Read Time: 3 minutes
Takeaways:
- Huntsman Cancer Institute was recognized for combining top-tier cancer research with strong outreach to rural and frontier communities across the Mountain West.
- Anthony Letai, MD, PhD, emphasized decentralizing clinical trials through telemedicine, wearable technology, and local providers to improve access for underserved patients.
Impact: The visit highlighted Huntsman Cancer Institute research strengths, trainees, and facilities, and provided opportunities for faculty and staff to engage with the director of the National Cancer Institute on cancer research priorities.
Anthony Letai, MD, PhD, director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), recently addressed a packed audience of Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) researchers, caregivers, and staff as part of a “mountainside chat,” which took place in an auditorium situated against the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains.
Speaking to an audience of over 500 people, Letai first discussed updates on the national approach to cancer research funding, strategy, and care. He also applauded the accomplishments of Huntsman Cancer Institute, the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the Mountain West.
“I think this is a jewel of a cancer center,” Letai said. “It has a really unique combination of top-quality laboratory-based and clinical science. But you all are also tackling some very big goals that we have nationally, such as outreach to geographically underserved communities.”
Huntsman Cancer Institute serves a largely rural and frontier region, including Utah, Idaho,
Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming.
Letai then sat down for a conversation with Neli Ulrich, PhD, MS, chief scientific officer and executive director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Huntsman Cancer Institute and Jon M. and Karen Huntsman Presidential Professor in Cancer Research in population sciences at the U, and Alana Welm, PhD, Huntsman Cancer Institute senior director of basic science and chair of the Department of Oncological Sciences in the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the U.
Ulrich and Welm asked questions that had been collected from Huntsman Cancer Institute employees in advance of the director’s visit. They discussed grant funding, research methods, and the importance of decentralizing clinical trials.
Clinical trials are the best methods to evaluate the latest cancer therapies. But patients often need to be frequently monitored and live within proximity of a larger hospital center. This makes it harder for patients from rural and frontier populations to take part. Huntsman Cancer Institute, alongside other centers, is working to decentralize clinical trials by exploring using telemedicine, wearable technology like smartwatches, and local health care professionals to monitor patients.
“I think the more you decentralize, the more you’re approaching something more like real-world evidence when you democratize this access to care,” said Letai. “I’m a big fan of decentralization. The NCI is a big fan of decentralization.”
The NCI was established in 1937 as part of the National Institutes of Health—its mission is to conduct and support cancer research, and it is the largest funder of cancer research globally. Letai, who previously served as a physician-researcher at Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is the institute’s 18th director.
In addition to the mountainside chat, Letai also toured Huntsman Cancer Institute and had lunch with early career scientists.
“It was an energizing and inspiring day, marked by big ideas and candid conversations about what’s next in cancer research and care—from precision oncology and transformative science to expanding access for rural and frontier communities across the Mountain West,” says Ulrich. “The ‘mountainside chat’ showcased the energy and ambition that drive our work and strengthened the foundation for continued collaboration with the National Cancer Institute. Together, we are pushing the boundaries of science and care.”
Bradley Cairns, PhD, CEO of Huntsman Cancer Institute, says Letai’s visit underscored what it takes to move cancer discovery from the lab to the people who need it most. “We’re turning bold science into real-world impact—from first-of-their-kind discoveries and clinical trials to new ways of reaching patients who live far from major cancer centers,” Cairns says. “When national leaders see both the caliber of our research and the urgency of our mission across the Mountain West and beyond, it strengthens the momentum to accelerate innovation and expand access for every community we serve.”