Gifts totaling $3 million will create an endowed chair in cancer informatics at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The chair was created through gifts from the Walther Cancer Foundation Inc. and the Regenstrief Foundation Inc. The jointly recruited chair holder will be a research scientist at the Regenstrief Institute and cancer center and a faculty member at Indiana University.

Cancer informatics aids researchers in analyzing huge amounts of data—often called “big data”—that can help identify those at risk of developing cancer, optimize prevention and detection, improve outcomes, and identify the most effective treatments.

Data can also be used to help researchers identify health disparities and inequities in cancer care and identify ways to lessen the impact on individuals with historically minoritized racial and ethnic identities. Data on where people live, their educational backgrounds, and their economic stability—conditions that play a role in people’s health and quality of life—provides valuable information to researchers and clinicians that can ultimately be used to benefit people.

“This chair is a wonderful example of how big things can come about through identification of mutual interests among several parties,” said D. Craig Brater, MD, president and CEO of the Regenstrief Foundation and vice president of programs at the Walther Cancer Foundation. “This chair will enable researchers to better understand the biology of cancer and also to address issues of equity in cancer care.”

Rapid developments in technology have given rise to the copious amounts of data that exist. Organizing and storing that data, developing analytics to mine that data, and producing information beneficial to researchers and clinicians is an enormous undertaking. Data ranges from that contained in electronic medical records (EMRs) to data generated from clinical, basic and translational population research. The incoming chair will lead the effort in collecting data accurately, effectively and ethically, while joining an already strong group of researchers at IU and Regenstrief in bioinformatics, data science and statistics.

“Regenstrief Institute research scientists have a long history of leveraging big data to support discovery, leading to better outcomes for patients at the individual and the population levels,” said Susan Hickman, PhD, interim president and CEO of Regenstrief Institute. “We are fortunate to have partners who are both generous and visionary, enabling us to endow a chair focused specifically on cancer informatics that will invigorate collaboration and innovation in this critical area.”

“I am grateful for the extraordinary partnership with the Regenstrief Foundation and the Walther Cancer Foundation that led to the creation of this chair,” said Kelvin Lee, MD, director of the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center. “We routinely generate enormous data sets, but the information needs to be effectively organized and analyzed to make a real difference. With these gifts, we’ll be able to recruit an expert who can lead us through the complexities of informatics and position IU as a leader in the developing field of cancer informatics.”

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Gifts from Walther, Regenstrief Foundations Create Cancer Informatics Chair at IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center

To create a legacy for his soulmate and to honor their 42-year marriage, IU School of Medicine alumnus Kip E. Virts, MD, has made an $8 million estate gift to support bile duct cancer research at Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The gift established the Melissa Ann Virts and Kip E. Virts Endowed Cholangiocarcinoma Research Fund and Melissa Ann Virts and the Kip E. Virts Endowed Cholangiocarcinoma Research Chair. Cholangiocarcinoma is a rare cancer of the bile ducts, a network of tubes connecting the liver, gallbladder and small intestine.

Melissa Virts, the beloved wife of Kip Virts, was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma in May 2021, just days after she retired. Kip Virts says she was “a trooper as she danced with death” as she recovered from treatments at their home in Elk Grove, California. Melissa died in his arms on December 28, 2021.

“Melissa continues to be my sentinel and lighthouse beacon, and this gift will share that light with others faced with this terrible disease,” Kip Virts said. “We always said to one another, ‘It’s you and me, and me and you.’ This named gift will keep that ‘you and me’ alive in a joint legacy.”

The estate gift will provide $6 million to the endowed research fund and another $2 million to fund the endowed research chair.

“This incredible, heartfelt gift will position the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center to become the nation’s leading research center in cholangiocarcinoma,” said Kelvin Lee, MD, director of the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Dr. Virts is creating a legacy that will allow for unprecedented support for scientific advances in treating and curing bile duct cancer.”

As an IU School of Medicine alumnus, Dr. Virts has long known about the cancer center’s track record for tackling rare cancers like thymoma and testicular cancer.

