Dr. Veena Shankaran, a medical oncologist and healthcare economics researcher of Indian origin, has been named the inaugural holder of the newly established Lert Family Endowed Chair at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Seattle.
The appointment at the University of Washingon Medicine’s cancer program recognizes Shankaran’s extensive research into the financial hardships, or “financial toxicity,” that cancer treatments impose on patients and families.
The endowment was created by Randy Lert, an esophageal cancer patient who underwent treatment under Shankaran’s care, and his wife, Joyce. Deeply appreciative of the honest, high-quality care they received, the Lerts established the chair to fund solutions for patients who face steep economic barriers when navigating a cancer diagnosis.
As an Indian-origin physician-scientist, Shankaran’s academic background includes a BA in Philosophy from Dartmouth College and a Medical Degree from the University of Michigan Medical School.
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She completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of Michigan and a fellowship in hematology-oncology at Northwestern University. She now serves as a professor at both Fred Hutch and the University of Washington School of Medicine.
Shankaran, who co-directs the Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research (HICOR), was inspired to study health economics early in her career. She shifted her focus toward structural inequities after discovering that a patient was secretly rationing his prescribed medication because he could not afford its cost, directly compromising his treatment outcomes.
At HICOR, Shankaran and her research team link cancer registry data with healthcare claims and financial records to analyze how economic pressures dictate patient survival and quality of life. Her work explores systemic pressures ranging from medical debt to food, transportation, and childcare insecurities.
Recently, her team evaluated whether utilizing credit report data could help healthcare providers identify financially distressed patients earlier than traditional surveys.
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Additionally, she leads a large multi-site study through the SWOG Cancer Research Network, which revealed that nearly three-quarters of colon cancer patients experience severe financial distress during treatment.
The flexible funding provided by the Lert Family Endowed Chair will empower Shankaran’s team to pursue innovative, higher-risk ideas, pilot localized interventions, and accelerate the timeline from concept to actionable results. It will also support the mentorship and training of future clinicians and health services researchers.
“Dr. Shankaran has been a leading force at Fred Hutch and nationally for decades,” said Fred Hutch President and Director Dr. Thomas J. Lynch Jr. He emphasized that her dedication to the economics of medicine ensures that scientific breakthroughs successfully translate into the real-world lives of patients.
For the Lert family, the gift is an investment in systemic transformation. Randy Lert noted that while he possessed the personal financial security to manage his illness, he hopes these funds will broadly improve healthcare delivery so that future patients facing similar diagnoses achieve better outcomes.