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News Release
Renowned CU Breast Cancer Researcher Named Distinguished Professor
AURORA, Colo. (August 12, 2004) — The University of Colorado Board of Regents has awarded the prestigious title of distinguished professor to CU-Health Sciences Center Professor Kathryn (“Kate”) Bloch Horwitz, PhD. The title is the highest honor granted by the CU Board of Regents, bestowed on members of the faculty who have distinguished themselves as exemplary teachers, scholars and public servants, and who are individuals having extraordinary international importance and recognition.
Internationally renowned for her landmark research in breast cancer, Horwitz’s contributions to medical science have benefited millions of women around the world.
“In her 25 year career at the CU-Health Sciences Center, Dr. Horwitz has become a world leader in molecular, cellular and tumor biology,” said James Shore, MD, chancellor of University of Colorado Denver and CU-Health Sciences Center. “We are pleased to have her recognized for her research into the role of women’s hormones in the development, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.”
Horwitz was the first to report that certain breast cancers contain receptors for the hormone progesterone. This breakthrough discovery, among others, led to a shift in the ssessment of tumor biopsies which, worldwide, now include assays for estrogen and progesterone receptors to indicate if a tumor is hormone-responsive. Her lab also was involved in the first development of monoclonal antibodies to progesterone receptors, introducing entirely new technological approaches for the study and diagnosis of breast cancer.
Horwitz’s work has contributed to the concept of “fingerprinting” a tumor to allow precisely targeted therapies – approaches now revolutionizing oncology. Her most recent research with hormones and receptors indicates a link to breast cancer metastasis, providing entirely new insights into possible ways to block or slow metastasis – the stage of the disease with a high mortality rate.
“Dr. Horwitz’s numerous professional accomplishments have allowed her to emerge as one of the world’s elite scientists,” said University of Colorado President Elizabeth Hoffman. “We are proud to include someone of her stature among our faculty, and her contributions will greatly enhance the quality of CU’s academic and research offerings in the health sciences.”
Horwitz has 150-plus published scientific journal articles, and has emerged as one of the world’s elite scientists. She has received numerous recognitions, including the National Institutes of Health Merit Award, election as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and appointment to the President’s Cancer Panel’s Special Commission on Breast Cancer.
Horwitz also served as president of the Endocrine Society, a prestigious elected office serving more than 10,000 national and international members. In Colorado, Horwitz has served both as a member and as chair of the Advisory Board of the Cancer League of Colorado and director of the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Research & Outreach Programs. Under her direction, the Avon Foundation was able to garner multi-million dollar gifts to, among other things, purchase a mobile mammography van, which brings vital early breast cancer detection services to women throughout the Denver Metro area who are either uninsured or underinsured.
During her extensive career as faculty with CU-Health Sciences Center, she developed the Molecular Biology Fellows Program; a formal degree-granting program in biomedical research for physicians. She has trained many graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who now contribute to the fight against breast cancer. Her teaching and training includes not only science, but the ethos of biomedical research, the art of scientific writing and teaching and integrating her trainees into the culture of the breast cancer field.
Including Horwitz, the CU-Health Sciences Center has had 11 professors designated distinguished professor. Ten are from the School of Medicine and one is from the School of Nursing. Horwitz is the first to be honored from the Division of Endocrinology/Metabolism/Diabetes within the School of Medicine. The designation was established at the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1977 and fewer than 30 professors hold this title university-wide.
“The very nature of the title ‘distinguished’ implies a limited number of faculty holding this title,” said Jerry Rutledge, chair of the Board of Regents. “Dr. Horwitz’s membership among this select group demonstrates her leadership in endocrinology and pathology, as attested by her significant recognition and public service achievements.
“The board is pleased to name Kate Horwitz as the 2004 Distinguished Professor for the University of Colorado. We ask that everyone congratulate her for earning this distinct honor and for her outstanding career accomplishments.”
Horwitz received her bachelor’s degree from Barnard College, Columbia University, a master’s degree from New York University, and her doctorate degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas.
The University of Colorado Denver is one of three campuses in the University of Colorado system. Located in Denver and Aurora, Colo., the center includes schools of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and dentistry, a graduate school and a teaching hospital. For more information, visit the Web site at www.uchsc.edu.