“Cholangiocarcinoma is a very rare type of liver cancer that is aggressive with limited treatment options. There is a dire need to fund additional research to allow us to research new therapy strategies for this disease,” said Anita Turk, MD, assistant professor of clinical medicine at IU School of Medicine and a researcher at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center. Turk’s research focuses on cholangiocarcinoma and pancreatic cancer.

The couple met in 1976 at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in a biology 101 lab. A Fort Wayne, Indiana, native, Kip received an athletic scholarship from UCLA for swimming. Melissa grew up in Lodi, California, and was studying nursing. That biology lab changed the course of their lives, when Kip was seated across from “the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.” He purposefully sabotaged his microscope’s lightbulb so he could partner with Melissa to complete that day’s coursework. Melissa and Kip were inseparable from that point forward.

Kip and Melissa were engaged in the summer of 1978 after Kip was accepted to IU School of Medicine. Kip knew they would be separated for a year while Melissa was completing nursing school and wanted to make certain his commitment to her was clear. They married on July 21, 1979, in Santa Monica.

After graduating from IU School of Medicine in 1982, Kip completed his residency in California and became an anesthesiologist. Melissa’s nursing career led her to become an RN tech flight attendant nurse on commercial flights. In 1990, Kip and a group of physicians formed Anesthesia Consultants of Sacramento. Partners in life and business, Melissa joined the corporation to manage internal accounting. She later returned to school to earn a bachelor's degree in general business. The couple worked together until Kip retired in 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic led to decreased demand for anesthesiologists. Melissa continued working until April 2021 so she could finish transitioning her work to others. Days later, Melissa learned that her recent health issues were due to cancer.

More information about the Virts endowed chair and research fund is available online.

IU School of Medicine alumnus Kip E. Virts, MD, has made an $8 million estate gift to support bile duct cancer research at Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center.

$8 million gift establishes research fund, endowed position for bile duct cancer at IU

Indiana University School of Medicine has named Shelley Johns, PsyD, ABPP, the Walther Scholar in Psycho-Oncology.

Johns is the first person to hold this position, which was established by the transformative $14 million gift to IU School of Medicine from the Walther Cancer Foundation to create five endowed positions to develop a supportive oncology program that encompasses research and patient care. Supportive oncology goes beyond standard therapies such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation and seeks to care for a patient’s overall physical, mental and spiritual well-being.

The program intends to influence care for cancer patients and their families throughout Indiana and the country by providing expertise and best practices for other health systems to model, with particular attention to the underserved.

“Thanks to the generous support of the Walther Cancer Foundation, I have the opportunity to explore new ideas to address problems that are most important to people whose lives are disrupted by cancer,” Johns said. “I want to capitalize on the synergy that I already see and feel between clinical practice and research so we can develop studies that are informed by people with cancer and then implement our research findings in clinical practice.”

Johns is a nationally-recognized, board-certified, clinical health psychologist, an associate professor at IU School of Medicine in the 

Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics

 researcher and a research scientist at the William M. Tierney Center for Health Services Research at the 

. Her research focuses on developing and testing mind-body interventions to improve the physical health and psychological well-being of adults with cancer. She currently holds a $2.6 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to lead a clinical trial to support breast cancer survivors struggling with fear of cancer recurrence.

As the Walther Scholar in Psycho-Oncology, Johns will develop programs in psycho-oncology within the newly established Supportive Oncology Center of Excellence at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“We are very fortunate to recruit Dr. Johns to the newly established Supportive Oncology Center of Excellence in the cancer center, which will be the hub for our cutting-edge efforts in research, education and clinical care in supporting the important needs of our cancer patients and their families,” 

, cancer center director, said. “Dr. Johns’ exceptional work in psycho-oncology will be a major pillar of the center.”

“Dr. Johns is a great addition to improving the total care of patients living with cancer who we see at the cancer center. Shelley’s work will be critical to the Supportive Oncology Center of Excellence in improving clinical care, research and education,” 

, professor of medicine and Walther Senior Chair in Supportive Oncology at IU School of Medicine, said. Cleary was recruited in 2018 to IU as part of the Walther gift, which was believed to be the largest gift in the country to support a program of this kind.

