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Cancer researcher Veena Shankaran awarded endowed chair at Fred Hutch
The new Lert Family Endowed Chair will support Dr. Veena Shankaran’s pioneering research into the financial burden of cancer treatment, an area that has gained national attention for its impact on patient outcomes.
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Ankita Baidya - Sat, 13, Jun 2026
- 06:04 EDT
- 41
Dr. Veena Shankaran (seated), co-director of the Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research. / Fred Hutch Cancer Centre
Indian-origin physician-scientist Dr. Veena Shankaran has been named the inaugural holder of the newly established Lert Family Endowed Chair at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Seattle, a recognition that will help advance her nationally recognized research on the financial challenges faced by cancer patients.
Shankaran, a gastrointestinal cancer specialist and co-director of the Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research (HICOR), received the endowed chair through a gift from Randy and Joyce Lert, longtime supporters of Fred Hutch. Randy Lert has been under Shankaran's care while undergoing treatment for esophageal cancer.
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The endowed chair will provide flexible funding to expand research into what experts call "financial toxicity,” the economic hardship that often accompanies cancer treatment and can affect health outcomes, treatment adherence and quality of life.
“Caring for Randy and getting to know him and Joyce over the years has been deeply meaningful to me,” Shankaran said in a statement released by Fred Hutch. “They have been curious about my research and motivated to help remove barriers that so many patients face.”
A professor at Fred Hutch and UW Medicine, Shankaran has emerged as one of the leading voices examining the intersection of cancer care and economic hardship. Her work was inspired early in her career when she discovered that a patient was rationing medication because he could not afford it, affecting the effectiveness of treatment.
Through HICOR, Shankaran and her colleagues analyze cancer registry data, healthcare claims and financial records to better understand how economic pressures influence patient outcomes. Her research has explored issues ranging from treatment delays and medical debt to food insecurity, transportation barriers and childcare costs during cancer treatment.
One recent study led by her team examined whether credit report data could help identify financial distress among cancer patients earlier than traditional surveys, potentially allowing healthcare providers to intervene before financial problems disrupt treatment.
Shankaran also leads the largest multi-site study of financial outcomes among cancer patients through the SWOG Cancer Research Network. Among its findings, researchers found that nearly three-quarters of patients with colon cancer experience significant financial hardship during treatment.
Fred Hutch President Dr. Thomas J. Lynch Jr. praised Shankaran's contributions, calling her work critical to understanding how scientific advances translate into real-world patient care.
The new endowment is expected to support pilot projects, policy-focused research and the training of future clinicians and health services researchers. Shankaran said the funding would allow her team to pursue innovative ideas and accelerate efforts to reduce financial barriers for cancer patients nationwide.
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