer Institute undertakes the rigorous process of renewing our National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center designation—a milestone that invites both reflection and forward vision. Following our 2019 “Exceptional” review and highest score in our history, we have continued to build remarkable momentum, advancing high-impact work to meet the urgent needs of the Area We Serve.
Renewing our Comprehensive Cancer Center designation is demanding work, but it is also a valuable moment to take stock of how far we’ve come, how our research is improving care and prevention, and where we’re headed with confidence and shared purpose. In the last seven years, Huntsman Cancer Institute has further strengthened its impact.
Our progress has been fueled by sustained support for cutting-edge research, made possible through federal funding, philanthropy, strategic partnerships, and the State of Utah. Together, these resources power discovery across the cancer continuum and enable us to translate scientific breakthroughs into meaningful benefits for patients and communities. Above all, our momentum is driven by our collective dedication to make a lasting difference for cancer patients and their families.
We are deeply grateful that nearly nine out of ten patients who come to Huntsman Cancer Institute volunteer to contribute tissue samples for research, enabling studies that inform future treatments. Patients who receive treatment today stand on the shoulders of those who have participated in research over the past decades. Thank you!
We are excited to partner with colleagues across the University of Utah on groundbreaking innovations in cancer engineering, innovative clinical trials, dedicated screening efforts for firefighters, mental health for cancer patients, use of AI in cancer discovery and treatment, and numerous other interdisciplinary activities. With our new location underway in Vineyard, Utah, we are thrilled to collaborate even more with Brigham Young University, Utah Valley University, and other institutions to advance new educational opportunities and research initiatives.
At Huntsman Cancer Institute, our guiding principles include a united effort to put the patient and community first as we strive to eradicate cancer. A defining strength is how we leverage innovation and technology to overcome distance as a barrier to care, advancing new models that extend our reach across rural and frontier areas. Through digital health, clinical trials that enable remote participation, mobile screening and treatment approaches, and technology-enabled patient navigation, we are bringing prevention, screening, research participation, and care closer to where people live. These efforts reflect our deep commitment to serving the five-state Mountain West, where geography should never determine cancer outcomes.
Together, these advances demonstrate how far Huntsman Cancer Institute has come, and how innovation, collaboration, and purpose continue to shape our future. From researchers and clinicians to study participants, patients, trainees, data scientists, trial staff, administrators, shared resource teams, educators, and operations teams, every member of the Huntsman Cancer Institute community plays a role in our success. We are deeply grateful for the dedication and expertise each of them bring to our shared mission.
About Our Cancer Center Executive Director
Cornelia (Neli) Ulrich, PhD, MS, is the chief scientific officer and executive director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Huntsman Cancer Institute, the Mary C. Beckerle Presidential Endowed Chair in Cancer Research and Leadership, and (HCI) and a professor of the Jon M. and population health sciences at the University of Utah. In her role as chief scientific officer, she leads over 300 research teams dedicated to advancing cancer science and improving health outcomes. Previously, she directed the National Center for Tumor Diseases in Heidelberg, Germany, bringing international perspectives to cancer leadership.
Ulrich is a renowned cancer epidemiologist and leading expert in cancer prevention, molecular epidemiology, and survivorship. Her interdisciplinary research has been pivotal in revealing how health behaviors such as physical activity, obesity, and diet influence cancer risk and outcomes. She has also conducted multiple exercise clinical trials that explore underlying biologic mechanisms and the role of physical activity in adjuvant cancer therapy. Over the course of her career, she has authored more than 500 scientific publications and led more than 26 grants to advance evidence-based strategies that support survivors, clarify biologic pathways, develop biomarkers of treatment response, and promote healthier communities...
Cornelia (Neli) Ulrich, PhD, MS, is the chief scientific officer and executive director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Huntsman Cancer Institute, the Mary C. Beckerle Presidential Endowed Chair in Cancer Research and Leadership, and (HCI) and a professor of the Jon M. and population health sciences at the University of Utah. In her role as chief scientific officer, she leads over 300 research teams dedicated to advancing cancer science and improving health outcomes. Previously, she directed the National Center for Tumor Diseases in Heidelberg, Germany, bringing international perspectives to cancer leadership.
Ulrich is a renowned cancer epidemiologist and leading expert in cancer prevention, molecular epidemiology, and survivorship. Her interdisciplinary research has been pivotal in revealing how health behaviors such as physical activity, obesity, and diet influence cancer risk and outcomes. She has also conducted multiple exercise clinical trials that explore underlying biologic mechanisms and the role of physical activity in adjuvant cancer therapy. Over the course of her career, she has authored more than 500 scientific publications and led more than 26 grants to advance evidence-based strategies that support survivors, clarify biologic pathways, develop biomarkers of treatment response, and promote healthier communities.
Motivated by her wish to improve the health of rural populations and provide access to all, she has broadened Huntsman Cancer Institute’s catchment area to formally encompass five states—Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Montana, and Wyoming—driving innovations, including through AI, to overcome distance from care as a barrier.
Ulrich’s leadership extends beyond the lab. She is a former Fulbright scholar, has served on the Board of Scientific Advisors of the National Cancer Institute, and chairs a newly formed National Cancer Advisory Board Working Group. She holds or has held influential roles in organizations such as the American Association for Cancer Research, the Association of American Cancer Institutes, the European Association for Cancer Research, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Her service on multiple advisory boards of NCI-designated cancer centers reflects her commitment to the research community and to translating science into public impact.
Her many honors—including the Utah Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology, the Simon Shubitz Award from the University of Chicago, Collaborative Science Awards, and recognition as a Best Female Scientist—underscore her impact on science and society. They also mirror her guiding philosophy as a cancer center director: to advance discovery, science, cancer prevention, and clinical care through collaborative research, leadership, and policy—transforming knowledge into hope for patients and communities.
Bringing Cancer Care Closer to Home
A central focus of Ulrich's leadership is expanding access to cancer care, particularly for rural and frontier communities across the Mountain West. Approximately 30% of Huntsman Cancer Institute patients travel more than 150 miles for specialized treatment, and a quarter come from rural and frontier areas. Recognizing the challenges faced by patients who live far from major medical centers, she has prioritized innovative approaches that bring care closer to home.
She has championed innovative approaches to reducing geographic barriers to care, including digital health solutions, decentralized clinical trials, and world’s first cancer hospital-at-home model—Huntsman at Home™—which expanded to three rural Utah counties in 2021.
Through the ARPA-H Paradigm program, Huntsman Cancer Institute continues to improve access to specialized cancer care for Utah’s rural and frontier patients. Researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute also developed a novel geographic classification system, Integrated Metropolitan-to-Frontier Area Codes, that captures the unique characteristics and needs of rural/frontier communities. Huntsman Cancer Institute's new location underway in Vineyard, Utah, will also create new opportunities to extend cancer care, research, education, and community engagement throughout the region.
Our Priorities
Mission
Huntsman Cancer Institute’s mission is to understand cancer from its beginnings, to use that knowledge in the creation and improvement of cancer treatments, to relieve the suffering of cancer patients, and to provide education about cancer risk, prevention, and care.
Vision
Passionate individuals and teams
delivering a cancer-free frontier
through scientific discovery and human touch
Principles
- Patient and community first
- United effort
- Excellence in all we do