“Dr. Johns does very rigorous and sophisticated research aimed at providing the evidence base for treating highly prevalent and challenging symptoms in patients with cancer,” said 

, director of the Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics. “She also represents another critical connection between our palliative care program and the cancer center.”

“Shelley Johns is a highly talented and insightful researcher. The Walther Cancer Foundation has provided support for certain aspects of Dr. John’s work for more than ten years. We are truly pleased that Shelley has been selected as the first Walther Scholar in Psycho-Oncology,” said Tom Grein, president and CEO of the Walther Cancer Foundation.

 is the largest medical school in the U.S. and is annually ranked among the top medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The school offers high-quality medical education, access to leading medical research and rich campus life in nine Indiana cities, including rural and urban locations consistently recognized for livability.

IU School of Medicine Names First Walther Scholar in Psycho-Oncology

A gift commitment of $12.5 million to Indiana University School of Medicine from the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer will support new research to harness immunotherapy for breast cancer treatment.

 brings the non-profit’s total commitments in breast cancer research funding since 2000 to $50 million. The Foundation’s ongoing support led to the 2018 creation of the 

Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research

Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center

 where more than 30 investigators collaborate on breast cancer discoveries.

Support from the Vera Bradley Foundation has aided the IU School of Medicine in amassing talent, technology, and resources to become a national leader in targeted breast cancer therapies, specifically for triple negative breast cancer. For example, 

, Vera Bradley Professor of Oncology at IU School of Medicine, is leading a 

 to develop personalized therapies for triple negative breast cancer patients with funding from the Vera Bradley Foundation. The study builds on 

Since 2004, more than 1,300 discoveries have been published in peer-reviewed journals by IU breast cancer researchers.

The Vera Bradley Foundation’s latest funding commitment will help launch immunotherapy research efforts to develop better therapies for triple negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of breast cancer that is often not responsive to hormone therapies and is resistant to chemotherapy. Immunotherapy uses the body’s immune system to target and destroy cancer cells.

“To say we’ve ‘donated’ $37.5 million for breast cancer research doesn’t tell our story. To date, the foundation has provided $37.5 million of life changing research that has and will continue to impact women and their loved ones all over the globe,” Ruth Cook, chair of the Vera Bradley Foundation board, said. “We’ve invested in a team of the best, the brightest, and the most passionate researchers in the world. Our research team is relentlessly pursuing critical advancements that have and will continue to change the face of breast cancer forever.

“Our goal is to have a breast cancer diagnosis become an inconvenience rather than an overwhelming presence,” she added. “We are confident our new pledge of $12.5 million will mean more women can enjoy long and thriving lives well beyond their breast cancer diagnosis.”

“The Vera Bradley Foundation has been an unwavering source of support and inspiration at IU School of Medicine for the last 23 years. This new gift will help us take the next step in conquering breast cancer—one we’ve had in our sights for years,” said 

, dean of IU School of Medicine and IU’s executive vice president for university clinical affairs. “The foundation has benefitted and provided hope for countless women with the most difficult-to-treat breast cancers. We are tremendously grateful for their partnership and generosity.”

, joined IU as the inaugural Vera Bradley Foundation Scholar in Breast Cancer Discovery at IU School of Medicine and as co-leader of the cancer center’s experimental and development therapeutics research program. He most recently was at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where he was an associate professor of medicine and an associate director of cellular and gene therapeutics program in solid tumors.

Opyrchal’s research focuses on novel therapeutic approaches and enhancing immune responses in triple negative breast cancer. His recruitment, made possible by Vera Bradley Foundation funding, expands IU’s leadership and knowledge base for the immunotherapy initiative with the goal of developing innovative approaches to help patients with this disease.

In addition to precision medicine and immunotherapy, research at IU’s Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research includes efforts in prevention, early detection, improved treatments for curable disease, and survivorship.

