A Year of Excellence: 2023 WebMD Elite Choice Award

Mary Beckerle, PhD

WebMD awarded Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) its highest honor, the 2023 WebMD Elite Choice Award. While the WebMD Choice Awards were first announced in 2021, the Elite Choice Award was introduced in 2022. This is the third year in a row that Huntsman Cancer Institute has received an award from the program and the second year to receive the Elite Choice Award.

According to WebMD, the goal of these awards is to help patients know where they can receive the best care in their region.

As the only National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center of the Mountain West, Huntsman Cancer Institute serves the largest area of any cancer center in the U.S. It provides cutting-edge cancer treatment, screening, and education to six affiliate hospitals and multiple community clinics. Huntsman at Home™ brings cancer care to people where they live, and a screening and education bus travels the state of Utah allowing patients to have better access to mammography so cancer can be caught at its earliest, most treatable stage.

“As we press forward in our vision to deliver a cancer-free frontier, we are honored to receive this vote of confidence from the community we serve,” says Mary Beckerle, PhD, CEO of Huntsman Cancer Institute, Jon M. Huntsman Presidential Endowed Chair, associate vice president of cancer affairs, and distinguished professor of biology and oncological sciences at the U. “Huntsman Cancer Institute is home to world-renowned experts in cancer research and care. We strive to share this expertise with anyone impacted by cancer.”

Earlier this year, Huntsman Cancer Institute opened the Kathryn F. Kirk Center for Comprehensive Cancer Care and Women’s Cancers, which recently expanded their state-of-the-art cancer space to over a million square feet. The new hospital expansion has an entire floor dedicated to breast and gynecologic cancers, as well as a blood and marrow transplant floor, and many new screening and surgical areas.

“The future for cancer care is bright,” says Sachin Apte, MD, MS, MBA, chief clinical officer, physician-in-chief at Huntsman Cancer Institute, and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the U. “We are honored to be a beacon of hope for the prevention and treatment of cancer in our region.”