Schlechter named Cancer Moonshot Scholar

Chelsey Schlechter, MPH, PhD, Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator and assistant professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences at the University of Utah (the U), has been selected as a Cancer Moonshot Scholar.

Schlechter is one of only eleven researchers in the U.S. chosen for the prestigious program this year, which aims to both advance impactful cancer research and broaden the research workforce.

For the project, Schlechter and her team partnered with the Association for Utah Community Health and Utah Community Health Centers—organizations which aim to provide health care to historically marginalized populations—to test strategies to connect patients to evidence-based weight management programs. Better enrollment in these types of programs will contribute to cancer prevention, according to Schlechter. At least 13 types of cancer are related to obesity, per an expert report of the International Agency of Research in Cancer.

“I am incredibly lucky to collaborate with such great community partners, and this award will help further our joint mission to prevent cancer,” says Schlechter. “We also have the chance to answer impactful research questions and improve the health of populations that have been historically marginalized and often have limited access to these important preventive interventions.”

Schlechter and her team will use electronic health records, proactive outreach over text message, and patient navigation to enroll patients in digital weight management programs.

David Wetter, PhD, director of the Center for Health Outcomes and Population Equity (HOPE) and the Jon M. and Karen Huntsman Presidential Professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences at the U and Huntsman Cancer Institute, and Guilherme Del Fiol, MD, PhD, professor and vice-chair for research in biomedical informatics in the School of Medicine at the U, will also serve as primary investigators on the project.

“We are extremely excited about Dr. Schlechter’s selection as a Cancer Moonshot Scholar, as well as the project to address obesity among community health centers and their patients,” Del Fiol and Wetter said in a joint statement. “The project, SMARTLife Utah, will address the epidemic of obesity to improve health at the population level. Dr. Schlechter is an outstanding, highly collaborative scientist who deeply cares about the community. This project could not have a better leader, and this award is so well deserved.”

Neli Ulrich, PhD, chief scientific officer and executive director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Huntsman Cancer Institute, says she is proud of Schlechter’s accomplishment.

“Obesity increases the risk of multiple cancers, including of the breast, colon, and endometrium. Dr. Schlechter’s work is reflective of the depth of community-based research we prioritize at Huntsman Cancer Institute,” says Ulrich. “Being named a Cancer Moonshot Scholar is an incredible achievement, and I am excited to see how her research will guide cancer prevention here in Utah and throughout the Mountain West.”

The Cancer Moonshot program was founded in 2016 in an effort to accelerate cancer research. President Joe Biden created the Cancer Moonshot Scholars program in 2022.

The Cancer Moonshot Scholars program is funded by the National Cancer Institute. The research described in this release is supported by the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute including P30 CA042014, and Huntsman Cancer Foundation. 

About Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah

Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) is the National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center for Utah, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming. With a legacy of innovative cancer research, groundbreaking discoveries, and world-class patient care, we are transforming the way cancer is understood, prevented, diagnosed, treated, and survived. Huntsman Cancer Institute focuses on delivering a cancer-free frontier to all communities in the area we serve. We have more than 300 open clinical trials and 250 research teams studying cancer at any given time. More genes for inherited cancers have been discovered at Huntsman Cancer Institute than at any other cancer center. Our scientists are world-renowned for understanding how cancer begins and using that knowledge to develop innovative approaches to treat each patient’s unique disease. Huntsman Cancer Institute was founded by Jon M. and Karen Huntsman.