“I and the entire cancer research and care team here at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center are enormously grateful for the significant and sustained support we have received from the Vera Bradley Foundation,” said 

, director of both the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center and IU’s Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research. “This remarkable gift will enable our researchers in the Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research to continue their pioneering work in lifting the burden of breast cancer. Research cures cancer and such generous philanthropy fuels that research.”

View and download photos, videos and more information about the Vera Bradley Foundation and breast cancer research at IU School of Medicine and IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center.

About Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer

The Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer raises funds for breast cancer research to find a cure and to improve the lives of the many affected by this disease. The Foundation has contributed $37.5 million to the Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research at the Indiana University School of Medicine. The Center is focused on developing and dramatically improving therapies for some of the most difficult-to-treat types of breast cancer. Funds are raised through special events, partner events, and individual donations. Learn more about the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer at 

About Indiana University School of Medicine

Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer Makes $12.5 Million Commitment to Indiana University School of Medicine

Using the nation’s largest COVID-19 data resource, a researcher at the 

 found the COVID-19 vaccine protected most cancer patients from getting COVID. However, patients with certain types of cancer have a higher and widely varied risk of breakthrough COVID infections after receiving the COVID vaccine.

Indiana University School of Medicine Department of Biostatistics

study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology

. He is also the core associate director of real-world data for the cancer center’s 

Su led a team of 13 investigators from 10 research institutes across the country to analyze data from the 

National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C)

 at the National Institutes of Health, including another researcher at IU School of Medicine, Xiaochun Li, PhD, a professor of biostatistics and health data sciences.

“This is one of the largest COVID real-world data resources in the world and the largest in the United States,” Su said. It includes more than 12.5 million patients and 4.5 million COVID patients. Researchers examined more than 64,000 cancer patients who were vaccinated against COVID-19.

“We systematically screened major cancer types and major treatment types, as well as other risk factors such as age, comorbidities, sex, race, geographic locations and others to qualitatively know the contribution of each risk factor and the specific rates of each cancer subgroup as well as the contribution of treatment categories for cancer patients,” Su said. “This type of analysis is only possible because we have a huge COVID cohort and control cohort.”

The risk of breakthrough infection was reduced after the second vaccine dose for all cancers.

Patients with hematologic cancers, or blood cancers, including leukemia, multiple myeloma and lymphoma, were at a higher risk of breakthrough COVID; those with blood cancers had a greater risk than solid cancers.

The Moderna vaccine was more effective than the Pfizer vaccine for protecting patients with hematologic cancers, especially patients with multiple myeloma.

These findings could help guide clinical care and treatment for cancer patients with COVID, Su said. Beyond the pandemic, this research could also help when developing immune-based cancer treatments. Some immunotherapies rely on a patient’s immune capacities, and these findings could help researchers predict which patient populations may respond best to specific treatments.

“In fact, the COVID pandemic provides a unique opportunity for us to screen the immune competence among all cancer patients at a national level,” Su said. “We could use this to imitate the differential immune capacities among cancer patients. This could guide us to better understand whether cancer patients will have good responses to cancer vaccines and if they are at a higher risk of infection of other viruses, such as the flu.”

“Risk and Outcome of Breakthrough COVID-19 Infections in Vaccinated Patients WithCancer: Real-World Evidence From the National COVID Cohort Collaborative”

 is the second Journal of Clinical Oncology paper published by Su and colleagues using the N3C data. The group is now working to answer additional questions about waning immunity and the effectiveness of booster shots.

“With the surging of new variants, especially the BA.2, we don't know whether there will be another wave down the road,” Su said. “We are monitoring the situation to see what new variants will mean for cancer patients and how to best protect them through vaccination.”

This research was supported by the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center Support Grant from the National Cancer Institute (P30 CA 082709) and the 

Indiana University Precision Health Initiative

A researcher at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center found the COVID-19 vaccine protected most cancer patients from getting COVID. However, patients with certain types of cancer have a higher and widely varied risk of breakthrough COVID infections after receiving the COVID vaccine.